As I indicated in my previous post on Wharton interviews, they have totally changed. Reported interviews now consist of 100% behavioral questions. See reports at http://gmatclub.com/forum/calling-all-wharton-2011-applicants-95623-900.html.
Clear Admit now has a a full report up. See http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview.
-Adam
November 17, 2010
Joint Wharton MBA/MA–Lauder Applicant Essays for Fall 2011 Admission
If you are applying for the Joint Wharton MBA/MA-Lauder Program, you will find yourself, not only writing the Wharton essays (See my previous post), but also writing up to an additional 2000 words. I have not worked on too many Lauder applications. Three actually, resulting in an admit for 2010 (See his testimonial here) and two that resulted in interviews and sadly in dings (Don’t cry for the applicants as they were admitted to Columbia and Chicago). My first suggestion about Lauder is to take the whole process, including interviewing seriously. I am confident about my essay advice on Lauder, though clearly it based on a really small pool of clients. While Wharton’s MBA questions have changed significantly for 2011 entry, that is not the case with Lauder. The two questions you will have to integrate into your overall Wharton essay portfolio are below in bold:
1. Describe a cross-cultural experience in your adult life that was challenging to you. How did you meet this challenge and what did you learn from the experience? (1,000 words)
While a cross-cultural experience in your adult life, the key situational constraint of the question, might occur in your home country, I would advise you to write on an experience that occurred overseas, though not necessarily in the language/region you intend to focus on at Lauder. A core function of this essay is demonstrate your ability to function well internationally and to cope with differences in culture. It is generally the case that those factors can best be measured by an international experience.
What kind of topic will work here? A challenging situation is pretty wide open. It might be a professional situation involving team, leadership, and/or communication issues. It might be a complicated situation because of the location. Whatever it is, it must involve a cross-cultural aspect: You will need to write about the meeting of two or more unique cultures and the need to resolve or at least factor in differences between those cultures in your handling of the challenge you faced and how you overcame it.I don’t suggest writing on a topic where you negatively stereotype another nation: Martians are always argumentative, so negotiating with them proved very challenging, but based on my ability to master their language, I was able to sell them more laundry detergent than they would ever need. Instead, I suggest you find a topic where actual differences in culture are explained a carefully nuanced and culturally sensitive way.
Given the necessity to actually learn something, avoid topics where you don’t: This situation taught me the importance of human communication. Sorry, but I think that lesson should have bean learned prior to becoming an adult. Successful versions of this topic must involve real learning. This may lead to a new career decision, a new way of looking at oneself, a new way of interacting with other people, or a myriad of other possibilities.
An effective answer will consist of the following:
1. A clear statement of what the challenge was.
2. A clear explanation of the cross cultural aspect.
3. A discussion of the steps you took to overcome the challenge.
4. An analysis of what you learned, possibly including an example of how you applied what you learned to a new situation.
2. Please explain why you are currently applying to Lauder. How do you expect the Wharton/Lauder joint-degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and personal level? (1,000 words)
Unlike regular Wharton MBA applicants, Lauder applicants will still have plenty of room to write about their goals and why they want to attend Wharton. While I have suggested that all applicants try to write Optional Essay 1 (Creating your own course), I don’t think this is necessary for Wharton/Lauder applicants as it is possible that the content of Lauder Essay 2 will really prove more than sufficient for explaining all you need to about Wharton and Lauder. That said, I still think Optional Essay 1 is great question to write on.
An effective answer here will consist of a clear explanation of why you are applying to Lauder. This explanation should be connected to the goals you discuss in Wharton Essay 1 and to the specific nature of the Lauder program. Don’t worry about overlap between this answer and Wharton Essay 1 because some will be necessary in order to explain the connection between Lauder and your goals. Given the importance of the linguistic, cultural, and experience in-country aspect of Lauder, you should certainly explain how those and other aspects of the program have motivated your application. You should discuss both what you hope to gain professionally (goals, career opportunities, networking, etc.) and personally (academic interest, expanded perspective, improved language skills, etc.) from the program. I highly recommend that you use this space to connect personally with the Lauder program and show your passion for it. Don’t just recite brochure content, but show how Lauder will transform you both professionally and personally.
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 "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant." If you are interested in my graduate admission consulting services, please click here.
-Adam Markus
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ビジネススクール カウンセリング コンサルティング 大学院 合格対策 エッセイ MBA留学
1. Describe a cross-cultural experience in your adult life that was challenging to you. How did you meet this challenge and what did you learn from the experience? (1,000 words)
While a cross-cultural experience in your adult life, the key situational constraint of the question, might occur in your home country, I would advise you to write on an experience that occurred overseas, though not necessarily in the language/region you intend to focus on at Lauder. A core function of this essay is demonstrate your ability to function well internationally and to cope with differences in culture. It is generally the case that those factors can best be measured by an international experience.
What kind of topic will work here? A challenging situation is pretty wide open. It might be a professional situation involving team, leadership, and/or communication issues. It might be a complicated situation because of the location. Whatever it is, it must involve a cross-cultural aspect: You will need to write about the meeting of two or more unique cultures and the need to resolve or at least factor in differences between those cultures in your handling of the challenge you faced and how you overcame it.
Given the necessity to actually learn something, avoid topics where you don’t: This situation taught me the importance of human communication. Sorry, but I think that lesson should have bean learned prior to becoming an adult. Successful versions of this topic must involve real learning. This may lead to a new career decision, a new way of looking at oneself, a new way of interacting with other people, or a myriad of other possibilities.
An effective answer will consist of the following:
1. A clear statement of what the challenge was.
2. A clear explanation of the cross cultural aspect.
3. A discussion of the steps you took to overcome the challenge.
4. An analysis of what you learned, possibly including an example of how you applied what you learned to a new situation.
2. Please explain why you are currently applying to Lauder. How do you expect the Wharton/Lauder joint-degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and personal level? (1,000 words)
Unlike regular Wharton MBA applicants, Lauder applicants will still have plenty of room to write about their goals and why they want to attend Wharton. While I have suggested that all applicants try to write Optional Essay 1 (Creating your own course), I don’t think this is necessary for Wharton/Lauder applicants as it is possible that the content of Lauder Essay 2 will really prove more than sufficient for explaining all you need to about Wharton and Lauder. That said, I still think Optional Essay 1 is great question to write on.
An effective answer here will consist of a clear explanation of why you are applying to Lauder. This explanation should be connected to the goals you discuss in Wharton Essay 1 and to the specific nature of the Lauder program. Don’t worry about overlap between this answer and Wharton Essay 1 because some will be necessary in order to explain the connection between Lauder and your goals. Given the importance of the linguistic, cultural, and experience in-country aspect of Lauder, you should certainly explain how those and other aspects of the program have motivated your application. You should discuss both what you hope to gain professionally (goals, career opportunities, networking, etc.) and personally (academic interest, expanded perspective, improved language skills, etc.) from the program. I highly recommend that you use this space to connect personally with the Lauder program and show your passion for it. Don’t just recite brochure content, but show how Lauder will transform you both professionally and personally.
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 "Why I don't analyze profiles without consulting with the applicant." If you are interested in my graduate admission consulting services, please click here.
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
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 大学院 合格対策 エッセイ MBA留学
November 16, 2010
10 KEY POINTS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDATION
10 KEY POINTS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDATION: WHAT EVERY RECOMMENDER SHOULD KNOW
In this post, I have provided some advice for recommenders (AKA “referees”). While this advice is focused on MBA recommendations (“recs”), much of what is here would apply to recs for other graduate programs.
While this post is meant for your recommenders, I think it also provides key points for you to consider both in terms of who you select for recommendations and also what of role you will have in the process. My post on HBS recommendation questions can be found here, but is best read after reading this post.
A brief note on selecting recommenders: It is important that you select recommenders who know you well enough to serve as effective advocates on your behalf. Selecting someone who has a big title or an MBA to the school you apply to is perfectly fine as long they know you and are an appropriate person to evaluate you. That said, great recommenders need not have a super title, an MBA, or even be able to write in English! A great recommender is someone who can write convincingly of your abilities based on their experience of working with you. A great recommender might need to have their recommendation translated into English. A great recommender might not have the most beautiful writing style, but if they can communicate effectively, that is all that is required. Most schools want a current direct supervisor or someone who can fill that role. Additionally senior colleagues and clients are also common choices. All recommenders should know you in a formal professional or extracurricular context. Causal friends and family members are not effective. Senior colleagues are fine. For some schools, like Stanford GSB, peer recommenders are required and should be someone who is really a peer and not a supervisor. HBS is one of the few schools that will accept recommendations from your undergraduate or graduate school professors. Choose your recommenders carefully because who you choose is one basis on which you will be judged. For more about recommender selection, please see here.
THE 10 KEY POINTS
For Applicants: Feel free to distribute this document to your recommenders or use it as a basis for your discussion with them.
For Recommenders: Below I have tried to provide you with some advice on how to write an effective recommendation (“rec”) that will help the applicant you are writing for gain admission. My advice is based on my work, since 2001, as an MBA admissions consultant.
#1: RECS MATTER. It is that simple. What you will be writing will have an impact on the admissions outcome of the applicant. Take this responsibility seriously. Take the time to craft effective answers, get input from the applicant if you need it, translate your rec into English if necessary, have someone proofread your rec if necessary, and, whatever you do, submit it on time! If you can’t handle this responsibility, admit that, and save the applicant from being damaged by your inability to fulfill your role.
#2: YOU BETTER KNOW THE APPLICANT OR CREATE THE APPEARANCE THAT YOU REALLY DO. Schools (Business Schools or otherwise) get recommendations all the time from VIPs who don’t really know the applicant and can only write really vague things about the applicant or merely report that someone else said something good about the applicant. This is not effective. One reason most MBA recommendation forms ask such specific questions like “Discuss a time you provided feedback to the applicant” or “What are the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses” is that they can use such answers to measure the extent to which you know the applicant. While it is possible, on a long list of questions, to not answer a particular question, generally speaking, you should anticipate the necessity to provide detailed answers to all major recommendation questions. If you have agreed to do this and find you lack sufficient content to answer the questions effectively, please discuss that issue with the applicant.
#3: UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE, USE THE (ONLINE) FORM. While some MBA programs are quite happy with a letter that addresses their questions, most of the top programs in the US and Europe require specific answers to specific questions as part of a rec form. I know that this means that you will have to answer different questions for different schools and that this whole process is a bigger burden than you imagined, especially if the applicant is applying to multiple programs, but that is part of the responsibility you have agreed to take on.
#4: TRY TO WRITE THE LONGEST MOST INVOLVED RECOMMENDATION FIRST. If you have to write recommendations for two or more schools, I suggest reviewing the questions and determining which one looks like the most burdensome in terms of the number of questions asked and length. By tackling this one first, you will find that it will be easier handling subsequent recommendations. If the applicant is applying to Columbia Business School, chances are pretty good that it will be the most burdensome one.
#5: HOW LONG? THIS WILL VARY GREATLY. Some schools like HBS (3 questions, 200 words each, and on 1 page) and MIT (6 questions, 2 pages maximum) provide you with very clear guidelines, but others don’t. In general, I think you can assume that you need to write answers that are somewhere between 100 and 300 words long and that a typical recommendation of 5-6 questions will be about 600-1800 words long. There is a huge variation in what is acceptable. The key issue is not length, but the quality of your response.
#6: GOOD RECS CONSIST OF DETAILS AND ANALYSIS. A good recommendation answer will consist of both your analytical perspective on the applicant as well as specific detailed examples that support that perspective. If you say the applicant is an “X” explain why and, at least in some cases, provide a specific example. “X”= smart, innovative, global, etc. A detailed example is a brief anecdote or story. Some questions will ask that you provide examples, but even if they don’t you really need to provide the admissions committee with enough information so that they can fully understand your support for the applicant.
#7: BE CRITICAL, BUT NUANCED. You will likely be asked to provide a critical perspective on the applicant. Questions about areas for future growth, weaknesses, or characteristics about the applicant you would change are very common on MBA recs. The objective of such criticism is to help the admissions committee understand the applicant and also the extent to which you are relatively objective. Still, make sure that your criticisms are not fatal ( Examples: “The applicant loses his temper easily and has been disruptive on teams.” “The applicant lacks the ability to analyze complex issues.” “She is too aggressive to work effectively with some people.”), but are measured and nuanced. Be honest about the applicant, but when you answer such questions think carefully about the answer and provide a full and complete answer that explains (and hopefully delineates) the extent of your criticism.
#8: NOT SURE ABOUT A QUESTION? ASK THE APPLICANT. If you don’t understand a question, the applicant should be able to. It is better to provide effective answers to the questions than just guessing. There are times when the rec wording may confuse you, but as the applicant has been focused on the admissions process, they should be able to figure it out
.
#9: GETTING INPUT FROM THE APPLICANT. I think it is fine to get input form applicant when formulating your answers. This may take the form of a conversation, a review of the applicant’s resume and/or essays, and/or written notes from the applicant. Especially if you have not worked with the applicant recently, it is especially helpful to have some reminders. In any event, it is certainly helpful to know what the applicant would like you to discuss. That said, it is critical that the recommendations not appear to be written by the applicant! Even if the applicants sends you sample answers or highly detailed notes that amount to the same thing, you really must alter these regardless of how effectively they represent your viewpoint. The applicant is relying on you to provide your distinct voice and perspective, so at minimum restate in your own words whatever inputs the applicant provides you with. Ideally you should craft your own answer and only use such inputs from the applicant as a starting point. Finally, IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WRITING IN ENGLISH, USE A TRANSLATOR AND WRITE IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE!
#10: BE AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR THE APPLICANT. This is my tenth and last point because it is the bottom line. If you can’t be an effective advocate for the applicant, don’t write a recommendation. The applicant needs your full support based on your ability to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have an important and positive perspective on the applicant. The admissions committee must be able to not only understand and believe what they are reading about the applicant, but they must also think, based in part on your recommendation, that the applicant is someone who will succeed in their program and afterwords.
In this post, I have provided some advice for recommenders (AKA “referees”). While this advice is focused on MBA recommendations (“recs”), much of what is here would apply to recs for other graduate programs.
While this post is meant for your recommenders, I think it also provides key points for you to consider both in terms of who you select for recommendations and also what of role you will have in the process. My post on HBS recommendation questions can be found here, but is best read after reading this post.
A brief note on selecting recommenders: It is important that you select recommenders who know you well enough to serve as effective advocates on your behalf. Selecting someone who has a big title or an MBA to the school you apply to is perfectly fine as long they know you and are an appropriate person to evaluate you. That said, great recommenders need not have a super title, an MBA, or even be able to write in English! A great recommender is someone who can write convincingly of your abilities based on their experience of working with you. A great recommender might need to have their recommendation translated into English. A great recommender might not have the most beautiful writing style, but if they can communicate effectively, that is all that is required. Most schools want a current direct supervisor or someone who can fill that role. Additionally senior colleagues and clients are also common choices. All recommenders should know you in a formal professional or extracurricular context. Causal friends and family members are not effective. Senior colleagues are fine. For some schools, like Stanford GSB, peer recommenders are required and should be someone who is really a peer and not a supervisor. HBS is one of the few schools that will accept recommendations from your undergraduate or graduate school professors. Choose your recommenders carefully because who you choose is one basis on which you will be judged. For more about recommender selection, please see here.
THE 10 KEY POINTS
For Applicants: Feel free to distribute this document to your recommenders or use it as a basis for your discussion with them.
For Recommenders: Below I have tried to provide you with some advice on how to write an effective recommendation (“rec”) that will help the applicant you are writing for gain admission. My advice is based on my work, since 2001, as an MBA admissions consultant.
#1: RECS MATTER. It is that simple. What you will be writing will have an impact on the admissions outcome of the applicant. Take this responsibility seriously. Take the time to craft effective answers, get input from the applicant if you need it, translate your rec into English if necessary, have someone proofread your rec if necessary, and, whatever you do, submit it on time! If you can’t handle this responsibility, admit that, and save the applicant from being damaged by your inability to fulfill your role.
#2: YOU BETTER KNOW THE APPLICANT OR CREATE THE APPEARANCE THAT YOU REALLY DO. Schools (Business Schools or otherwise) get recommendations all the time from VIPs who don’t really know the applicant and can only write really vague things about the applicant or merely report that someone else said something good about the applicant. This is not effective. One reason most MBA recommendation forms ask such specific questions like “Discuss a time you provided feedback to the applicant” or “What are the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses” is that they can use such answers to measure the extent to which you know the applicant. While it is possible, on a long list of questions, to not answer a particular question, generally speaking, you should anticipate the necessity to provide detailed answers to all major recommendation questions. If you have agreed to do this and find you lack sufficient content to answer the questions effectively, please discuss that issue with the applicant.
#3: UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE, USE THE (ONLINE) FORM. While some MBA programs are quite happy with a letter that addresses their questions, most of the top programs in the US and Europe require specific answers to specific questions as part of a rec form. I know that this means that you will have to answer different questions for different schools and that this whole process is a bigger burden than you imagined, especially if the applicant is applying to multiple programs, but that is part of the responsibility you have agreed to take on.
#4: TRY TO WRITE THE LONGEST MOST INVOLVED RECOMMENDATION FIRST. If you have to write recommendations for two or more schools, I suggest reviewing the questions and determining which one looks like the most burdensome in terms of the number of questions asked and length. By tackling this one first, you will find that it will be easier handling subsequent recommendations. If the applicant is applying to Columbia Business School, chances are pretty good that it will be the most burdensome one.
#5: HOW LONG? THIS WILL VARY GREATLY. Some schools like HBS (3 questions, 200 words each, and on 1 page) and MIT (6 questions, 2 pages maximum) provide you with very clear guidelines, but others don’t. In general, I think you can assume that you need to write answers that are somewhere between 100 and 300 words long and that a typical recommendation of 5-6 questions will be about 600-1800 words long. There is a huge variation in what is acceptable. The key issue is not length, but the quality of your response.
#6: GOOD RECS CONSIST OF DETAILS AND ANALYSIS. A good recommendation answer will consist of both your analytical perspective on the applicant as well as specific detailed examples that support that perspective. If you say the applicant is an “X” explain why and, at least in some cases, provide a specific example. “X”= smart, innovative, global, etc. A detailed example is a brief anecdote or story. Some questions will ask that you provide examples, but even if they don’t you really need to provide the admissions committee with enough information so that they can fully understand your support for the applicant.
#7: BE CRITICAL, BUT NUANCED. You will likely be asked to provide a critical perspective on the applicant. Questions about areas for future growth, weaknesses, or characteristics about the applicant you would change are very common on MBA recs. The objective of such criticism is to help the admissions committee understand the applicant and also the extent to which you are relatively objective. Still, make sure that your criticisms are not fatal ( Examples: “The applicant loses his temper easily and has been disruptive on teams.” “The applicant lacks the ability to analyze complex issues.” “She is too aggressive to work effectively with some people.”), but are measured and nuanced. Be honest about the applicant, but when you answer such questions think carefully about the answer and provide a full and complete answer that explains (and hopefully delineates) the extent of your criticism.
#8: NOT SURE ABOUT A QUESTION? ASK THE APPLICANT. If you don’t understand a question, the applicant should be able to. It is better to provide effective answers to the questions than just guessing. There are times when the rec wording may confuse you, but as the applicant has been focused on the admissions process, they should be able to figure it out
.
#9: GETTING INPUT FROM THE APPLICANT. I think it is fine to get input form applicant when formulating your answers. This may take the form of a conversation, a review of the applicant’s resume and/or essays, and/or written notes from the applicant. Especially if you have not worked with the applicant recently, it is especially helpful to have some reminders. In any event, it is certainly helpful to know what the applicant would like you to discuss. That said, it is critical that the recommendations not appear to be written by the applicant! Even if the applicants sends you sample answers or highly detailed notes that amount to the same thing, you really must alter these regardless of how effectively they represent your viewpoint. The applicant is relying on you to provide your distinct voice and perspective, so at minimum restate in your own words whatever inputs the applicant provides you with. Ideally you should craft your own answer and only use such inputs from the applicant as a starting point. Finally, IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WRITING IN ENGLISH, USE A TRANSLATOR AND WRITE IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE!
#10: BE AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR THE APPLICANT. This is my tenth and last point because it is the bottom line. If you can’t be an effective advocate for the applicant, don’t write a recommendation. The applicant needs your full support based on your ability to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have an important and positive perspective on the applicant. The admissions committee must be able to not only understand and believe what they are reading about the applicant, but they must also think, based in part on your recommendation, that the applicant is someone who will succeed in their program and afterwords.
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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UC Berkeley Haas MBA Essays for Fall 2011 Admission
The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business is along with HBS, MIT Sloan, and Stanford GSB, one of the hardest programs to get into. The program is small and attracts a very diverse group of students. The objective of Haas admissions is to find the best applicants in order to put together a diverse group of students who will thrive in a program that values innovation, collaboration, and a high level of participation both in and out of the classroom.
CHANGES TO THE CURRICULUM:
Haas has made much of its changes to its curriculum. See here and here. To listen to the Deans of Haas, HBS, and Kellogg discuss their curriculum, go here.
IT IS CRITICAL TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO THE CURRICULUM IN TERMS OF YOUR APPROACH TO SHOWING FIT WITH HAAS. The key component of this change is the Berkeley Innovative Leader Development (BILD):
"BILD is the connective theme that runs through the entire Berkeley MBA curriculum to ensure that every student develops the skills required of innovative leaders.
Infused with BILD's innovative leadership perspective, the Berkeley MBA's rigorous general management curriculum teaches you to become a leader who can harness new ideas to create value for your firm. You acquire skills and qualities that enable you to drive growth to ensure your organization thrives."
For more about BILD, including an interactive of the concept, see here. The interactive map actually provides a complete overview, so I suggest reviewing it closely.
My Interactions with the Haas Community
CHANGES TO THE CURRICULUM:
Haas has made much of its changes to its curriculum. See here and here. To listen to the Deans of Haas, HBS, and Kellogg discuss their curriculum, go here.
IT IS CRITICAL TO CONSIDER CHANGES TO THE CURRICULUM IN TERMS OF YOUR APPROACH TO SHOWING FIT WITH HAAS. The key component of this change is the Berkeley Innovative Leader Development (BILD):
"BILD is the connective theme that runs through the entire Berkeley MBA curriculum to ensure that every student develops the skills required of innovative leaders.
Infused with BILD's innovative leadership perspective, the Berkeley MBA's rigorous general management curriculum teaches you to become a leader who can harness new ideas to create value for your firm. You acquire skills and qualities that enable you to drive growth to ensure your organization thrives."
For more about BILD, including an interactive of the concept, see here. The interactive map actually provides a complete overview, so I suggest reviewing it closely.
I experienced the energy of Haas students when I attended the end of the Japan Trek Party (For English, see http://groups.haas.berkeley.edu/japan/Haasweek0904p1.pdf) in April 2009. I saw great diversity and real sense of enthusiasm amongst the participants. You can find my Q&As with Haas students here (MBA) and here (MBA/MPH).
Haas has always asked a large number of questions and (lucky for me), the only change from last year is Short Answer 3. I have taken the questions from the website:
Short Answer:
1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250-word maximum
2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250-word maximum)
3. At Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — question the status quo; confidence without attitude; students always; and beyond yourself. Give an example of when you have demonstrated one of these principles. (250 words maximum, Review Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles)
4. There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250-word maximum)
1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250-word maximum
2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250-word maximum)
3. At Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — question the status quo; confidence without attitude; students always; and beyond yourself. Give an example of when you have demonstrated one of these principles. (250 words maximum, Review Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles)
4. There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250-word maximum)
Required Essays:
- Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
- What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 word maximum)
Optional Essays:
- (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
GENERAL COMMENTS ABOUT THE QUESTIONS
From my perspective, unless you really believe that you have nothing else important to say about yourself, there are no optional questions here. Needless to say, you should not treat the Short Answer Essays with any less seriousness than the Required Essays.
REALLY ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS!
I can that my clients who have been admitted there, all had one thing in common: They took time to craft answers specific to Berkeley's questions. There is a natural human tendency towards laziness that results in many applicants not taking the time to do that. If your objective is to get into Berkeley take the extra time required to craft truly excellent school-specific answers to their questions. Once you write the essays for Haas, you will have significant amount content for writing other school's essays.
Short Answer 1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 word maximum)
This is the only completely new question for Fall 2010 admission. It replaces a question on regret, which was a rather depressing question.
Passion is about emotion, it is about motivation. It is not rational and hence is in contrast to the very rational questions that make up the rest of the Haas application. In past years, when Columbia asked this question (and they did for many many 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 or their career goals. Given, the 1000 words you have for the Haas goals essay, writing about your career goals here would be highly redundant. Whether it is your committed involvement in an organization, an issue that you care deeply about, a hobby/interest that you have long been engaged, your personal relationships, or your deepest beliefs, provide Haas with some insight into who you are as a person through this essay. Whatever it is that you do write about, passion has to be there. Also, since it is the very first essay, you certainly want to get them engaged and interested in you as an applicant.
Short Answer 2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
Please see my analysis of the similar HBS question. Given that you can only write on one topic, for most applicants, I suggest making it your most significant professional accomplishment. Of course, significance is really the issue and it is important that you explain why it is significant. If you truly believe you have a personal or educational accomplishment that is your most significant, just make sure that admissions will not only understand why you believe that to be the case, but be able to view your accomplishment as a basis for admitting you.
Short Answer 3. At Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — question the status quo; confidence without attitude; students always; and beyond yourself. Give an example of when you have demonstrated one of these principles. (250 words maximum, Review Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles)
This question has changed from last year.
While some will write about a work-related topic here, I don't think that everyone must. The key thing is to fully connect yourself with one of the four key principles that underlies the BILD curriculum.I think it is best if we examine each of these principles.
The basic structure for this essay:
1. State clearly which key principle you will be connecting yourself with. Only focus on key principle.
2. Provide an example that demonstrates your connection to this key principle. Only focus on one example.
I suggest you discuss a specific example that is not covered elsewhere in your essay set or if it is mentioned elsewhere is discussed in a very different way from this version. It is easy to imagine the example here overlapping with essays Short Answers 1 and 2 and Essay 1, so be careful.
The four principles are discussed at http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/strategicplan/culture/. I suggest reviewing that page. I have reproduced the content below.
Please see my analysis of Stanford Essay 3 Option D and MIT Essay 1 as my analysis of those two questions would apply here.
Short Answer 4. There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250-word maximum)
You need to try to separate what you say here from what you discuss in Required Essay 2. You should mention changes to the curriculum (BILD), here and/or in Required Essay 2. There may be some overlap, but there is a distinction. In Required Essay 2, you should specifically explain why you need an MBA now from Haas and how doing so relates to your goals. In Short Answer 4, you need to show you have become informed about the Berkeley MBA program and why there is a good fit between you and the program. Haas provides online resources to help you, but in addition, if possible I suggest you visit, meet alums, and/or communicate with current students to become informed about the program. While it is important to show what steps you have taken, it is equally important to make a clear case for why Haas is the right school for you. See the Berkeley MBA Student Blogs. Also take a look at the various institutes and centers connected to Haas. Those who read Japanese should most certainly visit the Haas Japanese website and Haas Japanese students/alumni blogs.
Required Essay 1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
This is the most generic form of a leadership question there is. I have already made some comments about taking account of overlap between Essay 1 and Short Answers 2 and 3. While you need to focus on a single situation, you cannot just describe it, but also need to analyze it. You should explain very clearly what aspects of leadership you are highlighting.
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:
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 the 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.
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 Haas interview.
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 the 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.
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 Haas interview.
Required Essay 2. What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 word maximum)
I should point out that there is a difference between this version of the question and questions like Kellogg's that ask for a career summary. Berkeley does not ask for such a summary and its inclusion especially at the beginning of your essay will be a sign that you did not customize your answer for Berkeley. Berkeley instead asks for you to explain how your professional experiences relate to your goals. Therefore discussion of your past experience should be made as a part of an explanation of your goals. For those who have already written Kellogg (or essays like them), if your essay begins with a career development section, I suggest beginning with goals instead. Take your career development section and use parts of it to support your reasons for your goals and why you need an MBA now. For many applicants this will not be so much about writing new content as editing it to better answer Berkeley's version of the question.
Regarding the third part of the question, keep your Berkeley specific content focused on explaining why you need an MBA now and how it will help you with your goals.
BEFORE YOU WRITE
Before writing this essay, if you have not done a similar essay for another school, 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 Haas. 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 HAAS?
See my comments above regarding Short Essay 4 and changes to the curriculum (BILD).
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. Haas 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 Haas 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 California Management Review.Other great sources of information include Stanford Social Innovation Review,Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing,Knowledge @ Wharton, 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, Haas also have podcasts.
LinkedIn Answers: I would suggest that everyone join LinkedIn and make use of LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn Answers is a great way to tap into cutting edge expertise (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.
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 Haas.
Optional Essay 1. (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
This is a completely open question. While you might very well need to tell Haas something negative, such as an explanation for a low GPA, I would suggest using at least part of it to tell them something positive about you. Feel free to write on any topic that will add another dimension to admissions' perception of who you are. I would not treat it as optional unless you truly feel that the rest of your essays have fully expressed everything you want Haas to know about you. I don't suggest writing about something that would be obvious from reviewing your application, instead tell Haas that one story that will give them another reason to admit you. And whatever you do, please make sure that you write on a topic that is not obviously for another school.
Finally, if you interview with Haas, please see my earlier post.
Questions? Write comments or contact me directly at adammarkus@gmail.com. Please see my
-Adam Markus
アダム マーカス
ビジネススクール エッセイ 大学院入学 カウンセリング コンサルティング 合格対策 MBA留学
November 15, 2010
Guest Blogger: 河野太一のGMAT OG12解説 SC19
This is another post from Taichi Kono, author of two textbooks on TOEFL and one on TOEIC and a highly experienced TOEFL, TOEIC, and GMAT instructor. Most of his posts will be in Japanese. This post is on GMAT sentence correction. His other posts can be found here.
-Adam
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河野塾代表の河野太一です。年来の友人であるAdam Markusさんのご厚意で、"The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition"の解説ブログの内容の一部をこちらにアップさせていただくことになりました。オリジナルは河野太一のGMAT OG12解説でご覧いただけます。なお、オリジナルのほうは予告なく内容を変更することがあり、ここに上げたものと相違があることがありますのでご了承ください。私のこれまでの記事やGMAT以外の話題についてはこちらをご覧ください。
SC19
planters,までで主節は終わり。その後に接続詞を用いてどのような形を続けるかの問題。
(A) 等位接続詞butがあるが、前に並列すべき-ing形がないので、アウト。
(B) andの次に動詞が来るのは、The Iroquoisという主語を共有すると考えれば OK。過去完了形がおかしい。「その時まで（は）supplementしてきた」となってしまうが、そのことによって表したい意味がわからない。もしこの Iroquoi族が現存する種族であれば、主節のwereもsupplementも現在形で表されるべき内容。もし後者を現在完了形にすれば、「これまではそうしてきたが、これからはそうしない」かのようなニュアンスが出てしまう。それを過去時制に移しただけだから、どちらも過去形になるべき。
(C) even though節を入れてしまったのでは、andに対応する節がもう1つ必要になってしまう。
(D) 接続詞も時制も問題なく、これが正解。内容的にも「cultivation（耕作）をfishingやhuntingでsupplementした（補った）が、primarilyには（主としては）plantersであった」となり、althoughのおかげでprimarilyが生きて、論旨が明確になっている。この問題は一応そこまで読み取ったほうがよい。
(E) 前に<前置詞＋名詞>がないのでダメ。
-河野太一
河野塾ではTOEFL/IELTS/GMATの個人授業を提供しております。なかなかスコアが上がらずにお悩みの方、きめの細かい効果的な個人指導をお求めの方は、ぜひinfo@konojuku.comまでお気軽にお問い合わせください。
-Adam
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
河野塾代表の河野太一です。年来の友人であるAdam Markusさんのご厚意で、"The Official Guide for GMAT Review, 12th Edition"の解説ブログの内容の一部をこちらにアップさせていただくことになりました。オリジナルは河野太一のGMAT OG12解説でご覧いただけます。なお、オリジナルのほうは予告なく内容を変更することがあり、ここに上げたものと相違があることがありますのでご了承ください。私のこれまでの記事やGMAT以外の話題についてはこちらをご覧ください。
SC19
planters,までで主節は終わり。その後に接続詞を用いてどのような形を続けるかの問題。
(A) 等位接続詞butがあるが、前に並列すべき-ing形がないので、アウト。
(B) andの次に動詞が来るのは、The Iroquoisという主語を共有すると考えれば OK。過去完了形がおかしい。「その時まで（は）supplementしてきた」となってしまうが、そのことによって表したい意味がわからない。もしこの Iroquoi族が現存する種族であれば、主節のwereもsupplementも現在形で表されるべき内容。もし後者を現在完了形にすれば、「これまではそうしてきたが、これからはそうしない」かのようなニュアンスが出てしまう。それを過去時制に移しただけだから、どちらも過去形になるべき。
(C) even though節を入れてしまったのでは、andに対応する節がもう1つ必要になってしまう。
(D) 接続詞も時制も問題なく、これが正解。内容的にも「cultivation（耕作）をfishingやhuntingでsupplementした（補った）が、primarilyには（主としては）plantersであった」となり、althoughのおかげでprimarilyが生きて、論旨が明確になっている。この問題は一応そこまで読み取ったほうがよい。
(E) 前に<前置詞＋名詞>がないのでダメ。
-河野太一
河野塾ではTOEFL/IELTS/GMATの個人授業を提供しております。なかなかスコアが上がらずにお悩みの方、きめの細かい効果的な個人指導をお求めの方は、ぜひinfo@konojuku.comまでお気軽にお問い合わせください。
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