Haas MBA Class of 2016 Admissions Essays: The Song Remains the Same

This is how I started my Haas essay analysis last year: “Haas always asks weird questions. Years ago, they asked who the applicant would invite to dinner and why. Last year, it was “What brings you the greatest joy? How does this make you distinctive? ” Each year brings some new weirdness. Hence their song remains the same.”
Indeed, I am right, but this time the song really remains the same because the Song question remains., though some essays were dropped and/or modified. So like last year, this post is music video enabled.



I had a dream. Crazy dream.
Anything I wanted to know, any place I needed to go
Hear my song. People won’t you listen now? Sing along.
You don’t know what you’re missing now.
Any little song that you know
Everything that’s small has to grow.
And it has to grow!
California sunlight, sweet Calcutta rain
Honolulu Starbright – the song remains the same.
Sing out Hare Hare, dance the Hoochie Koo.
City lights are oh so bright, as we go sliding… sliding… sliding through.
-Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains the Same

Well, since Berkeley Haas has again decided to ask applicants about their favorite song, so this blog post will be infused with music.   Set back, relax, I will keep it musical and hopefully valuable to your quest to join the Class of 2016.  I have taken the questions from the Haas website.


BILD: Are you Berkeley enough?
Before discussing BILD (Learn more about Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles), I could not ask for a better start to our musical journey than DJDAVE and LeaCharles’ Berkeley Enough (Fog and Smog), which will give those not familiar with town of Berkeley some possible insight.



I have visited Berkeley since I was a child and lived there at various times in the 1990s, so the following remarks reflect that.  If you do not know, Berkeley, also known as the Peoples Republic of Berkeley, is one of my America’s most liberal, alternative, progressive, freaky, eccentric, left-wing, drug infested,  intellectual, health food conscious, and gourmet cities. It is thus a place with very different sides to it. North Berkeley towards the hills is very affluent, while southern Berkeley merges into Oakland, a city with a long and troubled history of poverty and violence. If you are looking to go to school in one of America’s safest cities, Berkeley is not it. Students are regularly victims of crime. This could be true of any urban campus in America, so understand that Berkeley is a highly urban environment a nd not just a relaxed college town filled with happy old hippies drinking gourmet coffee and smoking medical marijuana, Bay Area entrepreneurs working on the next big thing, and hardworking students.

My Interactions with the Haas Community: You can read testimonials and results from clients admitted to Haas here. I experienced the energy of Haas students when I attended the end of the Japan Trek (I was a sponsor) parties  in April 2009 and  March 2012. I saw great diversity and real sense of enthusiasm amongst the participants.  You can find my Q&As with Haas students,  MBA 2010 and MBA/MPH 2009. I also visited Haas in the summer of 2011 when no students were there. It was a really useless visit as part of a conference I attended. Visiting schools when they are not in session is not particularly effective unless you have great face time with the admissions staff. I had face time, but that wasn’t so useful either. My student sources are much more useful to me.

BILD
At Berkeley-Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — Question the status quo; Confidence without attitude; Students always; and Beyond yourself. We seek candidates from a broad range of cultures, backgrounds, and industries who demonstrate a strong cultural fit with our program and defining principles.
I think it is worth considering these four values when thinking about your fit for Berkeley.
Question the status quo: Haas values change agents and non-conformists. This fits both within the larger prevailing worldview of UC Berkeley, the Bay Area, and the Silicon Valley.
Confidence without attitude: Haas values humility. It is important that you don't come across as an arrogant person or egotistical leader type person in your essays. That might fly for HBS, but not Haas. Stanford Professor Bob Sutton’s No Asshole Rule surely applies at Haas. It should be reflected in the way you present yourself in your entire essay set.
Students always: Haas like UC Berkeley itself is place that values both a sense of curiosity and a passion for learning. Your intellectual capability matters at Berkeley.
Beyond yourself: Haas values people who are engaged with the world and want to make a difference. Those who have demonstrated a commitment to some issue or activity beyond their own personal concerns will be looked upon favorably. This should be reflected in your goals (Essay 4),  a personal perspective you have,  and/or your  extracurricular activities.


Essay 1: If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why? (250 word maximum)
“Pick a song that is meaningful to you — it doesn't have to be popular, in English, or even have lyrics.”

Anytime you are given a question where you are asked to give something symbolic meaning, the first thing to do is think about what you want to express through the song. For example, if your objective was demonstrate your commitment to peace and social justice, you might pick Bob Dylan's Blowin’ In The Wind:

How many roads most a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, how many years can a mountain exist
Before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, how many times can a man turn his head
Pretending he just doesn’t see?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Yes, how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.



In this case, you might explain when Dylan's first caught your attention. What it means to you and how it relates to actions you have taken in your own life.  This is just one possible way of answering this question.

Your musical selection does not need to have lyrics and does not need to have lyrics in English. Even if the song has lyrics, my suggestion would be only briefly explain the meaning of those lyrics because  you should really using most of your word count to explain what the song means to you.

I think the advantage of a song without lyrics, say a jazz instrumental or a classical composition (Western, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, whatever), is that it allows for easily focusing on what the song means to you. For example, I might use a song by India’s master violinist L. Subramaniam to discuss how the way the music effects me to express who I am. I might discuss 2-3 qualities about myself that are reflected in his music.



Clearly with compositional works, you have great freedom to attach any meaning you want it to it.
For songs with lyrics that are not English, there is no real difference between them and songs that are. You need to provide a brief explanation of what the song means.
I see two very different, but equally viable ways to actually think about this question within the greater context of the overall essay set:
For those who want to use Essay 1 to be the core operating logic for their entire essay set I would picking song whose theme relates to a dominant idea that connects to your professional goals and past actions. This is not easy to do, but if you were, for example, also applying to Stanford, it  might very well be that the answer to what matters most you in Essay 1, could become the theme for this essay.  This requires some real planning and having the time to really make the connections between at least Essay 1 and Essay 5.
For those who simply want to answer this totally twisted question and get on with the rest of their essay set,  I would suggest that unless something occurs to you immediately, work through the rest of the essay set and then figure out what value(s) or quality(ities) about yourself that you have been unable to communicate elsewhere in the essay set.  Assuming you have a list of few such qualities, I would then start to think about music and come up with some options. Link those values/qualities to something specific in your background.
Again, I think both ways are equally viable.  The point is to give Haas admissions insight into what kind of person you are. Whatever kind of person that is, I suggest it be someone who fits at Haas.  On that basis, I can’t recommend picking any music from GWAR:



But hey, maybe someone can make that work.  If you get into Haas using a song by GWAR, let me know. Drinks are on me.


Essay 2: What is your most significant accomplishment? (250 word maximum)




With all your power
What would you do?
-Flaming Lips, Yeah Yeah Yeah Song

This is actually a totally standard issue essay topic.   What have you done (with your power) so far?  Where have you had the biggest impact and/or what accomplishment is most meaningful to you?

Some key things to keep in mind when answering this question:

-An Accomplishment can reveal your potential to succeed at Haas and afterwords.

-An Accomplishment can reveal your potential for contributing to your classmates.

-Everyone has had accomplishments, so the more unique the accomplishment, the harder it will be for you to compared to others.

-What you consider to be your greatest accomplishment is a real test of your self-awareness and judgment.

Brainstorm possible answers

The first thing you need to do is think of the accomplishments. These will eventually take the form of stories, so that is what I call them.  Your accomplishments maybe personal, professional, or academic. While it is very important that your accomplishments be distinct so as to reveal different things about you, there is no single formula for what their content must be.

Here are my criteria for thinking about whether an accomplishment is a good topic for this essay:

Ask yourself  what skill, value, or unique experience is being showcased by your accomplishment: Your accomplishment needs to reveal valuable things about you. Some will call these selling points, but more specifically they consist of skills, values, or unique experiences. One might use a specific accomplishment to emphasize one’s leadership skills, another to show one’s ethical values, and another to explain a significant barrier that was overcome. The point is that each accomplishment must at its core reveal something key to understanding who you are. Pick the one not covered by other essays and  that you think will have the most impact.

Ask yourself what potential for success in the MBA program or afterwords is being demonstrated: You may or may not be directly stating this in the essay, but you should think about what the accomplishment reveals in terms of your potential. Haas Adcom will most certainly be considering how your accomplishment demonstrates your potential to succeed in the MBA program  and afterwords, so you should as well. One key way of thinking about the MBA application process is to see it as a test of potential. Potential itself can mean different things at different schools and so you must keep in mind differences between schools and in particular must pay close attention to what schools say really matters when they assess applicants.  Please keep in mind that a core part of your own application strategy should be determining which parts of you to emphasize both overall and for a particular school. In the case of Haas, consider BILD  above as well as Haas&#8217 ;s general admissions criteria.

Just as with potential, think about whether your accomplishment demonstrates your ability to add value to other students at Haas: It is not likely or necessary that you will be explaining how your accomplishment will be contribution, but rather this is a strategic consideration. Think about whether your accomplishment demonstrates how you will likely add value to other students Haas experience. Not all accomplishments will have this quality, but many will.

If your accomplishment meets at least the first two of the above criteria, you likely have a good topic. That said, I have two simple tests for determining whether an accomplishment really belongs in this essay. The first is whether Haas really needs to know about this accomplishment. After all, you might consider getting the love of your life to marry you to be one of your most substantial accomplishments, but will Adcom care?  The second and final simple test I have for determining whether an accomplishment really belongs in this essay is based on the idea that something that is totally obvious about you to anyone looking at your resume and transcript is probably not worth mentioning. If you were a CPA, having an accomplishment that merely demonstrated you passed the CPA exam would be rather dull. Instead it would be important to show something more specific that reveals something that is not obvious by a mere examination of the basic facts of your ap plication.

Finally, as I mentioned above what you include here is a real test of your judgment, so think deeply and come up a unique accomplishment that reveals something something about you that will compel admissions to want to interview you.



ESSAY 3: Describe a time in the last three years when you overcame a failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development? (250 word maximum)
In some ways, I think this is the hardest essay in the entire set because you have do so much in very few words. This essay is not just Failure + Learning, but rather Failure + Overcoming Failure + Learning that has Impacted Your Development.  
Regarding the failure, you might very well succeed from the perspective of others, but fail from your own perspective.  In other words, the failure can be as subjective (“I feel like I failed because I did not live up to my own goals.”)  or objective (“My team failed to meet the deadline.”).
Overcoming a failure can take several forms.  For example,  you might find a solution to the problem that the failure creates. Alternatively you might overcome a failure by getting over the financial, psychological, or other pain/negative impact that it creates.  You might also overcome a failure by taking what you learn from it and simply applying it to a new situation  so that you regain your own or someone else’s confidence.
A specific insight means what you learned. You should be able to clearly identify what you learned.  You should then be able to explain how you took that learning and applied subsequently. This is a great opportunity to show you are open to changing your thinking and using it for your own self-development.
The time described might be professional or not.  It might very well be a personal or academic failure. Just keep the time requirement in consideration. Haas is looking for a situation you learned from recently.  This means that want to see a recent situation that highlights your ability to learn through the process of struggling with something.

The basic components of an answer:
1. Clearly state what the situation was.
2. Clearly state your role.
3. Clearly state your failure.
4. Explain how you overcame the failure.
5. Explain how your failure impacted your subsequent development.
This quite a bit to do in limited word count so obviously you need to effectively summarize and analyze here. Keep descriptions brief and to the point.
Finally, cliches are boring, so don’t write stuff like “Rome was not built in a day and neither was I.” Here is a song about that:




ESSAY 4: a. What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How have your professional experiences prepared you to achieve these goals? b. How will an MBA from Haas help you achieve these goals? (750 word maximum for 5a. and 5b.)



Doing it your way is what any goals essay should be about.  With the exception for the need to discuss your past experience and Berkeley specific content, please refer to my analysis of Stanford Essay 2 for formulating a goals essay.

Regarding 4a., Berkeley asks for you to explain how your professional experiences can be leveraged to support your goals.  Therefore you need to specifically discuss particular aspects of your past professional experience.  For those looking to make a career change, think of this in terms of transferable skills.  For those who will be continuing with their present careers, think of this in terms of showing how what you have done so far will help you reach the next level of your career track.

Regarding 4b., keep your Berkeley specific content focused on explaining how Haas will help you with your goals. 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.

Warning: One problem with a question like this is that some applicants will write too much about their past experience at the expense of fully explaining their goals or why they want to go to Haas to achieve those goals.

You have 750 words to answer this question, so make the most of them and convince admissions that Berkeley is really your first choice. Those who have visited Haas and/or networked with students and/or alumni will have a distinct advantage in making that case over anyone who simply cuts and pastes some class names into their essay.


Reapplicant Essay: We strongly recommend that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information.



The whole point of reapplication is to give Haas another chance to love you. Reapplicants should see my reapplication guide. 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 use very 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 Haas, and why your goals discussed in Essay 4 now are better than the ones you presented last time. They want to see career growth or at least personal growth. Help them want to give you a chance.


Optional Essays

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) Sorry, no song with this one.While this question is optional, most of my clients write about something here.  Beyond any explanation for any negative issues,  feel free to write about any extracurricular activities, professional experiences, personal experiences, and/or other matters that you can add here to provide another positive perspective about you. This is a completely open question. While you might very well need to tell the admissions 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 or two additional key points that will give them another reason to admit you.

You need not use all 500 words here.

Warning: Using another school’s essay here would be a bad idea if it is at all obvious.  Think of this as the place to discuss anything about you that you really want admissions to know, but could not discuss elsewhere.  Don’t be boring and don’t repeat stuff they already know about you.

2. (Optional) If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 word maximum)

Sorry, no song with this one either .  If you need to write this, beyond mentioning ways you obtained quantitative skills in your work or in school (when it is not obvious),  I would provide a plan for addressing your weakness in this area.  If you GMAT Quant score is in the 80% range or higher, I don’t think you really need to write anything. If you do need a plan for fixing your problem, I would highly recommend looking at MBA Math.

-Adam Markus

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

Q&A with a Member of the London Business School MBA Class of 2014

My former client, MBA2014 is Japanese. He worked in Tokyo in Investment Banking for four years as a credit trader He received MBA sponsorship from his company and joined the MBA program at London Business School in August 2012.

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Adam: What parts of the London Business School program have you liked the most? The least?


MBA2014: Flexibility is the key to me. Especially in coming second year, I am going to exchange to China, CEIBS. After coming back to LBS, I focus on finance for my elective choices while some classmates do second internship by using whole terms. You can design your program as you wish here.  The facilities are bit old…


Adam: What has most surprised you about your first year?


MBA2014: The fact LBS located in central London provides students a practical opportunity. Every night, we have guest speakers in various events, such as banker, manager at consulting firms, entrepreneurs or investors. Students even can visit their offices directly and discuss over topics such as job application or business ideas.


Adam: How would you describe the culture of London Business School?


MBA2014: Creativity from collaborative attitude of diversified students. No concept of 'international students' in LBS, and each student accept and enjoy classmates' cultural aspects one another. As a result, students often create something new such as business ideas or cool events to LBS community.


Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs? If so, which ones are you active in?

MBA2014: I participate in various professional clubs including Finance Club, Investment Management Club or PE & VC Club. I also join Japan Club which mainly organize Japan Trip and BoardGame Club for fun. BoardGame Club is really a fun. Every time you play new games with brief explanation, you should understand rules and set strategy in short period. It could be good practice for assessment of the situation and prompt decision making.


Adam: Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?


MBA2014: LBS has really diversified students profile, but I can say that most of us have welcome-attitude towards different culture or value, and really enjoy collaborating with those who are different.


Adam: Are there any changes coming to the school?


MBA2014: LBS purchased buildings recently, and will expand its campus. For program, due to increasing demand, LBS offers more opportunity to experience global dynamism. For example, during 2^nd year Global Business Experiences provides students with a unique opportunity to learn about global business through a week-long immersion in five different locations.
See below link for detail:
http://www.london.edu/programmes/mba/programmedetails/globalbusinessexperiences.html

Adam: What are you doing this summer?


MBA2014: Because I got company sponsorship for MBA, I cannot commit any internship. Instead, I take an opportunity to participate in volunteer work at World Heritage site in India. For rest of summer, I am going to be a globe trotter.

Adam: Do you have any specific advice for those considering application to your school?


MBA2014: LBS is truly student-oriented school. LBS really want students who can contribute our community, so you have to write in detail when you apply.

Adam: Are there any specific websites or blogs that you would recommend that applicants look at to learn more about your school?


MBA2014: LBS students share their experiences here: http://blog.students.london.edu/.  For Japanese applicants, LBS's Japan Club shares information in Japanese, here: http://www.lbsjapan.com/.

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I want to thank MBA2014 for taking the time to answer my questions.

-Adam Markus

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

Q&A with a Member of the HBS Class of 2014

My former client, HBS 2014, provides great insight and strong opinions to this Q&A.  HBS2014 says about himself:  "I am an international student in the HBS Class of 2014. After spending two years in Asia to finish my studies as an engineer, I started working as a consultant in Europe. I decided to apply for an MBA in the United States to bring a new perspective to my career."

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Adam:  As an international student, I wonder if you could comment on whether you think your HBS education has been "too American" in focus.

HBS 2014: I have to admit, I had quite a culture shock arriving in the United States, even more so in Boston at HBS. Two thirds of the class are American and a third of the remaining third of international students have actually spent a couple of years in the US prior to the MBA.

As a result, a lot of the cases are America-centric. Comments in the classroom are usually quite polished, politically correct and without an ounce of emotional twitch. I think the word that summarizes best the atmosphere I got the first few weeks was "cold"! Then, people opened up a bit.

Adam: How hard has the first year at HBS been for you?

HBS 2014: I wouldn't say the first year was hard, I would rather use the word intense and to a certain extent overwhelming. I think one of the key skills you hone in a MBA is time-management. There is always something going on you would like to participate in. You need to constantly make choices and prioritize what's really important to you.

Academically, the case method is hard on international students who are not used to speaking in public. I have to admit that I really started enjoying talking in class during the second semester. I was relaxed by the grades I had received during the first semester. I did not feel I had to talk for the grades anymore but more so to express my convictions.


Adam: What parts of the program have you liked the most? The least?

HBS 2014: In the case method, professors make a big difference on how you perceive the course materials. As a result, the classes I enjoyed the most and least only stemmed from the best and the worst professors teaching it.

Adam: Can you tell us about your Field Program experience?

HBS 2014: The first part of Field is a bit fluffy. It is about how give and receive feedback, how to position yourself in a team. There was one cool workshop organized about storytelling that was quite useful. The second part of Field during which you are actually sent on the field first in the streets of Boston during the equivalent of a "start-up week-end", then in the streets of a developing country of your choice is amazing! The third part of Field during which you are asked to work on a start-up over two to three can be both frustrating and useful.
-        Frustrating because expectations are high to arrive to a decent result over such a short period of time, with such a large team of 6 people
-       Useful because for those students that expect to work in finance or consulting, it is a decent entrepreneurial experience

Adam: What has most surprised you about your first year?

HBS 2014: At the beginning of the year, I was struck by the welcoming speech of Dee Leopold. She was carrying the pile of 900 printed resumes of our class in her arm. She started "Do you know what this is?" pointing at the stack of papers. "This is what you all did in the past? And you know what?… we don't really care what you did !" while she carelessly threw away the papers on the floor. Pause. "What we care about, is that you are Givers than Takers. That is what you have all in common!"

At first, I was impressed by the speech, then I became skeptical and thought "This is all Harvard marketing"… but after the level of dedication of some students in what they believed in and how much effort they were willing to put into the community, I realized I was wrong. I was really surprised how truthful Dee Leopold's speech really was!

Adam: Do you actually have any time for clubs?  If so, which ones are you active in?

HBS 2014: No. Clubs are useful at first to meet people. Once you made a couple of friends, you can see them outside the initial club frame.

Adam: Are there any common characteristics you find amongst your classmates?

HBS 2014: Aside from the givers' takers' dimension, another commonality I found is a sense of humility. I will have to caveat it however because it depends on the context. If taken individually, any HBS student is truly humble and open to hear someone's else story. However, put into a group, the humility tends to fade away as type A people like to be first on stage and look overly confident!

Adam: What are hot topics, activities, classes, etc. at HBS right now?

HBS 2014: Beer pong ? Flip cup? Sorry I still don't understand certain aspects of American culture!

Adam: Are there any changes coming to HBS?

HBS 2014: Yes and a big one for international students. They are launching a new version of the Pre-MBA. Instead of bringing students physically on campus, they will from now on be brought online through a learning platform. I understand that HBS want to expand on the e-learning tools, however, using the Pre-MBA as a guinea pig and thereby international students that needed to build confidence the most.

Adam: What are you doing this summer?

HBS 2014: I am working on a couple of start-ups with HBS colleagues and alumnis ! I love HBS for that !

Adam: What advice do you have for those considering application to HBS?

HBS 2014: If you are lost in your thoughts about what to do with your life and if you believe you have a chance, as little as it can be, to get in today, apply now, don't procrastinate. Very few people would have bet a nickel I could get in and here I am writing advice about applying to HBS!

Adam:  Are there any specific websites or blogs that you would recommend that applicants look at to learn more about HBS?

HBS 2014: Adam's website is the best!



Adam: Anything else you would like to tell us?

HBS 2014:  If you are looking for a real international experience, go to INSEAD. If you are looking for hardcore training in finance, go to Wharton. If you are looking for  sunny weather around cool entrepreneurs, go to Stanford. If you want the best MBA brand and to hone your public speaking skills, go to Harvard.

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I want to thank HBS2014 for taking the time to answer my questions.

-Adam Markus

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

New York University Stern MBA Essays for Fall 2014 Admission

In this post I analyze NYU Stern MBA program’s essay questions for fall 2014 Admission. Those applying for the Class of 2016 will find that they only have to write two essays this year. NYU has cut the essay down from 3 to 2 essays, but the essays themselves are unchanged from last year.

New York University Stern School of Business MBA essay questions’ web page also includes great tips which you can find here. As has been the trend at other schools, the number of required essays has been reduced to two this year. I have taken the essay topics from the website, as the online application is not ready yet.  


Essay 1. Professional Aspirations (750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
What I really like about this essay is that Stern is doing all the organizational work for you. Let’s examine how you to answer each of these components.

(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?

Clearly you need to show why given your present position and future goals, now is the right time to get an MBA.   For more about goals, see my analysis of other schools goals statements, such as Stanford’s.

(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?

Here you need to clearly indicate how you have become informed about the program, but beyond explaining the specific actions you have taken to be informed about Stern, I suggest you also indicate how you expect to specifically use Stern to reach your objectives. Therefore I think there are two main issues to consider answering this question.

BECOME INFORMED ABOUT STERN: Stern admissions does a very good job of explaining their application. If you can attend a presentation at Stern or at least attend an admissions event, that is most helpful because getting into Stern is all about fit. Visiting is obviously best, attending their admissions event is also good, and so is making an effort to communicate with students and alumni. Obviously reading their website is important, but that is not enough. Make sure you listened to their podcasts. Making a connection to alumni is always a good idea. Be specific about the steps you have taken. Feel free to use names of admissions officers, alumni, and students that you met.

ESTABLISH YOUR OWN CRITERIA FOR WHAT YOU WANT FROM AN MBA. Based on your post-MBA goals (professional for sure, personal if applicable as well), identify what it is you want from an MBA. Once you have identified what you want from an MBA, something you will discuss in Part A of this essay, in Part B you should write specifically about how you think Stern will help you meet your MBA objectives.  If you are not sure what you want from an MBA,  please refer to the GAP/SWOT/ROI analysis found in my analysis of Stanford Essay 1.


(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?

Explain your post-MBA career goal in-depth. The goal you discuss should connect very directly with why you need an MBA now (a), what you intend to gain from Stern (b). If you write Essay 2 Option A, make sure your goal intuitively connects to the two possible paths your career may take in the longer term. If you are not clear on what your post-MBA is or how to about formulating it, please see my analysis of Stanford Essay 1.


Essay 2: Choose Option A or Option B

The big change this year is that instead of answering both of the following questions last year, you will need to answer only one of them. Your choice is essentially between writing an essay about your long term goals and your personality. I would recommend that anyone with a particularly strong long-term vision consider writing Option A. On the other hand, if you really want to make an appeal based on your personality and do so creatively, choose Option B. I don’t think there is a right option here overall because both of these questions are totally unique to NYU Stern and both require significant effort to execute effectively.


Option A: Your Two Paths
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today's ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact.
(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
This essay gives you chance to consider different long-term goals. As long as both goals align with what you wrote in Essay 1, the two paths might be quite different. This is an opportunity to imagine different futures for yourself.

(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?

Regarding the formulation of goals, if you are having trouble doing it, I suggest reading  my analysis of other schools goals statements, such as Stanford’s. As I mentioned above, the two paths can be quite different.

(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?

Explain how your  two paths align with Stern’s values.  Going beyond the mission statement itself, you might want to consider how your goals align with other aspects of Stern.

(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
This is the critical thinking part of the question. I suggest you think about what externalities might impact your selection of career paths. For example, economic or technological changes. Even, the role of luck is important to consider. Also think about what personal choices you make might effect your career path. Think about life events (marriage, kids), geography (Where you do want to live?), personal motivation (What really makes you happy?), and values (Where can you have the biggest positive impact?). While this essay is not necessarily focused on personality, it is surely possible, through the discussion of such factors to give NYU insight into your personality.


Option B: Personal Expression

Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
If you submit a non-written piece for Essay 3 (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit Essay 3 via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application.Please note the following guidelines and restrictions:
Your submission becomes the property of NYU Stern and cannot be returned for any reason.
If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
If you prepare a multimedia submission, you may mail a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to the Admissions Office. These are the only acceptable methods of submission. Please do not submit an internet link to any websites or to a video hosting service such as YouTube.
The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an alternate Essay 3 if we are unable to view your submission.
Do not submit anything perishable (e.g. food), or any item that has been worn (e.g. clothing).
Mailed materials must be postmarked by the application deadline date. Please follow our mail and labeling instructions.
Please note that mailed Essay 3 packages are subject to size restrictions. Submissions that exceed the stated size restrictions will not be accepted for review by the Admissions Committee. Please see the table below for the maximum package size guidelines:Packaging Type Dimensions: Metric Dimensions: Non-metric
Box 36cm x 31cm x 8cm 14" x 12" x 3"
Cylindrical tube 8cm x 91cm 3" x 36"
Triangular tube 97cm x 16cm x 16 cm x 16 cm 38" x 6" x 6" x 6"
Option B is the classic NYU question which they have been asking for years. It is the one that seems to stop many applicants from applying to Stern, but now with Option A available, I think those who answer Option B will be doing so because they really want it. In my experience, I have found that strong applicants who are willing to put the time into this question are often well rewarded (invited for interviews, admitted), but those who slap something together are often rejected.

To be honest, I have found a creative essay to be as effective as an “arts and crafts project.” If you think you can answer the question most effectively by writing an essay, just do that. I have had clients admitted to NYU who have done both and all can say is that the key factor to their success was providing a response that really answered the question. A creative essay means one that does not appear to be an answer to another school’s question, but is uniquely made for NYU.

In past years, I have had clients who have done slide presentations for NYU, but given that Chicago Booth uses one (Their questions are not out for the Class of 2016 yet, but I would be surprised if they eliminated the slide presentation), if you are applying to Chicago and Stern and state that on your NYU application, don’t do a PowerPoint for Stern because the NYU admissions people will assume you are trying to cut corners. After all, one reason NYU asks this question is because they want you to show your commitment to NYU by putting time into it. In general, anytime a school has a non-standard question, you should really keep in mind that they are looking for answers that demonstrate an applicant’s willingness to put time into it.


Regarding time, try to give yourself significant time before the deadline if you are going to make anything from scratch. In my experience, most successful versions of this question take more time and drafts. Of course, some applicants can do it right quickly (or might have to do it quickly), but since you are trying to be creative and also to effectively introduce yourself to your classmates, you may need more time.


One very common initial error with this question is to focus on being creative at the exclusion of thinking about the purpose: to introduce yourself to your classmates. Keep in mind that your objective is to create a positive image of yourself that would make an excellent first impression on your classmates. It may be creative, but make sure that it also leaves admissions with a clear understanding of what positive impression of yourself you are communicating. It is your job to provide a sufficiently clear message regardless of the way you creatively present yourself.


Some Questions to get you brainstorming:
1. What do you want Stern Admissions to know about you that would positively impact your chances for admission?
2. What major positive aspects of your life have not been effectively INTERPRETED to the admissions committee in other parts of the application?
3. If you were meeting people that would you be working closely with for two years and that you might want as a part of your lifetime professional network, what would you tell them about yourself to create a strong first impression?
4. Why do people like you?
5. If there was one story about yourself that you think would really help admissions understand you and want to admit you, what is it?
6. Do you have a personal interest (painting and poetry for example) that would work effectively?
Finally, keep in mind that what you write here should not duplicate the content of your answers to Essay 1 or anything else in the application, instead it should really provide admissions with a new perspective on why you belong at Stern.


Essay 3. Additional Information: (optional)
Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.
If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason.
If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application.

Regarding reapplication, please see my analysis of Columbia Business School’s reapplication essay question.

Under no circumstances include an essay clearly written for another school. NYU did not ask you write a whole essay about an important leadership experience you had, and since they did not ask for it, we can assume that is not what they need.
Unless you are perfect there is a reasonable likelihood that you will have something to write about here. If you don’t think you have anything, just ask yourself the following questions:
1. What is the weakest thing about my application content? Do I have anything that I should say about that? Would it be obvious to a reader or something only I could know? If you can identify something that you think would likely be obvious to a reader, write about it.
2. What is the weakest thing about me as an applicant? Do I have anything that I should say about that? Would it be obvious to a reader or something only I could know? If you can identify something that you think would likely be obvious to a reader, write about it.
3. Is there anything at all that I did not have space in my essays to clarify? If so, write about it.
4. What else do I really want to highlight about myself? There has to be something. Actually even if you write about something negative, you might also want to answer this question. Anyone should be able to answer this question.


Best of luck with your application to join the Class of 2016!

-Adam Markus

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

Q&A with a Member of the Ross MBA Class of 2013

My former client, Ross2013, is a Japanese American. After working in Tokyo at a global software company for 6 years as an engineer, he joined the Full Time MBA program at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Post-graduation, he will be joining a top consulting firm at its Chicago office. You can find his first-year Q&A here.

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Adam: Looking back on your Ross MBA experience, what do you think you have gained?

Ross2013: In a nutshell, I gained the ability to critically think through business problems, access to a resourceful alumni network, and enriching friendships with classmates and faculty. I suspect that many graduates from top MBA programs will answer this question with a similar answer, but I hope that I can convey how Ross differs from other schools in the questions that follow.


Adam: What parts of Ross did you like the most? The least?

Ross2013: I liked the people most, and there are largely 2 reasons for this. First, I find that Rossers have a strong tendency to be well balanced. An MBA program is often described as having three central themes – academics, recruiting, and social activities. A typical Rosser is well balanced in a sense that he/she tries to devote equal attention to all three of these components, and I think that is the type of person who succeeds at our school. Second, the people tend to be naturally collaborative, and I especially benefited from this during recruiting season. Despite the fact that my peers were competing for the same job postings that I applied for, I was amazed at everyone's willingness to help me prepare for interviews. From personal experience, I can confidently say that Rossers realize that collaboration is much more important that seizing a personal win at the expense of a fellow Rosser's loss. I also think that these qualities extend outside o f my class and apply to the entire alumni base, which is another aspect of our school that I highly value.

The one thing I absolutely disliked was the recruiting process. Don't get me wrong – our on campus recruiting system functions well and constantly attracts top recruiters from a variety of industries. I am just stating that both the internship and full-time recruiting seasons subjectively were the most stressful times during my time here, and I believe that many of my classmates would agree


Adam: What really is Action Based Learning? What did it mean to you?


Ross2013: MAP is the core component of our Action Based Learning mantra and differentiates Ross because of the scale at which it is operated. I think there is tremendous value providing all 500 students with real world consulting experience after the first year core curriculum. MAP allowed me to better understand my strengths/weaknesses at the end of my first year, which allowed me to effectively choose elective classes that aligned best with my interests in the second year.

Aside from MAP, there are many other programs that reflect our Action Based Learning mantra. One example I would like to highlight is a class called Leadership in Changing Times, where each class essentially is a press conference simulation. The goal of the press conference is to effectively address a crisis situation to a live audience consisting of media, analysts, regulators, investors, customers, etc. (imagine a simulation where Tokyo Electric representatives answer questions about the damaged nuclear plants after the 2011 tsunami/earthquake). One of the exciting things is that an executive (oftentimes the CEO) of the company "hosting" the press conference also participates in the role play by asking difficult questions and helps facilitate the post mortem discussions after the simulation is complete.


Adam: What kind of electives did you take in second year?

Ross2013: I was well rounded with my choice of electives which included Strategy, Accounting, Finance, Marketing, and Operations. One of my goals for the second year was to strengthen my ability to logically deconstruct complex business problems, and the Advanced Competitive Analysis class taught by Professor Gautam Ahuja was especially helpful in achieving this goal. Another one of my favorite electives was Marketing Engineering taught by Professor Fred Feinberg. In this class, you are tasked to solve business cases with a strong emphasis on analyzing abundant marketing data. While I found that many case-based classes tended to focus on the discussion of abstract academic concepts, this class was particularly interesting to me because the professor forced me to put such abstract concepts into practice by analyzing data with various marketing tools at my disposal.

Adam:  What are hot topics, activities, classes, etc. at your school right now?

Ross2013: Athletics is always a hot topic our school. I think many of your readers are well aware of our passion for American football, but I felt that there was much more buzz around our basketball team this year and deservedly so. March Madness was absolutely crazy!


Adam: What is your opinion of the career services center at your school?

Ross2013: I think career services at our school is great because they constantly do a good job of attracting top recruiters. However, I also would highlight that the recruiting process is and should be self-directed. You have to know what you want to do, you have to network with recruiters, you need to prepare for interviews with peers, and you have to perform with confidence at the actual interview.


Adam: What is the job market like for you and your classmates?

Ross2013: I felt that the job market was competitive but favorable for our class. It seemed to me that all companies that came on campus genuinely were looking to hire. Personally, I was satisfied with my results for both internship and full-time recruiting. I encourage your readers to refer to data published by our school for a more objective view of the job market at Ross.


Adam: Do you have any specific advice for those considering application to your school?

Ross2013:  There are a lot of MBA programs to choose from, and I think that personal fit is the most important thing to consider when deciding on the school you want to attend. Looking back at when I was applying to schools, it was very difficult for me to understand how each school differed from one another. In order to help address this problem, I strongly advise your readers to visit not only Ross but any other schools they are seriously targeting. The only way to get a good sense of personal fit with a particular school is to visit campus and talk to as many people as you can, whether it be current students, faculty, or alumni.


Adam: Are there any specific websites or blogs that you would recommend that applicants look at to learn more about your school?

Ross2013: As a first step I would recommend thoroughly looking through the official Ross website  to get a sense of the different programs offered. For example, you will immediately find out that Ross has several highly rated dual degree programs, such as the new Master of Entrepreneurship program that may be of interest to you.
The Ross Blog also has some useful information. Dean Davis-Blake's blog will give you a sense of the high level strategic initiatives that she plans to implement. Soojin's blog will provide you with more visibility into the admissions process throughout the year. The Ambassadors' blog should give you a better sense of what life as a Ross MBA will be like; the topics covered include everything from sports, social events, academics, recruiting, and MAP.

If you are a Japanese applicant, please take a look at http://rossjba.jimdo.com which hopefully gives you a better sense of all the great things our program offers with Japanese content.

All of the aforementioned resources are useful, but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to visit your schools of interest and to meet/talk to real people in order to gauge your personal fit with each school's culture. I understand that campus visits may not be possible for everyone; if this is the case, then reach out to any of the ambassadors to start your conversation. Even if the first Rosser you start talking to is not able to answer all of your questions, he/she will definitely be able to introduce you to someone else who can.


Adam: Anything else you would like to tell us?

Ross2013: Good luck on your application process, and Go Blue!

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I want to thank Ross2013 for answering my questions two years in a row. I believe his insights will be incredibly helpful for those considering application to Ross.

-Adam Markus

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