MIT Sloan Application for the Class of 2028

 In this post, I analyze the MIT Sloan MBA application for Class of 2028.  I will discuss the Cover Letter, Video Questions 1 & 2, "The World that Shaped You" essay, Organization Chart, and Resume in this post.

My clients have been admitted to the MIT Sloan MBA almost every year since 2002. Since I started my own counseling service in 2007, I have had 52 clients admitted to MIT Sloan: 48 for MBA, 2 for EMBA, and 2 Sloan Masters. My clients' results and testimonials can be found here. The advice in this post reflects that experience.

 

MIT's motto, "Mens et Manus" (Mind and Hand) fosters an attitude of excellence that transforms a career path into a lifetime of exploration, innovation, and leadership.

 

MIT is well known for transforming theory into practice and this is certainly true of its business school. Amongst all the M7, MIT Sloan has long been the leader in experiential learning and the use of multiple classroom methods.  It has long been the anti-HBS (flexible, collaborative and not high pressure, practical not case-based). If anything, HBS is now trying to be more like MIT Sloan. The first year Field course at HBS is a total copy of the sort of experiential learning that MIT Sloan has been doing  for decades.

 

APPLYING TO MIT:  Application Timing & Difficulty of Admission

For anyone who has done some of the other M7 apps, MIT is usually easy to do because it mostly involves repurposing and reorganizing existing content. I think it is amongst the worst schools to do first because it is much better to have a portfolio of content to select from in order to put it together. By having stories about yourself from other essay sets, it will be relatively easy to apply them, albeit in briefer form and/or different interpretation. MIT Sloan has a very short initial essay set: a 300-word cover letter, a 250 word personal essay, and a one-minute video (that would be a script of around 100-120 words) self introduction to your future classmates. Applicants also have to answer one random video question and submit an  organization chart.  If you are offered an interview, you will need to write two additional 250-word essays, which would be the best problem to have. 

 

Given the late deadlines (R1: 9/29/25, R2: 1/13/26, and R3: 4/6/26) most applicants will have worked on other schools already. As with other top schools, R3 is never ideal unless one a college student applying for deferred admission. In general,  applying in R1 is better because MIT Sloan has a small size (Class of 2026 including LGO admits was 433) and low acceptance rate of 14%. For anyone applying to other schools in R1 whose test scores are in order, I would, in general, suggest applying in R1. Due to its ranking, reputation, and class size, MIT has always been the third hardest programs to gain admission to after GSB (7%) and HBS (12%)  respectively.  While many consider (not necessarily my opinion) Wharton as the 3rd best MBA program, it is always been much easier to get into than MIT. The acceptance rate at Wharton is 22%. Generally when a school has an acceptance rate of 20% or more, you can assume there is no major difference between R1 and R2.

 

THE APPLICATION: 

 

THE COVER LETTER: This is an argument based on specific high examples about why you fit Sloan's criteria, not why you want to go to Sloan.

Applicants often seem to miss this point because they are used to standard MBA goals essays where why the school fits the applicant's goals.  The prompt is long and both paragraphs are important:

 

"MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity and respect passion.

Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation)."

 

MIT has been using this cover letter concept for a very long time now. The first time I visited with MIT admissions in 2007, I asked about the cover letter. At the time I was told it was because MIT Sloan thought everyone should know how to write a formal cover letter as a standard piece of business correspondence. As the question has evolved it has become focused on showing why you meet the criteria that MIT Sloan is looking for.

 

Keep in mind that great cover letters result in getting an organizational entry (job/internship/fellowship/admission)  interviews. The purpose of a cover letter is to accompany a resume and get you an interview!    How will your cover letter standout?

-If you don't know how to do a US-style cover letter, you need to learn. For more about a standard job cover letters see here or just do an internet search.  The point here is to show why you are qualified to enter the MIT Sloan Class of 2028 by making an argument based on showing your fit to their admissions criteria.

Cover letter structure:  Beyond a brief 1st paragraph asking for admission and conclusion asking for an interview as per cover letter format, Make 2-3 such paragraphs showing your fit for MIT.

Paragraph structure for examples/criteria paragraphs: Relate one specific aspect of Sloan culture or values to something you have done to show your fit.  In the process of doing this include important details about your experience.

 

Understand MIT Sloan's fit criteria:

"MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic."

Adam: This is an overall statement indicating that MIT Sloan is looking for those who would make most of the opportunities in the MBA program. Given that MIT does look at past performance as a primary indicator for future performance, what you write about in the Cover Letter as well as what you communicate elsewhere in the application will be scrutinized from the perspective of how well you have utilized the opportunities in your academic, personal, and professional life.

"We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students."

Adam: Video Question 1 meant for your future classmates (see below) is a primary way to directly convey this point. It might also come out in the cover letter, resume, or "The World that Shaped" 250 word essay.  In terms of the cover letter, if you are writing about a situation where you enhance the experience of others, you could connect to this particular criteria in the cover letter.

"We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world."

Adam: MIT wants high EQ and IQ leaders who want to make impact.  I think it is very hard to write an effective cover letter to MIT if your examples don't highlight impact. The cover letter is a place to make the best possible argument based 1 or more examples that show you are impactful based on what you communicate, act, and/or think.

 

"We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers."

Adam: MIT is looking for exceptional people who go beyond what is defined, do something new, take risks, remain true to themselves ("authentic"), and take action.  As you can see so far, it is absolutely impossible to touch on all of MIT Sloan's criteria in this 300 word cover letter. The point is to focus on specific parts of the criteria where you really stand out.  One of the reasons that I consider MIT one of the worst schools to work on first is that you want to go into it with a portfolio of possible topics and the best way to do that is to have written essays for other schools first. Also given the short length of the cover letter, coming in with short well-edited stories from other schools' will make this easier.  If you are doing MIT Sloan first, you need to conduct an inventory of possible topics.

 

"We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas."

Adam:  They are looking for innovators and original thinkers. If you have an awesome example or examples that show you are such a person, great! If not, focus on other criteria. The point is to focus on the criteria where you really are strong so that you make the best possible argument for MIT Sloan.

 

"We demand integrity..."

Adam:  MIT Sloan wants highly ethical/honest people.  If you have a high impact story that highlights your integrity, it could be a good topic here. Otherwise integrity is something you might ask your recommender to mention.  At minimum, you want to make sure that there is nothing in your application that would make MIT Sloan question your integrity, such as writing a recommendation for yourself or having descriptions of what you professionally that don't align with the Organization Chart that MIT Sloan asks you to complete.

 

" and respect passion."

Adam:  I think it is interesting that MIT Sloan does not demand passion but respects it.  Passion is therefore something they appreciate, but unlike integrity, not a prerequisite. That said, I hope you, at minimum, use Video Question 1 as a way to show your passion and engagement with others.  Passion can be used in the cover letter effectively if you are passionate about the impactful actvity/activities that you are writing about in this cover letter.

 

Overall: If you can  provide a strong case based 2-4 key selling points based on the above criteria for why you belong at MIT Sloan, you will have done a good job. Assume one paragraph equals one way you fit at Sloan and highlights one or more selling points.  Assume in 300 words including a brief formal intro and brief formal conclusion you have about 200-250 words for these paragraphs. Most admits I have worked with highlight two stories.

 

You will notice that I have specifically not included post-MBA career goals in the above questions.  That is because your cover letter should not focus on such goals. MIT makes it clear in all their events that they don’t want that here. If you are sponsored by your company or come from a family business fine to mention that but DON'T WRITE WHY MIT SLOAN FITS ME ESSAY or discuss post-MBA goals.  The only time you should be prepared to answer any questions about why MIT relates to your goals and/or just your goals  is in an interview.

 

VIDEO QUESTION 1

"Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!

Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:

• No more than 1 minute (60 seconds) in length
• Single take (no editing)
• Speaking directly to the camera
• Do not include background music or subtitles

Note: While we ask you to introduce yourself to your future classmates in this video, the video will not be shared beyond the admissions committee and is for use in the application process only."

This video has a few different purposes:

1. It is a great way to get an overall first impression of an applicant.
2. The question itself is a very good way to see who is actually paying attention to who the intended hypothetical audience is. This is useful for getting rid of social idiots who cannot construct even a one-minute appealing statement to their future classmates.   What do future classmates want to know about you?  If these people will be your friends and teammates what are the first things they need to know about you?  If you think that would be your post-MBA career goals or a career summary (Covered by the resume by the way) or something purely professional, think again.
3. Since MIT Sloan does not require TOEFL, it is an easy way to get an impression of English ability from non-native speakers even prior to an interview.
4. It is a great way to gauge the communication and presentation skills of any applicant.

 

What all successful versions of this video do:

1. Help the hypothetical fellow student viewers understand why they would like the applicant as a person and as a classmate.  While the actual audience is adcom, you should assume they are watching this from the perspective of how a peer might think about you.
2. Highlight a few key characteristics about the applicant not covered elsewhere in the application.
3. Showcase what makes someone special.
4.  Provide a great first impression. This is speed dating.  FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE!!!!

 

How to make the video:

1. Write a script. It will mostly likely be too long. (Once you add in breathing, facial expressions, in acting you might do, and speaking a speed to heard effectively, your script should be 90-120 words long most likely).
2. Have your script reviewed by whoever you are sharing it with.
3. Make an initial video. If your script is too long at this point, edit it down again.
4. Have your video reviewed, taking feedback into consideration, alter the script as needed.
5. Record until you have an acceptable take.  Doing this last minute is not great. Doing this when you are tired and look exhausted is to be avoided.  Record under optimal conditions for purpose of making a strong positive impression. Practicing and taking multiple takes is likely the best way to get a good one minute.
6. As the instructions say, don’t edit it. They don’t want a well-produced TV commercial.

 

Other considerations:

1. Regardless of where you film this video, you should focus on how well the viewer can hear your voice  and see your face. Recording outside is fine as long as you have a mike good enough for a high quality audio recording.
2. Don't focus on props or location first, focus on content.  If you have props and/or location that complements your content, that is fine.
3. Humor or irony can be used effectively but you need to make sure that will work for your audience. If you are using humor, it is especially important that you test it out with people (admissions consultants, friends, alumni) who can fully consider what you are saying from the perspective of an American admissions officer.

 

VIDEO QUESTION 2

"All MBA applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation. 

Video Question 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 10 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response.

The following are examples of questions that may be asked in the Video Question 2:

• What achievement are you most proud of and why?
• Tell us about a time a classmate or colleague wasn’t contributing to a group project. What did you do?"

This video question was added for the Class of 2027, so we have one year of reports for it. Many schools now use video essay questions like this to gauge an applicant's actual communication skills under pressure. This also is way to compare what is in the rest of the application to the way you are more naturally. It is also a way to gauge your fit for MIT Sloan.

 

Keep in mind that for the Class of 2027 I received reports from 9 clients and all had different questions. The actual range of questions is huge:

 

R2:

Talk about a conflict that you had at work and what did you do?

Tell us about a time when you had to manage multiple projects with similar deadlines. What was your approach and how did you deal with it?

What is your greatest fear?

Please tell us a time you were creative.

How do you deal with stress in your personal life?

 

 

R1:

Describe a situation where you motivated and inspired a team or individual. How did you do this?

What quality do you most like to see as a team member?

Tell us about a time you were part of a difficult decision that impacted other people. What would you have done differently?

What drives you to succeed?

 

My suggestion is to go over these questions but given the possible range, just understand that you will have to likely handle a question you have not seen before.  The system MIT is using seems to contain a vast number of possible questions.

 

General Advice:

1. When answering an unfamiliar question, focus on the following in the ten seconds given prior to recording: Understand the question and quickly formulate a topic.
2. In your 60-second response focus first on providing a direct answer to the question and then elaborate.  This is not a time for an initial high context response but for a rational clear short and direct answer. Use remaining time for elaborating on your answer.
3. Given that you will have very little time, focus just on the question and don't think about overall strategy or being particularly clever if that will undermine your ability to give an effective response.  Being mindful albeit at high speed is likely to result in a better answer.
4. While you can understand the range of possible questions to some extent, it is not inherently going to help that much.
5. Writing scripts based on what has been asked before is probably a total waste of time, better to use such questions or ones like it as a drill. See how quickly you can effectively answer these questions or ones like it.

 

 

The World That Shaped You

"The Admissions Committee is excited to learn more about you and your background. In 250 words, please respond to the following short-answer question:

How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, and community all help to shape aspects of your life experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background."

For those who have written essays and/or short answers for other schools about their background, values, education,  life story, or other personal aspects, this will be easy.  Essentially you are trying to highlight to MIT a few (say 2-4) key aspects about who you are that cannot be understood  (or fully understood) from the resume, cover letter, or video.

Some possible topics:

1. Academic/intellectual/cultural/political  interests that have shaped you.
2.  The personal significance of where you grew up. The impact of that place(s) on you.
3.  Context related to one or more of your essays.
4. Major positive or negative impacts of your family on you.
5.  Economic considerations that impacted your family life.
6. The ethnic, religious, or other identity of your family and its impact on you.
7. The culture or values of your family and its impact on you.
8.  Key personal challenges you have had to handle.

 

THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHART: ONLY MIT ASKS THIS. 

"To help us better understand your current role and the impact that you have on your team and department, please submit an organizational chart. We should be able to clearly understand the internal structure of your organization, where you sit in your organization, and your line of reporting.

Organizational charts should not be more than two pages and keep the following in mind:

• Give us as much detail as possible (names, titles, etc.) but it’s ok to redact names if you need to.
• Please circle your role in red so that your position is easily identifiable.
• Make sure we can easily identify where you are, to whom you report, and if applicable, who reports to you.
• If your recommender or references are on your organizational chart (they may not be, and that’s ok!), please highlight them for us.
• If you are a consultant, entrepreneur, or affiliated with the military review our FAQs for suggestions on how to approach the organizational chart.

Click here to view a sample organizational chart."

The organization chart is a unique part of the MIT Sloan application. The organization chart itself should not take an immense time to prepare and is not something I intend to discuss in any detail given that MIT provides sufficient advice on how to put it together. Instead, lets focus on why they ask this. As is clear from the first two sentences of their instructions, they want to accurately understand your role in the organization you are a part of.  As I mentioned above when discussing MIT Sloan admissions criteria, they demand integrity. Hence resume bullet points or essay content that seems overstated and/or dishonest based on your organizational role is a major potential problem. I have no doubt that overstated accomplishments clearly evident from an org chart have resulted in many rejections over the years. Hence my advice is that the rest of the application's professional content should be consistent with the org chart.

 

THE RESUME: MIT IS VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT THE WANT

"Please submit a one-page resume. This will help us easily track your academic and career path. Try to focus on your work results, not just your title or job description.

Here are some pointers on formatting: 

• One page limit
• Times New Roman font
• Size 10 font
• Word or PDF formats only

Provide the following information in reverse chronological order:

• Education: Please include relevant awards, scholarships and professional societies
• Work Experience: Please include company name, title, results-oriented bullets that demonstrate your skill set, and dates
• Additional information: Please include extracurricular activities/community service, technical skills/certifications, and special skills/interests, and languages spoken (if applicable)"

Fortunately for my clients, this is the way I recommend they make resumes. MIT wants a very standardized 3-section resume with very specific formatting information.  I highly recommend following their format as this is a test of your ability to follow instructions.

Finally given what I have mentioned about the Org. Chart, it is particularly important that the descriptions of your professional accomplishments are not overstated but are rather consistent with your Org Chart.

 

Best of luck with your MIT Sloan Application for the Class of 2028!

HBS Class of 2018 MBA Admissions Application

In this post I  analyze the Harvard Business School MBA Application for the Class of 2018. In addition to discussing overall HBS application strategy and  the required essay, I will discuss key parts of the application form, resume, and transcript. I also provide some advice at the end of this post for HBS reapplicants.  I have already written a previous analysis of the essay question for this year, which I have further modified here after reviewing the online application.  For my posts on recommendation, please see my Key Posts on recommendations. For my post on HBS interviews, please see here.

My comprehensive service clients have been admitted to HBS for the Classes of  2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2005. My clients' results and testimonials can be found here. In addition to providing comprehensive application consulting on HBS, I regularly help additional candidates with HBS interview preparation.  Since I started my own counseling service in 2007, I have worked with 27 successful applicants from Canada, Europe, India, the Middle East, Japan, other parts of Asia, and the United States on HBS application. I think that this range of experience has helped me understand the many possible ways of making an effective application to HBS.  For the Class of 2017, I worked with an exceptional group of clients and 10 of them will be going to HBS this fall.  All I can tell you is that HBS takes a truly diverse range of people. Some had high GPAs and great GMAT scores, others had GPAs and scores well below the 80% range for HBS, but what they all had in common were strong personal professional backgrounds that came out in their essays.

Four Ways HBS Evaluates Applicants

My objective when working with each of my clients is to help them identify the best content in their essays, resume, interview and other application components to show fit for each school they apply to. My approach is to understand the audience that is being communicated to because the only objective of your application is to communicate effectively to your audience, the admissions committee.We can summarize what  HBS is looking for in terms of three stated values-Habit of Leadership, Analytical Aptitude and Appetite, and Engaged Community Citizenship- plus Diversity. These four core ways that HBS evaluates applicants need to be communicated in your application and one or more of them should be used in your essay.
The mission of HBS is to educate leaders.  All my clients admitted to HBS had a diversity of educational, extracurricular, and professional backgrounds, but were united by one thing: In one or more aspects of their lives, they demonstrated this habit of leadership. HBS takes a very broad view of what they are looking for:
If you are having difficulty really understanding leadership, one great place to read about leadership, and business in general, is Harvard Business School Working Knowledge.

• The strategist: leadership as a game of chess. These people are good at dealing with developments in the organization’s environment. They provide vision, strategic direction and outside-the-box thinking to create new organizational forms and generate future growth.

• The change-catalyst: leadership as a turnaround activity. These executives love messy situations. They are masters at re-engineering and creating new organizational ‘‘blueprints.’’

• The transactor: leadership as deal making. These executives are great dealmakers. Skilled at identifying and tackling new opportunities, they thrive on negotiations.

• The builder: leadership as an entrepreneurial activity. These executives dream of creating something and have the talent and determination to make their dream come true.

• The innovator: leadership as creative idea generation. These people are focused on the new. They possess a great capacity to solve extremely difficult problems.

• The processor: leadership as an exercise in efficiency. These executives like organizations to be smoothly running, well-oiled machines. They are very effective at setting up the structures and systems needed to support an organization’s objectives.

• The coach: leadership as a form of people development. These executives know how to get the best out of people, thus creating high performance cultures.

• The communicator: leadership as stage management. These executives are great influencers, and have a considerable impact on their surroundings.

-A time you represented an organization in public.
-A time you managed up, down, or across an organization.
Some of these are simply derived from the archetypes above, but  all reflect what I have seen in my clients essays over the years.
Engaged Community Citizenship
While “Engaged Community Citizenship” might take the form of leadership, it is quite distinct:
So much of our MBA experience - including the case method, section life, and student-organized events - requires the active collaboration of the entire HBS community. That's why we look for students who exhibit the highest ethical standards and respect for others, and can make positive contributions to the MBA Program. The right candidates must be eager to share their experiences, support their colleagues, and teach as well as learn from their peers.
HBS and other MBA programs are looking for students who will make a contribution. This really makes sense because of the collaborative nature of MBA education. While professors play an important role in the classroom, students learn from each other on a continuous basis both inside and outside of class. An MBA education is very much one based on relationship building. One of the chief functions of an MBA admissions committee is to select people who will be good classmates. The director and the rest of the committee have done their job properly if they have selected students who can work well together, learn from each other, and if these students become alumni who value the relationships they initially formed at business school. Given that two of the major takeaways from an HBS education are the relationships that a student forms during the program and access to the alumni network, HBS is looking for candidates who will fully engage with others.  It is important to show engagement with others in your HBS essay, in your interview, in your post-interview essay, in your application, and in your resume.  You should also make it a point to get your recommenders to discuss how you add value to the team, to whatever “community” (A workplace is a community) they worked with you in.
Engagement in a community may take many different forms.  Over the years, I have found the following types of activities to be very effective for MBA applications:
-Volunteer or social activities at work, whether it is actually organizing them or participating in them.
-Volunteer or social activities at school, whether it is actually organizing them or participating in them.
-Volunteer or social activities outside of work or school, whether it is actually organizing them or participating in them.
-A volunteer activity related to your post-MBA goals
-A volunteer activity that allowed for the development of leadership and/or teamwork experience
-A volunteer activity that put you in contact with people who are quite different from you in terms of nationality, income level, and/or educational background
-An international volunteer or social activity
-Active involvement in an alumni organization
-Active participation in a sports team
-Active political involvement (Not just voting or knowledge of politics, but actual activities)
-Participation in an orchestra, band or other musical group
-Participation in drama or dance
-Organizing trips or other activities for a group of friends
-Serving as the leader, organizer, or active member of a team-based educational activity such as a seminar, project, or overseas trip
The above are just some possibilities.
Some people will no doubt worry that they lack extracurricular activities to demonstrate such community citizenship, but in my experience there is always some way to demonstrate this. Part of my job is to help my clients identify such activities and communicate about them effectively. If you have demonstrated extensive community citizenship in your resume, you may very well not need to write about in the HBS essay, but you might still find that explaining your motivation for such activities is something you want to convey to HBS.  For those with limited objective resume content in this area, if there is an effective way to get some positive aspect of your community citizenship into the essay, do so.
Analytical Aptitude and Appetite
Harvard Business School is a demanding, fast-paced, and highly-verbal environment. We look for individuals who enjoy lively discussion and debate. Our case and field-based methods of learning depend upon the active participation of prepared students who can assess, analyze, and act upon complex information within often-ambiguous contexts. The MBA Admissions Board will review your prior academic performance, the results of the GMAT or GRE, and, if applicable, TOEFL iBT and/or IELTS, and the nature of your work experience. There is no particular previous course of study required to apply; you must, however, demonstrate the ability to master analytical and quantitative concepts.
HBS is a highly competitive and challenging academic environment. It is not for anyone.  “Analytical Aptitude And Appetite,” what can more generally be thought of as academic potential, will be very easy for some candidates to demonstrate without ever writing an essay on the topic. You must demonstrate your analytical intelligence somewhere in your application. Yes, a solid GPA and GMAT are enough for that purpose, but if you think your academic record and GMAT are weak, I do suggest demonstrating your high analytical aptitude and appetite in your essay. Also, whether you address your analytical abilities in your essay, for most applicants, it would also be very useful to have one or more recommenders discussing this.
Some effective ways to demonstrate analytical intelligence include the following:
-Solving a complex problem at work, school, or elsewhere
-Discussing the successful completion of complex analytical tasks
-Breaking down a complex problem that you solved and communicating it a very brief and clear way
- Demonstrating great personal insight into ones weaknesses, failures, and/or mistakes
-Showing the ability to learn from weaknesses, failures, and/or mistakes
-Showing the ability to learn and master something highly complex
-Demonstrating a high level of creativity
Those with truly outstanding academic background and test scores need to likely focus less attention on this area. If you think you have weaknesses in this area, consider how to use the essay and Additional Information section to mitigate them. The above list provides some effective ways to do that.
Diversity
A truly diverse student body — in background, nationality, interests and ambitions — is the foundation of the HBS experience. Indeed, these differences are critical to the HBS learning model, which thrives on the many perspectives and life experiences our students from all over the world bring to their classes. From academic assignments to casual conversations, the unique qualities of individual lives enrich the education of the entire community.
This overall intention to create a highly diverse class significantly impacts HBS admissions' decisions. The critical thing is that you demonstrate why you are unique and how you will add to the diversity of the class.  In your essay you need to show what makes you stand out. Especially if you think your academic, personal, professional, and/or extracurricular experiences are not inherently unique, it is very important that your essay demonstrates what makes you stand out.
Some ways of demonstrating diversity that my clients have used successfully include the following:
-Being the first person or kind of person to do something
-Being the youngest person to do do something
-Making an original contribution to something
-Having an unusual family, academic, personal, or professional background
-Unusual skills or talents
-Extensive international experience
-Receiving prestigious awards or scholarships
-Even post-MBA goals might be used for this purpose if your goals help to make you stand out.
Keep in mind that diversity is a matter of interpretation and presentation and it is each applicant's responsibility to best demonstrate how they will add value to their classmates. One of my jobs as a consultant is always help my clients identify ways that make them distinct even if they think they are not special. I operate on the assumption that everyone is unique.
"Instructions: Please provide a current resume or CV.  Ideally, this would be about 1-2 pages in length."   

"Instructions: List up to three extracurricular activities in order of importance to you (i.e., list the most important first).  Please tell us about the things you did (or do) while you were (or are) attending your college or university.  Include other activities, like community service, here as well.  Please limit this to three activities, but don't worry if you don't have a list of three.  We use this section mostly to get a sense of how you spent your time in college as well as the sort of leadership roles and activities that attract you. "

"Instructions: Were you on the Dean's List? Did your apple pie win a blue ribbon at the state fair? Tell us about it here. List any distinctions, honors, and awards (academic, military, extracurricular, professional, community) in order of importance to you (i.e., list the most important first). You may list up to three awards."
Please enter your Intended Post-MBA goals below.



500 characters remaining

You don't have to perfect post-MBA plan, but you need to have a plan. You most likely will spend more time thinking about what you are going to write here than writing it. I think it is fine to include the longer term here if it helps to explain the rationale for your short-term objectives. Keep in mind that your wider vision is a perfectly acceptable topic to discuss in the essay (if you think it will really help your section mates understand who you are)  and not here. Also, since this question does not ask about HBS, you should  not necessarily include any why HBS content here. If you are having difficulty with your career goals, see my analysis of Stanford Essay B for a method for thinking about goals.  I frequently work with my clients on their goals.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
"Instructions: Please only add additional information here if you need to clarify any information provided in the other sections of your application. This is not meant to be used as an additional essay.Please limit your additional information to the space in this section. We'll know you'll be tempted, but please don't send us any additional materials (e.g., additional recommendations, work portfolios). To be fair to all applicants, extra materials won't be considered." (500 characters, not words)
Use this space to explain anything that can be effectively explained in the space provided. This is a great place to explain choice of recommenders, a problem in your past, or to add in information about something you really think HBS needs to know. It is completely fine to leave this space blank if you have nothing you need to add.

HBS Reapplicants: I do recommend using the Additional Information space to explain what has changed since your prior application.  I know 500 characters is not much, but given the nature of the HBS essay, I don't consider it a great place for discussing reapplication because that is not necessarily a topic you would use to introduce yourself to your section.  Use the 500 characters here to highlight positive changes that you especially want HBS to take into consideration when evaluating you.

If you are a reapplying to HBS, I do recommend addressing that issue either in the essay or, if you only need a brief amount of  words, in the Additional Information section. If you are reapplicant, please see here.  It is usually the case that ones tries to show growth since the last application. Whatever form(s) this growth takes, you might need a brief amount of word count or significant word count.  Common topics:1. Changes in career goals since the previous application. Feel free to alter your goals, just explain why.2. Why you are a better candidate now. This could be everything from a career change to increased GMAT scores to improved English ability to taking courses to overcome an academic weakness to a valuable extracurricular activity.
For more about reapplication, please see the Reapplication section of my Key Posts page.

Best of luck to everyone applying to HBS.



Habit of Leadership
Leadership may be expressed in many forms, from college extracurricular activities to academic or business achievements, from personal accomplishments to community commitments. We appreciate leadership on any scale, from organizing a classroom to directing a combat squad, from running an independent business to spearheading initiatives at work. In essence, we are looking for evidence of your potential.

HBS does not explicitly ask you to show your potential for leadership in your essay,  but it may very well be something you decide to write about, ask one or both of your recommenders to write about, and certainly show in your resume and application form.   Leadership is no easy thing. Nor is it always obvious. If you leadership is fully obvious from resume, than perhaps your essay not discuss it, but the worst possible thing is to conceive of leadership as simple formal responsibility or a title because this conveys nothing about the person in that position. While some applicants will have held formal leadership positions, many will not. Formal leadership positions are great to write about if they involve the applicant actually having significant impact, making a difficult decision, being a visionary, showing creativity, or otherwise going beyond their formal responsibility, but the same is true for those showing leadership without having a formal title.

Some clients I have worked with have never really considered themselves as leaders. I think it is critical that if you are applying to HBS that you have idea about what kind of leader you are.  While there are number of ways to describe leadership, I particularly like this formulation of leadership types that INSEAD Professor Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries has used in one of his Harvard Business Review blog posts (Disclosure I am a student in an INSEAD  program that he co-directs):

I have previously suggested that applicants who are having difficulty really understanding leadership find out what kind of leader they are by taking this quiz based on Lewin's classic framework.  While leadership  is more complicated than Lewin's framework, the quiz is a great way to get you started thinking about yourself, a key part of answering any leadership essay question effectively. However I think the 8 archetypes above provide a much better guide for those who both have extensive leadership experience and those who think they lack it.  Think of these 8 archetypes as aspirational images of certain kinds of leader. You may fit into more than one category. You may find you don't feel like you are really good at any of the above in comparison to the descriptions above, but that is OK because you are trying to identify your potential even if it seems based on relatively little "objective evidence." If leadership is not obvious from your resume or likely to be a topic your recommenders will focus on, you should certainly consider how you show your leadership potential. I have never worked with anyone who could not demonstrate potential in at least one of the categories above.
Some types of leadership experiences that make for effective content in essays, recommendations and interviews:
-A time you convinced someone or some group.
-A time you lead others.
-A time you demonstrated courage.
-A time you made a difficult decision.
-A time you were innovative.
-A time you formulated and executed a strategy or tactics.
-A time you turned around a situation, overcame an obstacle.
-A time reformed something.
-A time you changed something.
-A time you effectively negotiated with someone.
-A time created something.
-A time you managed or organized something.
-A time you mentored or coached someone.

THE ESSAY

"There is one essay question for the Class of 2018:

It's the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your "section." This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared experience will be lasting.

Introduce yourself.

Note: Should you enroll at HBS, there will be an opportunity for you to share this with your classmates.

We suggest you view this video before beginning to write.

Use your judgment as to how much to tell us. We don't have a "right answer" or "correct length" in mind. We review all the elements of your written application to decide who moves forward to the interview stage.

Upload your Word or PDF document below.  As far as format goes, use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial in a size that won't hurt our (rapidly aging) eyes.  No need to repeat the question above unless you want to. " 

The question is discussed in more detail on Direct from the Director:

"Yes, it’s “new”...but most of you are embarking on this business school application journey for the first time too!     
Why do we like it?
• It’s just about as straightforward and practical as we can make it.   It gives you a chance to tell your story however you choose. Imagine simply saying it out loud. This is what we mean when we’ve been encouraging you to use your own “voice” when approaching this part of the application.  We have no pre-conceived ideas of what “good” looks like. We look forward to lots of variance.
• It’s useful. You will actually be introducing yourself to classmates at HBS. 
Why did we drop the “optional” option?
• We were trying to signal that the essay wasn’t The Most Important Element of the application so we thought saying “optional” might accomplish that. But, this season, every applicant submitted a response. We get it. You want to tell us things.
Tell us again what the essay is for?
• For you: an opportunity to pause and reflect. Business school is a big experience -  it’s exciting, it’s an unknown,it’s a beginning, it’s an investment in your future. Stopping to reflect and gather your thoughts in writing is a useful exercise. That’s not just our opinion -  it’s what we hear from students all the time.
• For us: a chance to get to know you beyond the elements of the application that feel fixed and stationary. Can also be a starting point for interview conversations."

HBS is far from the first school to ask applicants to introduce themselves to classmates. In this case, the length seems unlimited (See below, I don't recommend a very long essay)  and the classmates in question are the other 89 students in your section.

You need to think about what you would actually say to your future classmates. Since you will  need to introduce yourself, think of one core requirement of this essay being how to make an effective introduction to people you are going to be working with for an entire year. First impressions matter a lot. You need to put significant time into thinking about the impression you will make.

While you need to think what you would actually say to your future classmates, make sure the admissions officers reading your essay understand why it is relevant. Given the criteria- Habit of Leadership, Analytical Aptitude and Appetite, and Engaged Community Citizenship- plus Diversity- I have mentioned above, I think it is important that your essay highlights how you demonstrate one or more of those criteria.  If you skimmed over that section above, go take a look at it now.

Assume that the length is not unlimited even though it appears to be up to you.  How long of an introduction would you make? My suggestion is that whatever length of a text you write, read it out loud and ask yourself, how long you would actually speak. HBS suggests that you "Imagine simply saying it out loud."  Suggestion: one to three minutes is good, five minutes is probably a max out.

Treat this like a transcription of what you would say.  In other words, this is spoken rather than written text. I know that when I start reviewing my client's HBS essays for 2016 entry, I will be reading them out loud, timing how long it takes me to read it,  and considering the way they sound. I will be advising my clients to do that.

Make it easy to understand.  You are introducing yourself to strangers who you want to become your friends and colleagues. They will have very diverse backgrounds. Your job is to make this essay easy to understand. Think big picture, clear stories, and no extreme complications.

Make it believable. This should go without saying, but some applicants have a tendency to overstate their accomplishments.  This is not the place for it.  Be honest and show your authentic self.

Make it interesting. Your objective is to get your classmates to like you and become interested in you. You need to help HBS see why you deserve a shot to be in one of the 90 student sections.  You need to show your selling points and make it clear what differentiates you. Simultaneously, you can't focus just on accomplishments, instead you want to reveal something positive and personal that will be perceived as attractive and memorable.

While I don't necessarily suggest writing what you can contribute to your section in this essay, I do think that should be implied. In other words, someone reading this essay should have a clear sense of how you will be a positive addition to the section through the diversity (See the section above on diversity)  of your experience, values, and or skills. Actually in most HBS essay sets in the past, community engagement is not directly requested. I would argue, in fact, that even if a school does not ask an applicant to tell them what he or she can contribute, the applicant should make that clear in the essay(s) by showing  the ways one has added value to others, teams, organizations, projects, etc. Interviews are usually a further opportunity to discuss how one will make a contribution.

Also, keep in mind that the essay is not the whole application.   Your resume, application form, and recommendations all have an important role in the application process. Don't unnecessarily duplicate information found elsewhere in your application.  This is the place to come to life as an applicant, so that you are perceived as someone who can add value to your section and to HBS as a whole.

If you are trying to understand the diverse range of essays that gets someone admitted to HBS, I do recommend  The Unofficial Harvard Business School Essay Book.  In fact,  one of my clients admitted to the Class of 2016 contributed his or her essay to it, which made me really happy.  I can't tell you which one. I do highly recommend reading this book because it will give you a really good idea about the range of possible answers and dispel any myths about needing to submit something that is professionally written. I would also recommend the old book that contained HBS admits essays. That collection is still a good read for understanding how to put together an MBA essay though the specific questions are no longer being asked by HBS. Combined, both books are really great guides for someone looking to see sample successful MBA essays. Beyond those essay books, a piece of absolutely required reading for HBS admissions is Poets & Quants’ John Byrne’s interview with Dee Leopold, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Business School. If you are looking for one article to give you overall insight into how HBS makes admissions decisions, John Byrne has done an exceptional job of asking Dee Leopold the right questions.

RESUME

The resume has always been an important part of any HBS application.  You can find a resume template I have linked to on my blog here.  That resume template can also simply serve as a checklist for what to include.  While many schools prefer a one-page resume, HBS really does not care.  Depending on a client's background, I will recommend 1 or 2 pages.  I think it best to think of a resume as a record of accomplishment. If you have sufficient accomplishments, 2 pages is fine.  Some applicants try to a use an MBA student's recruitment resume format as the basis for their own resume, but I generally don't consider this a good idea as such resumes serve a very different purpose.  An MBA resume should really designed to focus on you overall, that is your academic, professional, and personal accomplishments and key facts. A recruiting resume is meant for a different kind of audience, recruiters, and typically focuses on a much more narrow range of information.

When I first start working comprehensively with any client, whether they are applying to HBS or not, I always start with the resume for a couple of reasons:

1.  It is a great way for any applicant to summarize the most important information about them and  their accomplishments. It sometimes helps applicants actually remind themselves of what they have done.

2.  For me, it is a way I learn about a client so that I can better understand their background.

One key thing to remember about what you include on your resume:  Anything that is there, just like any component of the application, may become the basis for a HBS interview question. Therefore if you don't want to talk about it and don't need to write about it, leave it off the resume.

EMPLOYMENT

 There is also an Employment Section of the application that provides space for you to discuss two positions in detail including providing  brief descriptions of your professional accomplishments and challenges.  To some extent this information will overlap with the resume. This is nothing to worry about. That said the challenge question ("Most Significant Challenge" 250 characters) in particular is very possibly something you would not be covering in your resume. Stanford has a similar detailed employment section in their application, which they seriously.  I assume  HBS does as well, so  just as with the resume, make sure your answers in the application are as effective as possible. Don't treat it like some form you do at the last minute.

ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS

First, keep in mind that admissions officers read transcripts and are trained to know what they are reading. They don't just look at GPA  (If your school calculates it).  If there is something really bad on your transcript (a fail, a withdrawal, etc) or odd, you really do want to explain it in the 500 character (not word) Additional Section. If is just a C and you have no specific excuse, don't bother trying to explain it.  If your academic performance varied greatly from year to year (or semester to semester), was there a reason for it?  Is it one that you want to provide? I don't recommend discussing how you became depressed after your boy/girl friend broke up with you, but, if, for example, you were taking a major leadership position in a student organization, running a start-up, working a lot to pay for school,  doing major research, experienced a major illness or misfortune,  or playing a varsity sport, you do have a topic worth discussing. Finally, If your transcript,  GMAT/GRE, or resume don't indicate that you have solid quantitative skills, you should explain why you do if you can. The proper place to provide that explanation is in the additional section or the essay.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Given HBS' instructions on this, I do highly recommend including your best extracurricular activities with perhaps 2 out of 3 being focused on college/university activities, unless you have some particularly impressive post college/university activities, where I might see including only 1 activity from college/university. If you have done nothing impressive extracurricular-wise after graduating and have 3 good activities from university, feel free to just use use this section for those activities. If you did nothing but study during college or university and really have no activities, hopefully you have three post-college things to include.  If you have any activities that are directly relevant to your professional goals or to your personal story and you really want to emphasize them, use this space accordingly. While I would surely emphasize the most impressive activities in terms of leadership or engagement, if you need to focus on personal interests that were not group focused (running for example) because you simply don't anything better, put it here.  Activities that show you are well-rounded, civically engaged, artistic, athletic are all possibilities here.

Keep in mind that extracurricular activities can (and usually should)  also be fully accounted for on the resume and given the fact that you can submit a two-page resume, there is no reason that can't account for an activity.  Also, if you are not using the space for anything else, the 500 character additional information section could be used for elaborating on anything you consider really important, but could not include in this section or in the resume.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

For some applicants this section is really easy to fill out because they have won a number of awards, distinctions, or honors and just need to prioritize them. Other candidates will freak out about this section because they never won anything that they think fits.  While, it is sometimes really the case that I will have perfectly great applicant who has nothing to report in this section, most applicants are actually likely to have something.  HBS is not asking you a narrow question here, so think broadly.  It is possible that this section will overlap with the resume, employment, essay, or extracurricular section of the application.

INTENDED POST-MBA CAREER GOALS

Industry

Function

Briefly tell us more about your career aspirations:

-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.

Stanford GSB: Additional Info, Resume, Employment History, Activities for Class of 2016 Admission

This is the fifth of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for Class of 2016 Admission. The five posts are overall comments, Essay 1, Essay 2, Essay 3, and additional information/resume/employment history/activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here. In addition to the Class of 2016 posts, I al so recommend reading and/or listening to my presentation, “So you want to get into Stanford GSB?” which was made to a Japanese audience in March 2011. That presentation focuses on issues that are applicable to all applicants as well as some issues specific to Japanese applicants.

You can find results and/or testimonials from my clients admitted to to the Stanford Classes of 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010 here.  My full Stanford results prior to the Class of 2014 can be found here. My clients admitted to Stanford GSB have come from China, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States and have had extremely diverse professional and educational backgrounds. The advice I provide below is based on that experience.

THINK ABOUT THE REST OF THE APPLICATION
There is nothing more depressing to me than to look at an MBA application that is hastily put together. Worse still if it is for a school that is hard to get into. Worse yet if it is for Stanford, where, under Derrick Bolton, there is a very rigorous approach to application review.
The application form, transcript, and resume all play a significant role in the evaluation of your suitability for admission.  Given  that Stanford GSB is evaluating your intellectual vitality, demonstrated leadership potential, personal qualities, and qualifications, you can be certain that beyond your essays, the rest of the application will be highly scrutinized to determine how you benchmark against these criteria.
Some people look at application forms as mere forms. I look at them as opportunities  to provide admissions with as complete and impressive presentation as one can. The reason admissions made the application was because they need the information to make a decision about you, so don’t provide something that is done at the last minute. For a full analysis of an MBA online application, see here.

Resume & Employment History:

“In this section of the online application, you have an opportunity to describe your employment history, including your responsibilities, your challenges, and accomplishments.

Include both full-time and part-time work experiences.

We value diversity of experience in our student body, so no one industry or function or background is preferred over another.

As you approach your MBA application, keep in mind that we are more interested in the impact you have had in your work place than the name or stature of your organization.

Have you made the most of your professional opportunities? Are you cultivating your leadership and team skills and making a difference? We look at your responses in conjunction with your recommendations to create a broad picture of the impact you have had in your work environment(s).

If you have had more than one job, we also ask why you left your previous employer(s). Your response to this question will help us understand your career development and what has motivated your decision making.

We also ask you to report the industry and job function you hope to pursue after you obtain your MBA.

Resume

After completing the Employment History section, please upload a current copy of your resume. Suggested length is one page–maximum is two pages.

For College Seniors, the recommended length is one page.“

Along with the essays, the resume and Employment History are the most critical documents that you control. Both should present you as effectively and honestly as possible. These two values are not in conflict: Be honest, be thorough, and do not be humble. You are being judged by your professional experience and this is where they get your complete record of it.  Please see here for the resume template that many of my clients admitted to Stanford and other top programs have used. Since Stanford generally prefers a one-page resume, my suggestion is to provide that if at all feasible. You can always submit a second page of your resume as supplemental if absolutely necessary. Still, I am advising all my clients to keep it to a page this year. Previously Stanford, did not indicate a preference for one page over two pages in the instructions, but this year they have.

Transcripts
At a Stanford presentation in Tokyo back a few years ago, the admissions officer emphasized that the admissions committee closely reads transcripts. While you don’t control the content at this point, you have the possibility of impacting how the transcript is interpreted. Scrutinize your own transcript. If your GPA is high, this is easy. You can relax. If on the other hand,your transcript reveals an unimpressive GPA, some very low grades, gaps in study, or anything else that concerns you, you had better figure out how to address in the Additional Information section.



Additional Information: Use it or don’t use it, but don’t abuse it.

“Additional Information

If there is any other information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, please include it. Examples of pertinent additional information include:

• Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance
• Explanation of why you do not have a Letter of Reference from your current direct supervisor or peer
• Explanation of criminal conviction, criminal charges sustained against you in a juvenile proceeding, and/or court-supervised probation
• Explanation of academic suspension or expulsion
• Any other information that you did not have sufficient space to complete in another section of the application (please begin the information in the appropriate section)
• Additional work experience that cannot fit into the space provided
• Additional information about your academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere“

If you read the above, it should be clear enough that this is the place to explain anything negative or potentially negative in your background or to provide additional information that did not fit in the space provided. DO NOT USE IT FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. Yes, you may have written a great essay for Tuck, Wharton, Harvard, Chicago, NYU, MIT, INSEAD, Columbia, or London Business School, but unless your objective is to inform Stanford GSB about that, don’t include it here. I don’t think the categories above require interpretation as they are clear.

If you really have no explanation for something negative, don’t bother writing about it. For example if your GPA is 2.9 and you have no good explanation for why it is 2.9, don’t bother writing something that looks like a lame excuse. This is more likely to hurt than help you. In the same vein, don’t waste the committee’s time telling them that your GMAT is a much better indicator than your GPA (the opposite is also true). They have heard it before and they will look at both scores and can draw their own conclusions without you stating the obvious. That said, if you have a good explanation for a bad GPA, you should most certainly write about it.

ALMOST EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING THEY WANT TO EXPLAIN. It might be small or it might be large, but if you don’t give your interpretation of something that may look odd in your application, why assume that someone reviewing it will interpret in a manner favorable to you?   Your objective is to always provide the admissions reader with an interpretation, especially of something you think is relatively obvious and potentially negative.


Activities
“We do not expect every applicant to be involved in activities outside the classroom or workplace.

If you have been involved in activities, however, this is an excellent way for us to learn more about your interests and experiences.

• Please report your activities in order of importance to you, with the most important listed first.
• A sustained depth of commitment in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six organizations.
• Report activities during university/college separately from those after university/college.
• Examples of activities in which you are/have been involved may include charitable, civic, community, and professional.
• Please avoid using acronyms to describe your activities.
• Do not report internships in this section. Instead, report internships in the part-time employment section.”

This section is important. Of course, some applicants will not have much here, while others will have a plethora of things to mention. In any case, provide the best answer you can. Use your judgment about what to include. The above instructions make it very clear that Stanford GSB is not looking for quantity. Give them quality and don’t mention anything that will show your lack of commitment: If you joined a lot of organizations for a really short time and did nothing, I don’t think that it will help you to mention it.
Finally, please keep in mind that there is no perfect applicant, just like there is no perfect human being. If you have had to work 100-plus hours a week since graduating from university and your idea of extracurricular activity is sleep, don’t assume that not having any great activities will hurt you. Admissions will evaluate your whole application. I have had the opportunity to work with great applicants who were admitted to Stanford GSB, and I can say none of them were perfect, but what they were able to do was present themselves as honestly and effectively as possible. Some had amazing extracurricular activities, while others really did not having much worth mentioning.

Finally, I plea with you to give yourself enough time to do a first class job on the entire application. I can’t guarantee that doing a great job on the application form will get you into the Stanford Class of 2016, but if you make it part of your overall approach to applying, it will not hurt either.  Given the central importance of the resume to the interview process at Stanford, it is critical that you give that document the time and attention that it deserves. Best of luck!

-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.