Consortium 2009 Deadlines

Application Deadline    November 15               January 5
Interview Deadline      No later than Nov. 6    No later than Dec. 16
GMAT Taken by            November 1                 December 20
Admission Decision      Varies by school           Varies by school
Fellowship Notification Mid March                    Mid March

Applications and all supporting materials (résumé, essays, GMAT, transcript, interview, recommendations and fee) must be submitted no later than midnight (PST) on the deadline date.

While late applications will be accepted, this may significantly reduce your chances of being awarded a fellowship.

Your GMAT score may not be more than 5 years older than the application deadline.

Consortium 2009 MBA Application Essay Questions

My comments are in red.

There are two required essays for all candidates, one optional essay for any additional information, and required school specific essays for each school you have ranked. The essay questions are listed below: 

1.Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. How has your professional experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree?

This is a straightforward goals question. You need to connect the dots between your past and desired future with an MBA in the middle.

In discussing your professional experience, don't regurgitate your resume. Highlight specific influential and impressive events or projects in your career to bring out both what you like and are good at.

2. The mission of The Consortium is to enhance diversity in business education and leadership by helping to reduce the serious under-representation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our member schools' enrollments and the ranks of management. What have you done in your business, academic or personal life to demonstrate commitment to this mission? Please provide specific examples of your involvement, actions and results. 

When have you led a project, team, or community service event dedicated to improving the representation of under-represented minorities in business school and management? This is not a place for an ode to equality. The Consortium wants to see action and commitment to its mission.

3.For each school to which you intend to apply, you will be required to write a school specific essay. Schools are only allowed to view your essay to their program.

For each school that you are applying to through the Consortium you will need to write a different essay. Each school has different strengths and a different approach to education. Each school could help you achieve your goals in different ways. You have to demonstrate that you know how each program will aid you in realizing your dreams. The same essay for all schools (with the names changed of course) will NOT work.

4.Optional additional essay: Is there any other information you would like to share with us that is not presented elsewhere in your application?

Please see the instructions below. On one hand, this is an open-ended question. On the other hand, the Consortium makes it quite clear that this is the place to explain anything that might need explaining. Use it for that purpose. If you are one of the lucky ones who doesn't need to explain, then you can use this optional essay to provide the admission committee with a different perspective on your candidacy by revealing something not brought out in the required questions.

Essay #1 is used for admission purposes only; this essay question provides an opportunity to express your strengths, unique attributes, experiences, and any other traits and abilities you consider relevant to your educational goals and career objectives.

Essay #2 is used to assess your commitment to The Consortium's mission and will be used in the determination of membership. (see section XIV. Demonstration of Commitment to The Consortium's Mission below). 

Essay #3 is the required school specific essay.

Essay #4 is optional and gives you the chance to provide any additional information you wish to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. These may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or other relevant information. An explanation must be provided in Essay 4 if you have answered "yes" to any of the questions in the Personal Certification/Signature section (see Verification and Signature section). 

Please follow the guidelines below with all essays:

• Include your full name and date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy) on each page.
• Include the essay number, page number and number of pages in the footer for each essay
  (Example: Essay #1-- Page 1 of 2)
• Limit each essay to no more than two double-spaced pages.
• Please use 12 point font.
• Must be a Microsoft Word document.