Darden's copy is in black. My comments are in red for the remainder of this post. 

 Darden 2006-7 Deadlines

Round 1 (Early Action)      October 19, 2006

Round 2                               December 5, 2006

Round 3                               January 11, 2007

Round 4                                March 1, 2007 

2006-2007 MBA Application Essay Questions

Darden made some major changes in wording to its questions this year. All the questions are new. 

1.  Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? (500 word limit) (Required)

This is the goals essay for Darden. Where are you at? Where do you want to go? And how will an MBA (specifically a general management MBA from a case method school) help you to achieve both your short-term and long-term goals. Slant the essay to show fit with Darden's general management, case-method program structured around study groups and teams.

2.  Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, education, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Darden students. (500 word limit) (Required)

Organized around study groups and teams, Darden values collaboration, dialogue, and strong inter-personal skills. To learn more about it, and you should, first review the Darden web site, attend info sessions and receptions, read the blogs of Darden students, and do everything you can to get a feel for Darden. If you can, visit before writing your essays. In addressing this question, write about how you, with your background, values, etc. can contribute to the Darden community.

Realize that you only have 500 words. So use this essay to focus on a  1-3 elements that will allow you to contribute uniquely while at Darden.  This essay is a great way to demonstrate self-knowledge, a little color, and your knowledge of Darden.

3.  Choose one of the following questions. (250 word limit) (Required)

a. What would you do if you didn’t have to work for a living?
b.  Describe a significant maturing experience.
c.  What have been the most satisfying aspects of your work life thus far and the most dissatisfying?

Answer the question that will best complement the required essays and add value to your application. Then using a modified PAR approach, keep it short and sweet. Describe the occupation, experience, or aspects, and then provide a succinct analysis of their importance, or in the case of C, the reasons you found these experiences satisfying or dissatisfying.

4.  If there is further information that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee, please provide it below. (250 word limit) (Optional)

Use this optional essay,  or lose a great opportunity to provide even more reasons for Darden to admit you.

If you would like help with Darden's essay, you still have time to work toward submitting before Darden's Early Action Round 1 deadline. ( A great option if you are committed to Darden.) Plus Accepted.com recently added a Darden Comprehensive Package to its MBA essay editing options. Check it out. 

Our 10% Early-Bird Discount on MBA Essay Editing and Comprehensive B-School Packages ends on July 31, 2006. That's Monday. You can obtain the critical eye of an seasoned editor and MBA admissions expert, save $$$, and prepare quality essays for round 1 deadlines, if you start ASAP.

Anything in black is from the London Business School pages at the links provided below. I am writing the red copy. 

London Business School Application Deadlines:
Stage 1: 20 October 2006
Stage 2: 05 January 2007
Stage 3: 23 February 2007
Stage 4: 27 April 2007
(Applications must be submitted by 17.00 London time).

London Business School MBA Essay Questions

The Admissions Committee met ... to determine the essay questions for the coming admissions year, and this is the result.  One or two changes have been made to last year’s questions, notably that Question 1 has been split into two.  Following a little bit of confusion last year, the wording of Question 4 has been tweaked in order to make it clearer (Tip: There is no need to think of a club that does not currently exist).

New to this year’s application, Question 6 has been added following several queries as to where applicants might submit additional information that they wanted to relay to the Admissions Committee.  However, this question is optional.

Question 1 (500 words)
In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation?  Why?  How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this?  How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? 

This is a clear goals question with the focus on your short-term goals -- what you want to do immediately after you receive your MBA. How did you develop this goal? Why does it appeal to you? How did your experiences shape your goal and how do they reveal the appropriateness of your goal. (If you are a couch-potato or klutz, don't say you want to be a professional athlete.--which wouldn't be a match for b-school anyway.)  Finally, how will LBS help you achieve your goal?

Question 2 (200 words)
Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision?

Here come the long-term goals. As LBS noted above, LBS decided to split the goals question in two. That doesn't mean the two unrelated. Far from it. Although a separate short question, your long-term goals should flow naturally from your short-term goals and previous experiences, including your hoped-for stint at London Business School. 

Question 3 (500 words)
Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life.  Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it?

First of all learn about the role of student life at LBS, in particular the role of study groups. Also, reflect on your experience in teams. If you have been involved in teams outside of work and your other essays focused on work, then this essay presents an opportunity to discuss another facet of your life. Have you been able to both lead and occasionally take a back seat when others with skills or qualifications your lack are better prepared to lead your team? After thinking about your team experience and the role of study groups at LBS show how your past experience will help you contribute to your study group.

Question 4 (400 words)
Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community?

Again, you need to research student life at LBS before you can answer this question. The best answers will directly respond to all elements in the question by showing that you have been involved in similar college, community or professional organizations in the past. And you will be able to illustrate your abilities to contribute at LBS by discussing your earlier contributions. 

Inside Higher Ed provides a brief survey of journalism programs The J-School Boom. As the article points out, traditional mainstream media may be struggling, but j-schools are booming.

 On both the undergraduate and graduate level, schools of journalism are opening and expanding. They have growing enrollments are expanding into areas like digital media, advocacy communications, and public relations, media marketing.  So if you have excellent writing and communications skills, don't default to law because you can't think of anything better to do. Take a class or two in journalism and see if it grabs you.

As I have done on other essay tips, my comments are in red. Kellogg's copy is in black.

Kellogg 2007 MBA Application Submission Deadlines

Round 1: October 20, 2006

Round 2: January 5, 2007

Round 3: March 9, 2007 

2007 Kellogg Application Essay Questions

1. All applicants must complete A, B, or C as appropriate.

A. Master of Business Administration applicants only. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (one to two pages double-spaced)

This question is the same as Kellogg's #1 for the last several years.  Kellogg wants to know your goals and how Kellogg will help you achieve them. As I have said repeatedly, goals are front and center in the MBA application. You need to connect the dots between your past, your desired future and Kellogg to answer this question well. Thought and research are prerequisites for this essay.

Just today we received an email from a client who started working with us last year. In the mail, he thanks his advisor for pushing him to clarify  his goals -- which he didn't want to do. He now recognizes how important they are. 

(There are variations of this question for MMM and joint degree applicants. Click on the link above for exact wording.)

2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (one to two pages double-spaced)

Again, the same as last year (and if my memory serves me, the last several years). What are you going to bring to the Kellogg party that every other IT professional, investment banker, marketer, and consultant cannot bring? Is it a commitment to community services? a sports craze? musical talent? dance ability, auto racing, a unique personal story? This essay begs for an anecdotal approach and individuality.  However, don't forget Kellogg's commitment to community and teamwork. If you can show those qualities too, this essay will be a home run.

3. You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (one to two pages double-spaced)

Evaluations, hmm. Does that mean the kind of objectivity your grandmother provides? Definitely not. Clearly you are trying to market yourself so you should emphasize the positive and provide a cogent argument for acceptance using Kellogg's criteria, but most of you will have weaknesses in your profile. What compensates for them? Why should Kellogg admit you despite your weakness? This is a great place to show why a substandard GMAT or GPA should be overlooked.

In general you want each essay to reveal something new about your experience. How can you do so with this question, which by its very nature requires you to use the information found in other parts of your application? Include at least one or two elements that you either discussed in your interview or intend to discuss in your interview. Or go into more depth about something mentioned in an application box or your resume, but clearly this essay is not going to provide a lot of new information.

Someone recently asked me about the first sentence in the question. That sentence implies you should pretend you are an adcom member and evaluate your file. Don't ignore that intro.

4. Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)

A. What have been your most significant leadership experiences to date?

Last year's questions included this question and added, "What was the most valuable lesson learned?" I suspect they dropped the second question because the analysis was coming back sounding all the same. "I learned blah blah blah..." However, don't be fooled. While the adcom does not necessarily want to know what you learned, it will want more than just a description of this experience. Include analysis and reflection. What did you learn? Why is it so significant? Why were you successful? or not? What was the impact of your leadership?

Don't be taken in by Kellogg's teamwork mantra and laid-back reputation. Employers wants to see leadership in Kellogg's grads, and you need to show leadership in your application -- especially in answering this question.

B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved?

Please see :

• #3 in "Solving the Puzzle."
  
• B-School ethics.
  

C. Outside of work I…

enjoy doing what? Again, if you have multiple pleasures, choose one that shows teamwork or other qualities Kellogg values.

D. Describe a professional situation where you were able to successfully persuade others to see things your way.

New this year. The instructions are quite clear. Choose a professional situation not discussed in other essays where you used persuasion, not rank or title, to get others to follow your lead.  

E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…

Have fun with this one. Again let this essay show a different facet than is revealed by the other essays.

F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? **

** Question 4F must be answered by all re-applicants as one of the required three questions.

No trick questions here. How are you a better candidate today than when Kellogg rejected you last time? Have you addressed weaknesses in your previous application?. If you aren't sure where you fell short, see if you can still obtain feedback from Kellogg or obtain an MBA Application Review.

Responding to the Kellogg application essays will tell the committee a lot about you, your character, and your interests -- if you do a good job.  It is a solid and comprehensive set of questions. And Kellogg provides them to you early enough to get a head start.

If you want to start now on your Kellogg application, please keep in mind that Accepted.com is running an Early Bird Special through the end of this month: 10% off all essay packages. In addition we just introduced our Kellogg consulting and Editing Comprehensive Packages. They too are 10% off this month. Start your applications early, submit first round, and save money.