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MBA Program Visits, Fairs, Receptions: 5 Simple Steps to Make Them Productive

May 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Have a couple of thoughtful questions about the program for each school you visit.

Applying to MBA programs this coming fall or winter? Then probably you’re planning to meet with MBA admission committee members at various types of events – school visits, MBA fairs, school receptions, etc. – as part of that process. An ideal time for school visits is in fall, when classes resume. The other types of events may occur anytime, as early as summer. So it’s not too soon to start preparing.

Adcoms also are preparing for you – in their interactions with prospective applicants they look to get an early read of your “social intelligence.”

Here are some tips to make a positive first impression while also getting the most out of the visits for your own informational and decision-making needs.

1. Polish up your resume to bring with you. You can always refine or modify it later if need be. Sometimes you may have a chance to show it to an adcom member or a current student willing to given feedback on your competitiveness for the program.

2. Have your overall “goals story” on the tip of your tongue. Most visiting applicants will have a sentence (“My goal is to become an IT manager in finance and eventually CIO). The goals story includes another sentence that includes why you have these goals (your motivation) and your vision for what you want to achieve (often these two elements are inter-related). This mini story will enable you to engage more meaningfully with adcoms or students – people will care about your goals when they know why you want to do it!

3. Have a couple of thoughtful questions about the program for each school you visit – ideally queries related to your learning and career needs. It never hurts to show ‘em the love. Moreover, your ability and willingness to identify your specific developmental needs reflects maturity.

4. Request contact info to facilitate follow-up when meeting students from your target schools. There are all kinds of opportunities to learn more about the program from students (for example, one student may connect you to a classmate who leads a club of interest to you) – gaining unique and fresh insights that can greatly enhance your essays.

5. Review my recent post on creating an elevator pitch and prepare one. In response to questions I was getting from clients, I wrote a post about creating an elevator pitch for visiting schools – it’s advice I still endorse.

The modest preparation sketched above will yield rich rewards: good impressions on adcoms, fruitful contacts with students, and deeper knowledge of the programs to fuel your decision making and propel your essay writing. Happy travels!








Cindy Tokumitsu By , author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last thirteen years with Accepted. She can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses and develop a winning MBA admissions strategy.

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Getting Your MBA Goals in Shape

April 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

MBAGoalsKnowing they’ll have to write essays about their goals, most b-school applicants have identified their goals prior to starting the application process. But I’ve found that “identified” often has a very narrow scope, too narrow to effectively serve the purpose of the essays.

With some moderate effort now, you can flesh out your goals message so that you can spring into action when the essays come out in the summer. You’ll need details to make the essays credible, interesting, and individualized, and clarifying your motivation also furthers those ends.

Here are some steps to take to fully prepare for writing outstanding goals essays.

• Identify short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals. For each, fill in the details: what would be your likely or desired positions(s) (note titles), what types of companies (with specific examples), what industries.
• Develop a vision for each of these phases. In other words, what do you want to accomplish, what impact do you want to have? Too often people focus on what they want to get out of it for themselves. That’s secondary. What external impact will you aim to have?
• Research the desired companies: what kinds of post-MBA positions they offer, their hiring trends, products and/or services, structure/organization, market status, competitive concerns, etc.
• Research your industry: what are its challenges, how is it adapting to globalization, etc.
• Reflect on your motivations for pursuing your particular goals and be prepared to present them succinctly as part of your goals essays. While most questions won’t ask about it, your motivation is an essential part of creating a message and story that will engage the adcoms.
• If you are a career changer or even if you are just shifting career emphasis, have informational interviews with people in your chosen field or function. Utilize your college alumni network and perhaps other professional and/or social networks to identify possible people to ask. Not only will you glean valuable insight, but you also can discuss taking this proactive step in your essays.

Taking these efforts now will enable you to write goals essays that are informed, thoughtful, distinctive. And you can hit the ground running when you start writing!











Cindy Tokumitsu By , co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Admissions Success, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fifteen years with Accepted.

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MBA Application Planning: Program Research Phase

April 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There is a sea of information out there: Make sure you're not swimming in circles.

There is a sea of information out there: Make sure you’re not swimming in circles.

Phase 1 done! You’ve defined your goals, assessed your qualifications. Now, how do you organize your research of MBA programs? There is a sea of information out there: rankings, books, MBA program websites, MBA fairs, poetsandquants.com, newspaper and magazine articles on MBA programs, consultant websites (including ours), student and adcom blogs, school open houses, etc.

Time to dive in! But do impose some structure to the process so you’re not swimming in circles after you dive.

If you’ve read our blog posts, ebooks, etc., you know we at Accepted.com caution against relying on rankings to decide where to go (“I’m just gonna apply to the top-5”). Well, here’s a contrarian suggestion: use the rankings. They’re helpful at the start (see Step 1 below).

I’ve developed a macro process for doing MBA program research in a way that (a) yields meaningful info for decision-making and list-making, and simultaneously (b) is efficient and focused – conserving and respecting your precious time.

Step 1 – With your competitive profile in mind, look at several broad MBA rankings. Determine what levels/ranges of programs you’re competitive generally. Note plural – rankings – as each has its idiosyncrasies (US News, Financial Times, Business Week, etc.). Takeaway: a general understanding of what competitive range to focus on (including “reasonable reach” programs, “on-par” programs, and maybe “safeties”).

Step 1A – At this point it’s good to start talking to people with MBA experience – colleagues, friends, mentors, etc. – and add a qualitative dimension to the above takeaway. Ask about their impressions and experiences, how it aligns or not with what you gleaned from the rankings vis-à-vis competitive fit.

Step 2 – Search industry- and/or function-specific rankings in your area(s) of interest. Identify programs from these rankings that overlap with those from Step 1 (and factoring in any learning from Step 1A). Takeaway: a group of MBA programs that are strong in your field and where you also are competitive.

Step 3 – Start digging deeper. Go to the source – the websites of programs in the Step 2 takeaway. Look for specifics that you care about (structure of curriculum? flexibility? strong concentrations? students from a given industry or geographic region? etc.). Listen to your gut as well as objective response; does it feel like a good fit? Takeaway: a “first pass” list of potential programs to apply to.

Step 3A – From here on you can also get the most out of MBA fairs, school information sessions, and school visits, by directing your energies to feasible programs.

Step 4 – You’re narrowing and refining a list. Now you can spend time meaningfully (i.e., with informed focus) on adcom and student blog posts, searching the web for articles and information, and attending school information sessions, and of course continuing to talk to people with MBA program experience and insight. Takeaway: A finalized or near-finalized list of programs to apply to, prioritized (note: while you should decide the first 2-4 programs at this point, you can continue refining the list and deciding on other programs later).

IMPORTANT CAVEATS:

•    This is a guideline, not rigid process.
•    For purposes of process, this list assumes a blank-slate starting point. This is something you are not! Of course you’ll come to it with some ideas, plans, assumptions, and impressions.
•    Sometimes a program will be below or above your target competitive range, but it still might make sense to apply for some reason. (Step 1A is particularly helpful in this regard.)
•    There may well be programs in your competitive range that do meet your academic needs but don’t show up on specialization rankings (e.g., Kellogg isn’t known as a finance school but offers much in this area and might be great for someone in PE who will be doing a lot of managing; Columbia doesn’t often appear on entrepreneurship rankings but is quite strong in it). So indulge in some unstructured exploring, to “see what you might see.”
•    Similar to above point, always stay open to discovery – maybe you’ll come across a school in a blog or a respected colleague suggests a program you hadn’t considered. Maybe you thought you wanted to stay in the US but got seduced by ESADE… Who doesn’t love a pleasant surprise?




Cindy Tokumitsu

By , co-author and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fourteen years with Accepted.

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MBA 2014 – READY, SET, GO!

March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

It’s not even spring yet. So why am I nagging you to get moving otimingn your MBA application prep?

Not just because those Round 1 deadlines creep up with wicked stealth and speed (last year, HBS broke the September barrier). But also because there is so much you can still do between now and then to improve your candidacy (sometimes a lot, sometimes on the margins, but margins matter). Also, preparing now will enable you to apply to more programs earlier, and therefore to adjust strategy in Round 2 if necessary.

So, what should you be doing NOW?

First, two obvious things.

GMAT: I’ve seen too many people leave the GMAT till late summer or early fall, get a lower score than they expect, and have to recalculate their plans. If you don’t have a GMAT score yet, NOW is the time to prepare and take the GMAT, ideally by end of spring. Then, if your score isn’t realistic for your schools of choice, you have time to retake the test, reconsider your target schools, or both. And you will have it behind you when you focus on the applications.

SCHOOL RESEARCH: It’s best to visit schools when classes are in session. So NOW is the ideal time to research schools for a preliminary list. I developed an easy-to-use resource, Best MBA Programs, A Guide to Selecting the Right One, to walk you through this process. This effort will also get you thinking about your profile strategically.

Then there are the less obvious things.

ACADEMIC RECORD: Is your academic record a potential weakness? There is time (not much), NOW, to take a relevant course or two, complete it, and have an A or two to report to the adcom as evidence of your ability to excel academically.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Not sure whom to ask for recommendations? Sort it out NOW, while there’s time to weigh the pros and cons of various options, to possibly broach the issue (directly or indirectly) with people, and adapt as needed. You do know whom you’ll ask? NOW is time to enhance your positive visibility to them, so they can’t help but write a scintillating letter.

LEADERSHIP: You can improve – deepen, broaden, refine – your leadership NOW and every day before your application. Whether or not you have a formal leadership role, you can always find ways to exercise informal leadership. And you can’t have too much leadership in an MBA application. If there isn’t space to write about it in essays, portray it in your resume.

GOALS: Naturally, since you’re planning to apply for an MBA, you know what your goals are. But what are you going to say about them of interest? About your planned industry, company, function? Read. Books, journals, company reports, not just the WSJ. And do informational interviews (use your undergrad alumni network). An interview needn’t be longer than 10 minutes with two good questions to be illuminating! Interesting, informed perspective on your goals will make your essay jump out from the sea of merely competent essays. But do this research NOW, to digest and integrate it well.

RESUME: NOW is also the perfect time to prepare or adapt your resume for business school. You can get it at least 95% done, and adjust as needed for any new developments later. This way, if you have a chance to visit or school or meet with an adcom member earlier than you planned, you’re ready.

Six months and counting to round 1 deadlines…




Cindy Tokumitsu  By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Admissions Success, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fifteen years with Accepted.




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Tips for Applying to Part-time MBA Programs

March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Kellogg

Kellogg

The extensive available advice about applying to MBA programs was largely created with applicants to full-time MBA programs in mind.  If you are applying to part-time MBA programs, most of this advice will be pertinent for you as well.  But there are some nuances to applying to part-time programs that warrant attention.

The fact of working while you are studying is one, and it affects the application.  The nitty-gritty of your daily work is a resource you will bring directly to class discussions and group projects.  You can share the reality of your work world in “real time” with your classmates.  The adcoms view this factor as a core benefit of part-time programs and integral to their unique learning process.  Hence, in your resume, essays, and the application form, put thought into how you present your current work scenario; look at it from the eyes of prospective classmates.

Moreover, since you are continuing to work, your goals won’t necessarily start at the magic moment you graduate.  So, in a goals essay (depending on how the question is worded) discuss specific goals that you want to achieve in your current role, while you’re in the program – doing so allows you to further illuminate your work. Part-time MBA programs are usually not for career changers, at least in the short term, and they may not open recruiting to them. Review the program’s policies about recruiting for part-time students before you say that you’ll be using it for post-MBA employment.

Attending grad school while working is grueling, period.  Hence, adcoms look for evidence that you are prepared for it.  The last thing they want is students dropping out. Sometimes an essay question directly addresses this issue.  If not, it can never hurt to briefly convey awareness of the challenge and mention plans for handling it.  If you’ve previously successfully studied while working full time, note that fact.

Finally, for the bulk of part-time programs that target local applicants, their applicant pool may contain high concentrations from strong local industries, such as pharma and finance in New York.  Consider and address this factor in differentiating yourself.

Good luck with your applications!









Cindy Tokumitsu By Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants   in her last fourteen years with Accepted – including many part-time applicants. 

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UCLA Executive MBA 2013 Essay Questions and Tips

February 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
UCLA

UCLA Anderson

One point stands out immediately with these essay questions: there is no conventional goals question.  That fact says something: the adcom does not view an extended discussion of goals – the future (always speculative to a degree) – helpful for their evaluation purposes.  It also puts all the weight on what you’re doing here and now.  These questions probe reality, actuality; the facts of who you are, what you’ve done, and what you’re doing now.  (If the past predicts the future, someone who has shined and does shine will continue to shine…)   If you feel your goals are important to mention, I will discuss one way to so do appropriately within the context of the questions.

Essay 1:
Personal: How has a person, event, or situation in your life influenced who you are today? (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 10 point font)

This essay question indicates the adcom’s interest in knowing you as an individual beyond your resume and career interests. Both your selected topic and your explanation of how you are influenced will shed light on what you value and your ability to respond to and grow from experience, among other things.  With about 500 words, take a straightforward approach. Describe a key formative experience, person, or event and show by example and anecdote how it has shaped you subsequently. In choosing a topic, don’t worry that it might not be unique – in fact it probably won’t be, in its broad manifestation, such as a move to a new country, a courageous parent or grandparent, or discovery of a deep interest.  Regardless of the broad topic, your essay will be unique if you personalize it with detail, anecdote, and your own perception and responses. Also, in weighing potential topics, think strategically: which one will showcase something fresh, relevant, and advantageous about your candidacy?

Essay 2:
Greatest Skill/Talent: Use the template found here to showcase your three greatest skills and talents in each category, and describe how you will use these to bring value to an Executive MBA classroom and your study group. For this question, please complete the PDF template and upload it here.

This essay requires you to be both conceptual and concrete – while also being concise.  In the template, the “definition” column is the conceptual part – you must explain succinctly how you perceive or define the specific skill or talent (luckily the template provides an example).  Then in the second column, you’ll state in a sentence or two how this skill or talent will enable you to contribute in practical terms – by giving examples.  Be strategic, selecting items that cover a range and don’t overlap.

The second page of this template asks you to “write your 30-second commercial to the faculty committee as they consider your application.”  This is essentially an elevator-pitch to the stated audience.  From the faculty committee’s view, what about you as a professional would be most intriguing and engaging?  There is no formula; it will vary by person.  Avoid generic blabber and trying to cover everything; rather, select the “tastiest morsels” of your candidacy and present them with specifics.  This is also a place where you can slip in a sentence about your goals if you feel it’s important to your candidacy, though don’t make the whole pitch about your goals.

EMBA Essay 3:
Organizational Chart: To help us understand your professional responsibilities and the nature of your job, please upload an organizational chart showing your position in the organization, including those who report to you.

Ensure that this chart is clear and thorough: include all position titles and departments/function names.   A picture is worth a thousand words, and although it contains words, this chart is essentially a snapshot of your current professional situation: your level of responsibility and accountability, the context for your performance and achievements.  If you work in a matrix organization and you feel your level of accomplishment and responsibility aren’t accurately shown by the chart, explain this point briefly in the optional essay, but don’t belabor it – a sentence or two will suffice.

Reapplicant essay:

Please update your professional, academic, and community activities since your previous application and highlight what you have done to strengthen your application since you last applied (limit 1 page).

Succinctly discuss professional developments such as promotions, awards, and new projects, as well as any significant community involvements and/or educational endeavors.  Describe the activity/experience, and note its positive impact if any.  Try to include an anecdote for at least 1-2 of the activities discussed.  Finally, be selective and present only those activities that are relevant and enhance your application and candidacy in some way.

Remaining deadlines:

March 20, 2013; decision by April 20, 2013

May 1, 2013; decision by June 1, 2013

Cindy TokumitsuBy Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Admissions Success, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last thirteen years with Accepted.





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The MBA Family: A Roundup and Overview

February 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Kellogg

Kellogg

At its core, the MBA is a graduate program in business administration for professionals who seek knowledge, skills, a credential, and/or a network to advance in business and to maximize their business performance.  While “MBA” makes many people automatically think of a two-year, full-time program, in recent years the variations on the MBA theme have multiplied, in order to meet changing and diversifying needs and interests of students and organizations.  Here’s a roundup of the main MBA options that are currently available, and their benefits and drawbacks.

Full-Time MBA Programs: Still the most popular option, this is a two-year, full-time program with an internship in the summer.  It targets business (and sometimes other) professionals with roughly 3-8 years of experience.  Obtaining a new position post-MBA is often a major focus of students, and recruiting by potential employers is a significant benefit of attending a full-time MBA.  Pros: close and sustained interaction with other full-time students, ideal for career changers, internship opportunity, strong recruiting.  Cons: significant opportunity cost, time away from industries that are undergoing rapid change.

Part-Time MBA Programs: Ideal for people who don’t want to leave their company or industry for any significant period or who can’t afford to stop working.  Such programs usually target people who are employed full time, under the premise that students’ ongoing work exposure will inform classroom discussion and projects.  Part-time MBA students tend to be a little older than full-time ones.  The programs typically target local students, although increasingly they are offering varied structures and online components to attract distance students.  They do not generally offer access to recruiters.  Often admission is less competitive than for the same school’s full-time program, enabling part-time students to obtain a “brand” they may not qualify for otherwise.  Pros: can continue to work/earn, apply learning in real time, access to top-tier programs.  Cons: take longer, no internship, usually no recruiting. It is grueling.

One-Year MBA Programs:  Of course, most European full-time MBA programs are one-year.  Some top US MBA programs, e.g., Cornell’s Johnson and Northwestern’s Kellogg, have offered one-year options for a while, and others are joining the fray as demand for such programs grows.  Often these one-year programs have special requirements, such as some prior business education or an advanced degree.  Ideal for people who don’t need an internship and who have a strong base of experience; not usually the best path for career changers.  Pros: the intensity of a full-time program with less opportunity cost, usually regular recruiting, ability to quickly re-join a fast-moving industry.  Cons: no conventional internship.

Executive MBA Programs:  EMBAs are part-time programs targeting seasoned managers and entrepreneurs, typically people from mid-thirties to late forties (depending on the program) whose rise to senior manager level is imminent or who are already in senior management.  There is range within this category in terms of desired/required length of experience.  While coursework covers largely the same topics as regular MBA programs, it’s developed and presented with the higher level perspective.  A great benefit of EMBAs is the chance to network and form relationships with peers from a variety of industries and functions at a career phase when a fresh perspective is quite valuable but sometimes hard to obtain.  These programs don’t target career changers, but are increasingly used by them, even though most EMBA programs don’t offer formal recruiting.  Pros: can apply learning immediately at work, rich breadth of exposure at a pivotal professional moment, valuable credential.  Cons: challenge of school plus demanding career and personal/family responsibilities, usually no formal recruiting for career changers.

Specialized MBA Programs: These programs offer the MBA course with focus on a specific industry or function; there are such options among both regular and executive MBA programs.  They vary in their formats and approaches.  Boston University’s Public & Nonprofit MBA is an example of a two-year specialized MBA; UC Irvine’s Health Care Executive MBA (HCEMBA) is an example of a specialized EMBA.  Pros: intensive focus on area of interest with coursework adapted accordingly, network of colleagues with related experience and goals.  Con: missing out on the diverse perspectives from other industries/sectors that can refresh and invigorate your thinking.

While you can’t apply to two different types of MBA programs at the same school in the same admissions cycle, you can do so in different cycles.  And you can apply to different types of programs at different schools at the same time.  For example, if someone is on the border between regular and executive MBA in terms of age, length of experience, etc., he could apply to some regular MBAs that trend older and some exec MBAs that trend younger.  Or someone may apply to full-time MBA programs but also apply to a part-time program nearby as an acceptable back-up.

Please do keep in mind, and address in your application, the nuances of the type of MBA as well as the particular program!

Cindy TokumitsuBy Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last fourteen years with Accepted. 







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Stanford Sloan Master’s Program 2013 Application Essay Questions and Tips

February 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Stanford

“Be selective.”

These three straightforward questions are comprehensive and wide ranging. They give the Stanford Sloan MiM adcom both factual information about you such as your current work responsibilities, your goals, and details of your work experiences, and also insight into your thought process, self-evaluation skills, and ability to synthesize information and draw conclusions. The questions reflect the adcom’s interest in admitting people with the requisite experience who are movers-and-shakers currently and who will be path-breaking leaders in the future.

While no word or page length is specified, the instructions say to “use separate sheets of paper to answer the following questions.”  For each of the essays, a broad range to target would be 500 – 1000 words.  It would be hard to answer the questions substantively in fewer than 500 words, yet taking more than 1000 would indicate lack of focus and discipline – no one needs more than 1000 to do any of these essays well.

Essay 1: Tell us about your current duties and responsibilities, including references to the total number of people you supervise and/or the amount of assets you manage. Describe one or two of your major accomplishments and explain why they are meaningful to you.

In describing duties and responsibilities, focus on those that show you dealing with significant issues, decisions, and/or challenges – those that have a substantial or potentially substantial impact on your business.  Be selective; don’t detail every single thing you are responsible for, but focus on the most significant. Also, do highlight the breadth of your work – include your people management (not just number of reports but their professional levels and scope), strategic role, operational role, key decision-making responsibilities, P&L responsibility, and/or global involvement. In selecting accomplishments, I suggest using two, ideally representing different types of skills/capabilities. At least one should be fairly recent. In describing why they are meaningful to you, avoid generalities like “from this experience I learned how to lead large global teams” – to make this statement meaningful add some specific detail and anecdote about exactly HOW YOU lead large global teams.

Essay 2: What educational and personal objectives do you hope to satisfy through the Sloan Program? What are your short-term and long-term career goals?

This essay will show that you are focused and that your objectives align with the program’s offerings. You might start sketching your answer by addressing the last part first (regardless of how you structure your final essay) – clarifying your short-term and long-term career goals in concrete terms – i.e., company, industry, position/function, intended impacts, possibly geography – will reveal development needs both educational and personal. Describing those goals, you will naturally see the challenges of getting from where you are now to that future place and doing it well. These developmental needs create your educational and personal objectives. Finally, elaborate how the Sloan program will address them, providing details and examples.

Essay 3: Describe a situation that challenged your leadership skills and explain what you learned about your strengths and weaknesses.

The bulk of this essay should be a straightforward narrative – tell the story of a time when your leadership skills were challenged. In selecting the content, keep in mind the accomplishments you discussed in essay 1 in order to avoid redundancy. This essay provides another opportunity to show you working in an interesting context, dealing with high level and/or high stakes issues, interacting with significant decision makers. Conclude the essay with a frank discussion – don’t focus only on strengths and skim over weaknesses. Show how learning about the stated weakness has helped you by providing a very brief (even one sentence) example of how you’ve applied that learning. Alternatively, you can link the weakness to the objectives in the previous essay. 

The application deadline for the Sloan Class of 2014 (commencing July 2013) was November 1, 2012, with rolling admissions after that until the class is filled. 

If you would like professional guidance with your Stanford Sloan MiM essays, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting.

Cindy TokumitsuBy Cindy Tokumitsu, co-author of The EMBA Edge, and author of the free special report, “Ace the EMBA.”








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UCLA Anderson FEMBA (Fully Employed MBA) 2013 Essay Tips

February 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
FEMBA

UCLA Anderson

This set of essays will elicit a well-rounded view of applicants but requires you to be succinct.  Pay attention to the tone as well as the content of the questions – there is an immediacy and directness that can be a model for the tone of your essays.  Moreover, the essays challenge you in two formats – traditional expository writing and shorter, focused presentations that reflect the influence of social media and the need to be conversant with varied communication formats.

Essay 1:
My family is unique because… (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point font)

Good, bad, or indifferent, every family is unique in some ways.  Yet not infrequently clients tell me their family really isn’t unique; I’ve heard more than once, for example, “It’s just a typical Chinese immigrant story.”  Well, the specific circumstances, experiences, and people and comprising that story are unique, inherently!  Also you can interpret “family” as you wish – immediate relatives surely, but also extended family, even forebears.  Whatever points or people you discuss, the purpose of this essay is to illuminate you – make sure they are things that are relevant to you and that enhance your candidacy.  I suggest two to three points; one would be okay if you have a vibrant discussion about it, but there isn’t room for more than three points to be discussed with substance.

Essay 2:
Why UCLA Anderson FEMBA for these next three years? Do you plan to enhance your current career or shift into a new career? If your interests are entrepreneurial, are you already an entrepreneur or do you plan to be an entrepreneur, and if so, when and how? (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point font)

If you are looking to enhance your current career, a good way to start this essay is to elaborate on your immediate career situation, including some goals in that role and how the MBA education will help you to achieve them.  Then move on to describe your future short- and long-term goals.  If you’re shifting into a new career, start with that career vision and how the current role plus MBA will get you there.  (The entrepreneurial question will be answered by either of these approaches as warranted.)  In describing your goals, indicate why you want to take that path and what you hope to achieve. In discussing how the program will benefit you, describe what skills and knowledge you need, and specifically how the program meets those needs.

Essay 3:
Part One: Describe to the Faculty Committee what you will bring to the learning in the classroom in your 30 second “elevator pitch.” (100 words or less) Part Two: List your top three accomplishments (Professional, Educational or Personal) (35 word maximum per accomplishment) (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point font for both parts)

Look at these two parts as a whole; you’ll select and convey telling, distinctive, differentiating points in each.  For Part One, look at yourself from your prospective professors’ and classmates’ eyes: what about you would be most meaningful and engaging?  There is no formula; it will vary by person.  But AVOID generic blabber – root your message in specific details, experiences, accomplishments.  The points can come from any area of your life, but at least some should refer to your professional role/experience.  The advice for Part Two is the same as for Part One, with a focus on specific accomplishments.

Essay 4 (OPTIONAL)

Are there any additional circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point font)

If any of these scenarios apply to you, please address specifically:

  • If commuting by plane, please detail your commute plans.
  • If you are not currently employed full time, please explain your employment situation right now and your career search plan to be employed by the beginning of the program.
  • If you are currently enrolled in another MBA program, please clarify your status in that program (standing, % complete, etc.), and explain your reason for wanting to begin UCLA Anderson.
  • If you were on academic probation or had failing grades, please address.

If you have a criminal history, please address.

This question’s wording indicates that you should use the optional essay to clarify points in the application that warrant explanation – it may be a “neutral” point like recommender selection, or it may be to explain a problem such as a bad grade.  Of course, the bullets points should be discussed if they apply.  Your content may be positive too!  For example, you would want to inform the adcom if you just enrolled in a microeconomics course (note the school and exact course name).

Essay 5 (Reapplicants Only)

If you are re-applying, please describe your career progress since you last applied and ways in which you have enhanced your candidacy. Include updates on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (Maximum 1 page, double-spaced, 12 point font)

“Progress” and “enhanced candidacy” naturally cover promotions, awards, and big new projects.  Don’t have those?  No problem!  Other developments are also highly relevant and interesting (maybe more interesting): perhaps you’re encountering a new type of market, client, or geographic region.  If so, what are you learning and how will it benefit your goals?  Maybe you’re facing a new, tough challenge – a dysfunctional team, a conflict between your manager and the manager whose project you’re currently involved in.  Narrate the challenge and summarize the resulting “stretch” learning.  In describing refined career goals, discuss how they have evolved since the prior application (if they have).  Last, bring fresh insight about Anderson vis-à-vis your goals; don’t just rehash your previous points.

Remaining Deadlines:

March 31, 2013; decision by May 31, 2013

April 30, 2013; decision by June 28, 2013

Cindy TokumitsuBy , co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Admissions Success, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last thirteen years with Accepted.






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2013 Kellogg Executive MBA Admissions Tips

February 7, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Kellogg EMBAThe Kellogg Executive MBA questions are among the most comprehensive, thorough, and numerous of any EMBA application. It takes significant effort to put together a strong set of Kellogg EMBA essays, and that fact weeds out potential students who are not seriously interested in this competitive program. Moreover, the questions encompass almost every basic type: goals, behavioral (the experience and your reflection on it), evaluative (greatest skills and talents). It offers more than one optional essay. This set of essays requires the writer to wear different hats and excel at different types of self-analysis. Not least, the messages and contents of the essays should be coordinated to strategically and holistically create a picture of you that is vivid, distinguishing, and multifaceted without being contradictory or jumbled. Note that there are no word limits, therefore use your judgment; don’t write all 1,000 word essays. Depending on the question and what you have to say, 400-750 is a good range to target.

ESSAYS

JOB DESCRIPTION: Describe the unit for which you are responsible and relate it to the total organization in terms of size, scope, and autonomy of responsibility. What human resources, budget, and capital investment are you responsible for? Please describe your position.

A straightforward question – it contains several components, so be sure to answer all of them. Try to work in an anecdote or two somewhere, for example, if part of your role is to troubleshoot issues with global clients, give a brief example.

1. Why have you elected to apply to the Kellogg School Executive MBA Program?

This essay should discuss your interest in the Kellogg program as a means to acquire the learning you seek in light of your goals. Clarify why you are pursuing the executive program specifically. You can also discuss other benefits that relate to personal preferences such as environment and the program’s schedule, structure, and location. Be specific and add thoughtful discussion, don’t just reiterate points from the website. If possible, cite conversations with students or alumni, including relevant insights you’ve gained from them.

2. What are your goals and objectives and how will a Kellogg Executive MBA help you achieve these? Please feel free to discuss both personal and professional goals.

Discuss your goals in specific terms: industry, likely positions, which company or companies, possibly where, what you expect to do, possibly challenges you anticipate. Also discuss what you want to accomplish short- and long-term. To make the essay truly compelling, also show how your goals are rooted in your experience, what motivates your goals, and your vision for your goals. Finally, discuss the learning needs these goals engender and summarize how the Kellogg MBA meets them, saving the greater detail for essay 1.

3. Discuss a professional situation that did not end successfully. Why did you or your peers consider the situation to have negative results? How did you resolve the situation? Did it change your management style? If so, how?

In selecting the story to discuss, use something relatively recent (even though unsuccessful, it can still show you at work in an engaging context and at a decision making level with high accountability), and something substantive. Be frank about your role as it may have contributed to the lack of success. For structure, keep it simple: first tell the story, and then address the remaining questions. The last part, about how it may have changed your management style, is a good opportunity to show you’ve not only learned from the experience but applied the learning, by briefly citing a specific example of your improved management style.

4. What do you consider to be your greatest skills and talents? How will you use these to contribute to an Executive MBA class as well as to a study group?

First, what not to do: strain to find some unique skill or talent that no one else possesses in an effort to differentiate yourself. It doesn’t exist. Rather, look inward – whether it’s creativity, initiative, leadership, strategic thinking, interpersonal astuteness, analytic capability, mentoring/coaching – it’s the details and stories of how you manifest this quality that will make this essay exciting while strategically supporting and enhancing the other essays. Select 2-3 skills/talents that differ from each other (i.e., don’t do quant skills and analytic skills, or communication skills and interpersonal skills) and tell a quick story or anecdote illustrating each. Finally, for each, comment on how it will help you contribute by giving an example – these comments can be short, as they story itself will really convey how the skill or talent will let you contribute.

5. Describe how your relevant global experiences have influenced you professionally. (Optional)

This is a great essay for most people to answer – if you’ve had any global experience, it can only have influenced you professionally. If you’ve had a lot of global experiences, don’t just do a survey of them and don’t feel you must write about all of them. Select the most meaningful experiences and tell the stories, and then explaining the influence on you.

6. Is there anything else that you would like to add to help us in evaluating your candidacy? (Optional)

This question invites you to present new material that you think will enhance your application, as well as to explain anything that needs explaining (e.g., gap in employment). As far as non-necessary points, keep in mind that if you are making the adcom read more, there should be a clear value to the information. Finally, considering the many essays, keep it short.

7. Describe any major reports, instructional materials, or manuals that you have prepared or any research, inventions, or other creative work. (Optional)

Note, “major.” Do not wrack your brain for every report or training material you’ve contributed to. If you have numerous patents, ditto. Focus on the most important ones of whatever type of material you are describing. A nice format is an annotated bullet list.

8. Please list the business/professional/community organizations in which you are active. (Optional)

Note “are active.” Not “were active.”

Rolling admission.

Cindy TokumitsuBy , co-author of The Finance Professional’s Guide to MBA Admissions Success, and author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her last thirteen years with Accepted. 





Filed Under: MBA Admissions Tagged With: ,
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