For MBA aspirants who want to build or advance their careers in India, the Indian School of Business PGP program offers excellent preparation. While there was a significant drop in the class of 2017’s rate of international job offers (down from 101 to just 12 despite the 11% increase in the size of the class),…
School-Specific 2018 MBA Application Essay Tips
NUS MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
National University of Singapore offers a 17-month MBA program offering specializations in 5 distinct areas (Finance, Marketing, Healthcare Management, Strategy & Organization, and the recently added Innovation & Entrepreneurship). If you are looking for an Asian-focused program with strong placement in the Technology (29%), Financial services (23%), and Consulting (21%) industries in Singapore (50%), China…
Toronto Rotman MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management is one of the leading business schools in Canada. Known for its design approach to MBA education and strong emphasis on problem solving, Rotman’s program has grown in renown. This year’s essay questions will enable you to show that you have the self-knowledge and personal insight to make…
Georgetown McDonough MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
One major change to Georgetown McDonough’s application this year: A new essay prompt with a little more focus, but with the same word limit as last year’s question. The video question is basically the same as last year. About a year ago I interviewed Georgetown McDonough’s Dean of Admissions, Shari Hubert, for our Admission Straight Talk…
UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Are you a team leader? Are you committed to sustainable enterprise? Are you seeking resources and intellectual capital needed to shape both business and government? Are you a motivated, goal-oriented, innovative individual? UNC Kenan-Flagler adcoms are interested in seeing your multi-dimensional personality and capabilities. Your challenge: Prove that your goals mesh with the school’s goals and that…
Oxford Saïd MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Oxford Said expects its graduates to address the world’s great challenges, such as energy and food and water security. Whether such challenges are one’s actual focus, the work of a business professional will inevitably overlap with such issues. This reality leads the adcom to seek individuals who understand integrity, who value the program’s effort to…
London Business School MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
London Business School boasts one of the most diverse student bodies, with 90% of its 425 students hailing from a total of 69 countries outside of England. If you are looking for a globally focused MBA program in a city bursting with culture, finance, and industry, then LBS is certainly a program to consider. My tips…
MIT Sloan Fellows Essay Tips & Deadlines
In my decade-plus of experience assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants (successes every year), I have seen that the adcom values applicants who, among other things, demonstrate consistent, outstanding impact and are on track to become leaders in their company and even industry (“high performing” per the MIT SF website). While your application, as a whole,…
Cambridge Judge MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
The Cambridge Judge MBA program is a one-year program with a small class of 170 students. The education is internationally focused as only 8% of the class is from the UK and one-third of graduates stay in the UK upon graduation. While another 12% stay in Western Europe, a full 28% embark on post-MBA careers…
CMU Tepper MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
You know how you’re always reading that “all MBA programs are different” but after you’ve spent weeks and even months reading all of their websites, they can start to seem like they are pretty much the same. Well, not Carnegie Mellon Tepper. Tepper continues to march to the beat of its own drummer. CMU is…
Dartmouth Tuck MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
The Dartmouth Tuck adcom is interested in learning about what you as an individual, a businessperson, and a leader can contribute to Tuck’s small, close-knit program. Use your essays as a platform for expressing your earnest desire to enter the world of management and to make a difference and to be a part of the Tuck…
INSEAD MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Communication is key for INSEAD – in part because it is a key factor that their recruiters look for. Hence the INSEAD application elicits your communication effectiveness. First, INSEAD asks you to write reflective essays – and to do so succinctly. Balancing this emphasis on written communication is a video component -– the adcom wants to…
UVA Darden MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
If you like the idea of constantly being thrown into the decision maker’s role, using the case method to navigate real-life business situations, then you may want to consider applying to the University of Virginia’s Darden MBA program. Darden is the second-largest case publisher in North America, and because of Darden’s commitment to the case…
Cornell Johnson College of Business MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
If you are looking for a small MBA class in an idyllic location with warm and genuine classmates, then Cornell Johnson may be your program. While Johnson places the largest portion of its class in the financial industry after graduation (32% of the class), 25% enter the consulting industry, 12% join the technology industry, and…
Kellogg MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Kellogg tweaked essay one this year to better reflect its current focus and branding. Essay two is unchanged. My tips are in blue below. Essays: Essay 1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What…
Wharton MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Last year, Wharton didn’t change its essays after years of shrinking its application. This year it’s steady state, at least in terms of the essay questions. However, Wharton has made significant changes to its recommendations. It asks recommenders to choose from two lists of positive adjectives the three that best describe the applicant. In addition,…
Indiana Kelley MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
These questions are a straightforward mix of professional and personal. The adcom wants assurance that you have a clear professional focus and a solid plan for making productive use of the Kelley MBA resources. Beyond that, they’re looking for engaging applicants who are willing to share their life experiences and understand what they have to…
MIT Sloan MBA Application Tips & Deadlines
This year’s MIT Sloan MBA application, like most MIT applications in the last fifteen years, includes its signature cover letter and resume. It also retains the video component, which was introduced last year. There are no required essays unless you are invited to interview. If you are so lucky, you will also be asked to…
Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Leadership, teamwork, ethics, and a global approach to business are essential elements of the Duke Fuqua MBA, which is why you’ll need to make sure you express your passion for these ideals in your application essays. Impress the Fuqua adcom by positioning yourself as an innovative leader and team player, as someone who can see the big picture, work…
Chicago Booth MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
Chicago Booth has always prided itself on admitting students who can handle ambiguity and lack of structure. And its application reflects that principle. In spades. This year’s Booth application, like last year’s, also mirrors Chicago’s pride in its distinctive culture. This essay/presentation question, a modified version of last year’s prompt, is about as open-ended and original as…
