NYU Stern MBA Admissions Event in Tokyo on September 11, 2014

A former client let me know that NYU Stern Admissions will be hosting an MBA admissions event in Tokyo from 7pm on Thursday September 11, 2014. Details are here (click on Japan to RSVP).

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

Interview with 1st Year Student in the NYU Stern MBA Program

I am pleased to offer the following interview with a current 1st year student in NYU Stern's MBA Program.

1. Looking back on the way you prepared for the MBA, is there anything you would change? Anything you would have done more of or less of?

After spending a year at NYU Stern, I’ve realized that it’s really hard to join a new society at the beginning, that is, to take leadership as a student in a foreign country.

Communication is different from just speaking in English and there is not only a hardship in language but also differences in culture and mindset. For the first few months you will spend quite an intensive time mingling and studying. Here (in the US) students keep almost no distance with each other. From the perspective of Japanese culture (I’m from Japan) I found it a bit close and felt an adjustment was required. I have learned, both from applicants who visit our campus and my own experience, that Japanese applicants focus their research more on the classes and less on the environment. That could be a big deal. You should know what’s really going on during your MBA to be assured you can feel fit with your school. It is possible that you are not outgoing enough, and so you may be confused when it comes to your school life. In order to avoid that, you should know what opportunities are being set up for you. The Japan Trek (sometimes called the Japan Trip) is a good example. You have absolute advantage in everything and there are lots of potential friends who are interested in your home country. You will be exposed to a lot of students and they will know who you are. They will realize you are polite/kind/sincere etc. and you will be able to get a strong bond with them, as you contribute to the student body in your school. This is the first step for you to make a difference in your life as a student. Thus, you should imagine such specific steps beforehand and leverage fully the opportunities you can encounter.

In addition, if I were an MBA applicant this year, I would spend more time choosing schools, specifically getting to know the environment around each one.

You will spend a lot of time outside the school, so it’s important to know the environment. Many Japanese applicants tend to focus only on school programs when they investigate business schools. This is important, but seeing other opportunities is of great importance as well. Fortunately, I live in the center of NYC, which means it enables me to network with various smart people from Japan as well as other countries. That’s one of the New York advantages. Also, the great access to other cities and countries helps me get involved in events/opportunities I cannot enjoy/experience in Japan and that makes a difference.

I know that whatever your target score is, it is hard to beat the GMAT and TOEFL. But you are not going to do them again once you enroll in your dream school, so I recommend you think of your school choice over and over while you are an applicant.

2. Can you write a bit about a course that you have really enjoyed or benefitted from?

NYU Stern is known for Finance but I think it is also good in Data Science. Since I majored in statistics and math, it allows me to know how my academic knowledge applies to real business problems/situations. Lectures here use a hands-on style and professors let us form a study group so I can learn concreted knowledge and experiences from not only the professors but my group members.

3. Have you had the time to get involved in any extra-curricular activities? If so, what ones and what are you doing in them?

I was a Japan Trek leader. There were over 170 applications to join the trip and 100 MBA students went to Japan with only three Japanese students. Half the participants wanted to go sightseeing in the daytime while others wanted to go to nightclubs every night. To satisfy both, trek leaders got up at 7am and went to bed at 5am every day. We were really exhausted but really got to know each other well. And the remarkable point is that the participants gave us a big gift as a token of their gratitude. Currently we feel much closer with each other and it motivates us to contribute to the school even more.

4. What have your experiences been like in learning/project teams? 

NYU Stern has various dual degree courses. One memorable experience was when I worked with dual degree students from the film school. It was for a data mining class and we had to create a data-mining project and complete it by ourselves. We did a project of projecting box office sales for movies. Film school students are professional in qualitative analysis of what will affect the sales of movies and I’m good at math and programming. We could realize synergies with each other. Also, if I work in Japan I wouldn’t normally have a chance to work with people from the film industry.

5. Can you share your plans for the summer?

Since I’m a company sponsored student I can’t do a summer internship. Instead, I will study Spanish and Chinese. Also, I will study programming.

6. Can you offer any words of advice for those applying to the MBA program you are enrolled in?

NYU Stern is at the center of the world and offers you a lot of opportunities that can make your life better. Please feel free to contact us from our website. Hope to see you soon. Good luck!

Thank you for your time!

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

NYU Stern Deadlines and Essays Topics for the 2013-14 Admissions Season

NYU Stern has released their deadlines and essay topics for those aiming to join their MBA program starting in the fall of 2014.

Here are the application deadlines:


Round 1
deadline: 10/15/2013
initial notification: 12/15/2013

Round 2
deadline: 11/15/2013
initial notification: 2/15/2014

Round 3
deadline: 1/15/2014
initial notification: 4/1/2014

Round 4
deadline: 3/15/2014
initial notification: 6/1/2014


Initial notification means a notice that you've been offered an interview, waitlisted or rejected.  Here is the deadline page at NYU Stern's official admissions website.



Essays (Please note that all formatting guidelines for essays and other submissions are available at the NYU Stern admissions website.)

Essay 1:  Professional Aspirations

(750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life? What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience? What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?

Essay 2: Choose Option A or Option B

Option A: Your Two Paths

(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today’s ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. 

Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding? How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern? What factors will most determine which path you will take?

Option B: Personal Expression

Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.

If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application.

Essay 3. Additional Information (optional)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.

If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason.

If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

LLM Deadlines are Slowly Being Released

For LLM applicants anxious to get their schedule updated with this year's deadlines, a few schools - New York University Law School, Harvard Law School, Georgetown Law and Berkeley Law have released their information.  

New York University offers a deadline of 12/17/2012 for international students.

Harvard Law School has a deadline of 12/1/2012, however applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by 11/15/2012. 

Georgetown Law has announced an Early Action deadline of 11/15/2012, and a Regular Action for foreign-trained attorneys of 2/15/2013. 

Berkeley Law has announced that their deadline is 12/15/2012. 

As for other schools, including Columbia Law School, Chicago Law and Stanford Law School, as of this blog posting deadlines hadn't been released.  Be sure to keep checking each program's official admissions pages to get the most accurate and up to date information, rather than relying on other sites such as LSAC.org.  Over the next two weeks or so most schools will probably have released their deadlines.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

NYU Stern Releases 2012-13 Application Season Deadlines and Essay Topics

NYU Stern has released both deadlines and essay topics for applicants aiming to enter its full-time MBA program in the fall of 2013.


Round 1:
Deadline: 11/15/2012
Initial Notification: 2/15/2013

Round 2:
Deadline: 1/15/2013
Initial Notification: 4/1/2013

Round 3:
Deadline: 3/15/2013
Initial Notification: 6/1/2013

Some notes from NYU's admissions site:

- Round 1 offers priority consideration for merit scholarships and off-site interviews.
- Initial notification means invitation to interview, a waitlist offer, or a denial of admission.
- International applicants are encouraged to apply by the 11/15 deadline, although they may also apply in both rounds 2 and 3.

As always, do confirm all information directly at the NYU Stern Full-time MBA Admissions Site.

Here are the essay topics for the NYU Stern full-time MBA this year. The questions can be found on this page at the NYU Stern website.  Essay 2 is new for this year.  It is always interesting to read information published by the school itself as to why they make such changes, as it may give some hints as to what they are looking for.  Read NYU Stern's press release on the new essay here.  You may also wish to review my own postings on MBA essay goals and also finding and determining fit with MBA programs, as both appear to be relevant to this new question.

Essay 1. Professional Aspirations

(750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?

(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience? 

(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?

Essay 2. Your Two Paths

(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today’s ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. 

(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?

(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?

(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?

Essay 3. Personal Expression

Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.

If you submit a non-written piece for Essay 3 (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit Essay 3 via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application.

Please note the following guidelines and restrictions:

• Your submission becomes the property of NYU Stern and cannot be returned for any reason.
• If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
• If you prepare a multimedia submission, you may mail a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to the Admissions Office. These are the only acceptable methods of submission. Please do not submit an internet link to any websites or to a video hosting service such as YouTube.
• The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an alternate Essay 3 if we are unable to view your submission.
• Do not submit anything perishable (e.g. food), or any item that has been worn (e.g. clothing).
• Mailed materials must be postmarked by the application deadline date. Please follow our mail and labeling instructions. 

Please note that mailed Essay 3 packages are subject to size restrictions. Submissions that exceed the stated size restrictions will not be accepted for review by the Admissions Committee. Please see the table below for the maximum package size guidelines:

Packaging Type	Dimensions: Metric	Dimensions: Non-metric
Box	36cm x 31cm x 8cm	14” x 12” x 3”
Cylindrical tube	8cm x 91cm	3” x 36”
Triangular tube	97cm x 16cm x 16 cm x 16 cm	38” x 6” x 6” x 6”

Essay 4. Additional Information (optional)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.

If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4.

If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application.

Uploading Formats

You may upload documents into the online application in the following formats: word, excel, PDF, .txt, .rft and .wpd.

Once again, do confirm all information directly on the school's own admissions pages.  This information can change from time to time, and so it is important that you access the topics from the school's own site.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com