MBA Application Strategy: Adding 1-2 Schools is Easier than Ever

I have never endorsed the concept of applying to more programs than you might normally do so just for the sake of maximising your overall chances. Applying to 10 programs instead of 7, or to 5 programs instead of 3 has often meant, to me at least, greater risk of shoddy and underdeveloped work as a result of not spending enough time on each application. Rushing to complete a lot of work in a short amount of time never really works out for anyone.

However, today MBA applications are easier to complete than ever as recommendation letter prompts and essay topics are becoming more and more generic. 

Essays - 

More and more top MBA programs have been cutting their number of required essays (Wharton, Michigan, Stanford, Tuck) or eliminating mandatory essays entirely and leaving only one optional essay (Harvard). I don't agree with this trend, as I feel schools should be investing more time into choosing the right candidates for their program rather than cutting application requirements. However, the amount of time spent drafting and completing essays is going to be a bit less now that schools have less essays. What will stay the same though for most is the amount of time spent brainstorming contents. This, brainstorming and deciding essays approaches and strategies, is and will always remain a vital component of the process.

Recommendation letters - 

Recently several top MBA programs announced they’re requiring recommenders to respond to a standardised set of questions. Columbia, Yale, Wharton, Chicago, Virginia, and Kellogg are expected to participate. A Poets&Quants article on the topic can be read here. Stanford even made their famous peer recommender an optional part of this year's application - more on that here.

Overall, I feel the change is again a negative one in that schools are becoming more and more alike and less differentiated at the application level. But there’s no doubt that if you aim for 1-2 extra schools amongst those in this list, your recommenders won’t be greatly affected. 

So, if you have finished one application that is strong, and completed to your liking, and it cannot be improved anymore..  then adding an extra school or two might certainly be within reach. I don’t mean that you SHOULD apply to more programs, just that the OPPORTUNITY COST is lower than ever. 

Remember: application quality is most important, and should never be sacrificed. Don’t cut and paste blindly between applications. Research programs and be ready to show how you feel fit with a given program when asked to do so. These are important things to consider for every school to which you apply. But, at the same time, know that the days of saying “I don’t think I have the time to submit an HBS or Wharton app in R2” are likely gone for those who are well-prepared and keeping to a schedule.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Essay Goals

Good MBA Essay goals:

are a logical progression of your experience and the MBA

The short-term goal should be relevant to both your experience and the MBA you'll get.  At the same time, any mid-term or long-term goals should be well-thought out and connected to the achievement of the short-term goals.

show you at your best

What is your potential, given your current level of experience and the MBA to which you are applying? This should be seen through your goals. If you can and want to position yourself to be running a company that is changing the world, then this should be in your goals.

confirm your passion

What kind of impact are you really passionate about having on the world? Where does that passion come from? The answers to these questions should be apparent in a well-crafted goals essay. 

are easy to explain/understand and therefore grasp

You don't want to have to spend 2 pages or 5 minutes detailing what your goals mean, or why they are important.  Good goals should be clear and impressive.

are strategic

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember. The goals you put in your application are not a promise, nor are they your father's wish or the instructions from your boss. They are instead a portrait of your potential, an advertisement of what you are positioning yourself to become, an introduction to who you are now and will be in the future that puts you in the best possible light and maximizes your chances of getting admitted to a top MBA program.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Admissions: Round 2 or Round 3?

It is now December, and most Round 2 deadlines for top US programs are about a month away. Are you ready?

If your test scores (TOEFL and GMAT) aren't quite there..  and your essays are coming together slowly..  is it worth rushing to put together a sub-standard application just to make the Round 2 deadline?  

Some people think it is - and they often talk about how impossible it is to gain admission to schools in Round 3.  It might very well be more difficult - but it is also worth considering just how much better your application could be if you gave yourself more time to make your essays stronger, and add some points to your test scores. The increase in the strength of your application just may outweigh the increase in difficulty you face in Round 3.  

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Essay Writing Tips

Here are 10 things to keep in mind as you begin the process of developing your MBA essays.

1. Make a plan before you start writing

Goals essays need careful consideration before you begin typing because of the linkage that needs to be present between sections.  An essay that asks for (1) your background or introduction, (2) why MBA, (3) your career goals and (4) why you like their program is asking for four sections that require close linkage between them. Planning this linkage in advance will, for instance, help you to clearly understand which elements of your background should be included, or what parts of their MBA you may emphasize to show the best fit. Leadership teamwork, failure and other such essays require a different approach.  First, what episode will you share?  Next, what parts need to be included, and in what order?  You should consider these things before you start writing.  

2. Always be specific (give an example here that uses the word various in the negative example) and tell a good story

If you haven't done so already, remove the word "various" from your vocabulary for the entirety of the application season, because this word is not useful in your resume, essays or interview.  Instead of writing about the various things you aim to do in the future, show you have thought through the topic by detailing those future challenges in detail. Clear goals makes it easier to figure out clear reasons for an MBA, which will help you when you need to give clear examples of why a school's MBA is a good place for you to study.

In terms of the story essays (leadership, teamwork etc) one of the easiest ways to judge whether it is effective or not is to simply asking someone if the story is interesting. A story about your leadership or teamwork experience should, at the most basic level, be interesting.  If it isn't it is boring to read and the reader isn't likely to be interested in meeting you or getting to know you better.  

3. Use "I" - talk about yourself as your essays are about you

Don't make the mistake of over-emphasizing your company, department, division or team. It is important that you be able to write about yourself.  If your accomplishments tend to be team-based, think hard about the specific contributions you have made to those teams.  It is in writing about these details that you own strengths, skills and even personality can be revealed. 

4. Try to show what is good, special or unique about you

At the end of the day, your essay is an advertisement of whatever it is that sets you apart from other and makes you an interesting person. Doing so will help you convince a schools admissions team that you are worth meeting in person, and that you can contribute to your classmates.  The function of every essay you write, no matter the topic, is to reveal something about you. Never forget that an essay is a part of an application to a business school. This is an essay to convince someone you belong in their business school (not an entry to a creative writing contest) this means you should be showing your strengths, your need for an MBA, and the transferable skills you can use in the MBA or in your future.

5. Extracurricular activities can often make for better topics than work-related stories

This is because what you choose to do in your free time says a lot more about you and what you are interested in that the projects you are involved in at work.  This does not mean that you should avoid professional topics and only choose personal ones!  Instead, for most a balanced approach, combining professional and personal topics in the essays will work best.

6. Don't pay too much attention to the length of the first draft

An essay may need to eventually be 500 words, 400 or even 200 words - but don't let this affect your work on initial drafts.  Don't write 200 pages - i.e. be focused - but at the same time, emphasize in initial drafts getting all the part of the story across.  Choosing what is most necessary and what can be omitted comes later.

7. Be honest

Anyone who tells you that in order "to get into XYZ Business School" you must write about "ABC" might not judge your own stories fairly.  When answering essay questions, use your own experiences, development, and interests, rather than trying to craft yourself into something you are not.  So - don't say that you are committed to environmental issues unless you have a great example of activity that shows this commitment clearly!  Anything other than this and you are running the risk of not sounding believable.  

8. Answer all parts of the question

As you work on goals essays, you'll notice that many schools ask for essentially the same thing, but with minor difference between each.  Example:

School A - Describe your career background and goals and how taking an MBA program will help you achieve your goals. 

School B - Describe your career background and goals and how taking our MBA program now will help you achieve your goals.

Notice how school A is asking "why MBA?" while School B is instead asking "why our MBA?" and also "why now?".  In both cases it would make sense to offer detail as to how the particular school is best suited to you - but the key here is to make sure you don't skip parts.  Submitting a version of the essay you have written for School A to School B, for instance, would be risky as the readers at School B might notice that you neglected to answer certain parts of the question.

9. Don't let someone edit your essay until your voice is gone.

Your writing should be reflective of you, not someone else. Heavy-handed editing that changes the style, structure or event content of your essays isn't a good idea.  So don't let someone do this!  But..

10. Get the opinion of others who will be honest and (preferably) have experience in admissions and know what they're doing.

It is important to get the advice of others in order to be able to make a compelling and competitive application for b-school. There are any reasons why, but the main one to consider is that as both the writer and the subject matter, you (i.e. the applicant) are too close to the material.  Can you look at your essays and objectively see whether or not they are impactful or interesting? Probably not. That's where a second opinion makes sense.  Be sure to choose that person carefully!

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Essay Goals

Good MBA Essay goals:

- are a logical progression of your experience and the MBA you'll get

The short-term goal should be achievable given your experience and the MBA you are aiming for.  At the same time, any mid-term or long-term goals should be well-though out and connected to success achieved with your short-term goals.

- show you at your best

What is your potential, given your current level of experience and the MBA to which you are applying? This should be seen through your goals. If you can and want to position yourself to be running a company that is changing the world, then this should be in your goals.

- confirm your passion

What kind of impact are you really passionate about having on the world? This should come through in your goals.

- are easy to explain/understand

You don't want to have to spend 2 pages or 5 minutes detailing what your goals mean, or why they are important.  Good goals, with a bit of explanation, should be clear and impressive.

- are strategic

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember. The goals you put in your application are not a promise, nor are they your father's wish or the instructions from your boss. They are instead a portrait of your potential, an advertisement of what you are positioning yourself to become, an introduction to who you are now and will be in the future that puts you in the best possible light and maximizes your chances of getting admitted to a top MBA program.

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com

The Role of Balance in Your MBA Application

Most MBA programs ask a series of essay questions that allow you chance to bring out many sides of yourself: what you do for a career, what you do outside of work, and even your academic background. But how should you approach all of the topics in your MBA application if all you do, during the week and even a lot of the weekend, is work?  There is nothing wrong with showing dedication to your organization. However, if you are ready to make a change in your life, such as applying to business school, you need to realize that the one thing about your current life that will not go with you is that job.  The skills you have gained will - and you can show the benefits of those by describing in your essays and interview how they'll help you to make specific contributions to your classmates. But to help the admissions committee of a particular school get a good sense of your potential level of involvement outside of class, it is useful to present both your work and non-work sides in your application. There are several benefits to doing so.

1) Knowing what you choose to do outside of work helps people understand you better.

In the workplace there may be restrictions on what you can and cannot do with your time, based on your job description or level of responsibility. But in your free time, you have a lot more leverage and ability to choose what you get involved in and how you spend your time.  And understanding these decisions about what you choose to do with your free time will help your application reader better understand who you are and what you value. 

Sharing personal interests helps your reader feel that they know you better as a person and makes them feel a bit closer to you. A cold and impersonal description of a mega-merger in which you had only a minor role is not nearly as effective as a story about your determination to complete a marathon - especially when the reader if deciding whether you are an interesting person worthy of attending their school.

2) Balance in your application can make the admissions officer reassured that you will be able to make the transition to their school.  

If all you have is your job - then what will be left once you stop working?  Show that you will not sink at b-school but instead you'll swim - by describing your personal interests and what you want to get involved in while at the program. A lot of MBA graduates would likely say that they benefitted greatly from the education outside the classroom - events, trips, and other such activities with their peers. In some cases these experiences are academic in nature, such as a case competition.  But in others they are more peer-bonding exercises, where you get to know your classmates (and future global network) better. Don't underestimate the importance of a soccer club or baseball team in forming bonds with your classmates during the MBA.

3) Your work accomplishments may already be covered in your reference letters.

If one (or more) of your referees is a supervisor from your job, he/she will likely use a considerable portion of his/her letter describing the contribution you have made to projects, teams, or the organization itself. This doesn't mean you should ignore discussing your work in your essays - but it does show that certain work-related accomplishments will already be covered.

For all of these reasons, it is useful to ensure that your work takes it proper position in your application as a key part of who you are, not the entire definition. Take care to separate yourself as an individual from the work that you do.  When brainstorming potential topics, note the following two things:

1) Characteristics like leadership extend beyond the job.

Some schools (Harvard in particular) look for evidence of leadership in your application.  And it is worth noting that a true leader will exhibit this characteristic across many facets of their life. Do you know anyone who is bright, successful, trustworthy, approachable, fearless and dedicated while at work, but turns into a completely different person, devoid of all of these traits, once they leave the office?  When you are struggling with how to demonstrate your leadership, don't limit yourself to only work-related stories. Instead, show that the leadership you demonstrate at work is truly useful in understanding who you are, by showing how you exhibit that leadership outside of work too.

2) Many characteristics can be demonstrated equally well through work and non-work stories.

When asked for an example of how you have demonstrated the ability to work well in a team, often either a work-related story (your contribution to a team that made a big accomplishment) or a non-work related story (your role as the starting point guard on a community basketball team that won a big match) can work equally well.  Fo this reason, when brainstorming teamwork accomplishments, don't limit yourself to just the work experiences.  Consider what you do outside of work, and how those experiences may also be relevant. 

For those that truly dedicate the vast majority of their time to their organization, there is still one last idea to consider: informal volunteer work in your company. This may or may not be effective, depending on the individual situation.  However, there are options available to you even within the context of your organization that may help you to show balance, such as:

- attendance in a cross-functional or cross-departmental task force you chose to join to accomplish something

- weekend volunteer work done through your organization

- informal and/or extra-curricular training of subordinates

- organizing or participating in company activities such as community events, family events or other such activities

So, now we can understand the value of balance in an MBA application, and at least for most, get a head start on considering what kinds of topics might be useful. By using a variety of topics that span your work, life outside of work, and academic background, you can paint a picture of yourself that is well-rounded and will show effectively your potential to contribute to an MBA program.

The purpose of this article is not to be a definitive source, but rather to start a conversation.  Comments?

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com