MBA essay goals

My goal in 2014 is to provide a lot of (hopefully) useful information for MBA applicants. I am kicking this off this year with the write-up below about goals. This is because at the brainstorming stage of essays, people start to address basic questions such as "why do I need an MBA?", "what relevant skills do I have for this?" and "what schools might fit me best?". All of these questions need to be answered right alongside "what is it I want to do in the future." After all, it is your goals that are driving the process here - if you know what you want to do in the future, then you can figure out what skills you already have that will be useful, what you need to learn to get there, and which schools are best at providing those things to you. So, when developing your own goals, consider the criteria listed here as starting points.


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

Nakoo and Epsilon Big Data Writing Challenge

I recently joined Nakoo.org as a volunteer consultant for those looking for alternative funding options to get them through school. The message below is from Nakoo, and introduces a scholarship opportunity for students with an interest in big data.



Do you know big data changed Google’s hiring process? Following the trend other companies have changed their job candidate screening process too.  So, it's time for academia to innovate scholarships offering process and keep up with the recruitment process. An action research on higher education started at Harvard, turned into an organization - Nakoo.org have teamed with a global marketing company Epsilon [http://www.epsilon.com ], to discover next generation talent, specifically those students who are interested in the potential of big data and are looking for unique opportunities to use it in the work place.  

This scholarship opportunity is unique because it is not only about winning a monetary reward but also about making a connection to a billion-dollar company for job recruitment—career guidance and insights first hand from Epsilon human resources and recruitment managers. The non-monetary reward that Epsilon is offering for Nakoo scholars is priceless. 

To see the details about the scholarship please click here.

The question/prompt:

How does big data affect your student life? 

Students are asked to complete submit a one-minute video or a 300-word essay to answer the questions.

The details: The deadline is April 15, 2014 and Epsilon will pay out the following prizes to the top winners: 

* 1st place: $1000.00 + virtual meeting with Epsilon HR and or University Recruitment Officer 
* 2nd place: $650.00 + virtual meeting with Epsilon HR or University Recruitment Officer
* 3rd place: $350.00 + virtual meeting with Epsilon HR or University Recruitment Officer 
* top 10 applicants virtual meeting with Epsilon HR or University Recruitment Officer
* everyone will benefit from being discovered by other employers who are  joining Nakoo.org's employer network

Our motivated team of young academics here at Nakoo is working hard to find solutions to the ever increasing costs of higher education for deserving students. We joined the moment of 'Higher Ed not Debt'.   

What is Nakoo.org?

Nakoo.org is a social enterprise that is helping companies to discover talents and helping universities to curate their aspiring scholars.  The organization is run by academics and professionals who graduated from Harvard, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins and Columbia.  Nakoo is paving the way as a novel social venture that provides alternative funding mechanisms and job placement opportunities that otherwise did not exist even a year ago. Forbes magazine featured Nakoo already and you can fine more details about us on the Nakoo website .

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or requests for more information: admin@nakoo.org or nazia@nakoo.org. 

Thank you and good luck! 

The Nakoo Team

MBA Resume Workshop in Tokyo on Saturday April 5, 2014

I am passionate about sharing MBA admissions related strategies and advice, and as such I will be hosting a workshop on building a strong resume as a component of your MBA application.

The workshop will be held at E4TG from 14:00 to 16:00 on Saturday April 5th, 2014. The venue is near Tokyo station and the event will be conducted in English. It is designed for a small group of MBA applicants and there will be time for interaction and questions.

The cost for attending this session is 2,000 yen payable in advance.  This is a worthwhile investment - after the application process, the resume will be a useful document that you'll continue to add to and revise during and even after the MBA experience.

Email me to sign up and I'll send more details including the address. Otherwise if you have questions let me know.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Admissions Survey for those targeting 2014 entry (participate for the chance to win $500!)

I enjoy sharing admissions-related information here on my blog. Now, I have a favor to ask of you, my readers in Japan and all over the world. I'd like you to spare a few minutes of your time to fill out an MBA admissions survey. If you have been admitted to or are applying to MBA programs with a 2014 start date, then this survey is for you.

We will share anonymous data with admissions offices from top programs. This is the chance to make your voice heard!

As a member of AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, I am highly motivated to get as many of you as possible to complete this survey.

I would love to have you complete this survey. Can you help? If you can, you'll be eligible to enter a drawing for a $500 cash payment (sent via PayPal). Your email address would be used only for prize notifications.

This survey should take only 10-15 minutes to complete and can be accessed by clicking this link or pasting it into your browser:

https://huron.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_5avUSpmdneTZakt&RID=MLRP_dj4gyokWqy9JX3n

Here's what we will do with the information you provide: In May 2014, we will hold our annual AIGAC conference in New York. While there, we will present anonymous data about MBA applicants to many top MBA programs. That data will come from these surveys, and we need a lot of responses to make the data useful. In doing so AIGAC helps the MBA programs, which leads them to like admissions consultants more and give us better information and access, which in turn helps us better serve our clients. If you are curious, you can read more about our survey here:

http://aigac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AIGAC-2013-Prospect-Survey-Report-6-12-13-presentation.pdf

I truly appreciate your taking this time to read this message and help us improve the MBA admissions process.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Admissions Survey for those targeting 2014 entry (participate for the chance to win $500!)

I enjoy sharing admissions-related information here on my blog. Now, I have a favor to ask of you, my readers in Japan and all over the world. I'd like you to spare a few minutes of your time to fill out an MBA admissions survey. If you have been admitted to or are applying to MBA programs with a 2014 start date, then this survey is for you.

We will share anonymous data with admissions offices from top programs. This is the chance to make your voice heard!

As a member of AIGAC, the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants, I am highly motivated to get as many of you as possible to complete this survey.

I would love to have you complete this survey by the end of February. Can you help? If you can, you'll be eligible to enter a drawing for a $500 cash payment (sent via PayPal). Your email address would be used only for prize notifications.

This survey should take only 10-15 minutes to complete and can be accessed by clicking this link or pasting it into your browser:

https://huron.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_5avUSpmdneTZakt&RID=MLRP_dj4gyokWqy9JX3n

Here's what we will do with the information you provide: In May 2014, we will hold our annual AIGAC conference in New York. While there, we will present anonymous data about MBA applicants to many top MBA programs. That data will come from these surveys, and we need a lot of responses to make the data useful. In doing so AIGAC helps the MBA programs, which leads them to like admissions consultants more and give us better information and access, which in turn helps us better serve our clients. If you are curious, you can read more about our survey here:

http://aigac.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/AIGAC-2013-Prospect-Survey-Report-6-12-13-presentation.pdf

I truly appreciate your taking this time to read this message and help us improve the MBA admissions process.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Applicant/Graduate Survey

Please find below a short survey for applicants to Japan-based MBAs or MBA holders currently working in Japan. It is for a project conducted by students and sponsored by an MBA-granting institution in Japan.

John Couke
john.couke@gmail.com

MBA Questionnaire - win a free Personal Effectiveness coaching session

We are students participating in this year’s Japan Market Expansion Competition.  For our project we are doing some research about MBA programs in Japan.  If you are considering applying to an MBA program or already have an MBA degree, you can help us by answering a short questionnaire.

Win a one hour Personal Effectiveness Coaching session including a free Lumina Spark psychometric profile (normally worth Y30,000).  We will choose one lucky winner for each questionnaire.  For more information about Lumina Spark, visit www.luminalearning.com.

Questionnaire for prospective MBA students

If you are considering applying to an MBA program in Japan that is taught in English, please answer this questionnaire:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1513429/f47994b22384

Questionnaire for MBA graduates

If you are an MBA holder and currently work in Japan please answer this questionnaire:

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1530845/Questionnaire-for-MBA-holders-working-in-Japan

Preparing for the MBA Informational Interview

Some MBA programs offer informational interviews to allow prospective applicants to learn a bit more about their program. The school, in turn, gets to learn a bit more about the motivations and interests of prospective applicants, while also pointing out specific elements of their program that may be attractive to the applicant.

Here are some of the typical components of an MBA admissions informational interview.

1. resume-based discussion

These types of interviews are typically driven by the resume. So, when finalizing yours, ensure that you are comfortable talking about every line included within it.

To prepare for your informational interview, brainstorm and practice approaches to these topics:

- an explanation of the business model of each company you've worked for (if not obvious)

- an explanation of each role you've had

- an explanation of your role in any particular accomplishment on the resume (I usually encourage people to describe what they did, the result, and what they learned)

- explanation of choices you've made (why xx university, xx major, xx company)

- explanation of extra-curricular activities and accomplishments (the best way to do this is to explain WHAT you do and WHY you do it)

I understand that this approach may seem overly comprehensive, but the practice will be valuable as you (eventually) prepare for real interviews, and even as you evaluate you current skill-set and strengths when determining post-MBA goals. 

2. academic interests and goals

This to me should be pretty straight forward. What do you want to learn in the MBA, and do you have some idea as to your direction post-MBA? The concept of an informational interview is that you share information about your motivations and interests, and the interviewer shares information about their program that match your motivations and interests.

The first question is crucial, as without an understanding of what you want to learn at business school it'll be hard for you and your interviewer to talk about the program in any kind of a focused way. 

Clear post-MBA goals are less crucial but definitely helpful - if you know that you want to become an investment banker post-MBA for instance, then this kind of information can help your interviewer select elements of the MBA program that are related to this career path. 

3. your questions

Don't expect your entire informational interview to be driven by the interviewer. There is usually time for you to ask questions, and in some cases perhaps a significant number of questions. As a rough estimate, have 5 ready. Also, for each, listen carefully to the answer and ask a follow-up that takes that mini-conversation to a deeper level. Good questions start fruitful conversations. 

As a final word, BE CAREFUL. Are you being assessed? Yes, of course you are. If you show that you cannot handle even a simple conversation in English, this will most certainly be remembered. So practice! 

John Couke

john.couke@gmail.com