Ask Jeremy @ MBAMission.com - What it takes to get to the best global business school

[MBA Mission]

MBAMission’s analysis of essay questions continues today with Dartmouth Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBAMission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Next: Wharton
Previously Posted: HBS, Chicago, Columbia, Haas, MIT, Darden


1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

I could “crib” most of my comments from Darden or Columbia and indeed I have done so below. Because these questions most often cover very similar ground, I have created a document on personal statements that should help regardless of application. Please feel free to contact – info@mbamission.com – for a copy.

As or Tuck itself, this is another case in which there is no explicit request for information about your past. As such, you need to provide some context for your future goals – your goals cannot just exist in a vacuum. Therefore, you should offer some existing experience which shows that your short and long term goals make sense for you. Again, this is not a career history and does not need to be 250 words. A brief 50 word introduction of your context should be sufficient before leading into your goals.

As always your goals should be specific enough that you are showing clear intent and ambition, but not so specific that you are limiting yourself or are being narrow-minded. The bulk of your essay should focus on why the Tuck MBA in particular will allow you to achieve your goals. Again, this is not an opportunity to sing the school’s praises; you want to connect the schools resources with your professional goals and learning objectives. You want to explain how Tuck has the resources to bridge your dreams/goals and reality.

2. Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?

The Tuck applicant need not be thrown off by the statement “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things” In the past, some candidates have expressed concern that they are not vocal leaders and that they were unaware if they had inspired others, because they could not be sure of the responses to their actions. Your leadership need not be exemplified by vocally rousing others to action. Quiet leadership – leading by example, through dedication, creativity or innovation – is perfectly acceptable and might even be refreshing for committee accustomed to essays about vocal leadership. However, regardless of your example of leadership, you have the ability to differentiate along the lines of your honest personal thoughts and reflections/critiques of your leadership abilities. The more genuine, open and honest you are, the more powerful your essay will become.

3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?

As you consider the criticism that you have received, you should be cautious and ensure that you are not inadvertently displaying behavior that is inconsistent with Tuck’s values. An embellished example of what not to do follows: “My boss criticized my laziness….” By displaying laziness, you are undermining your candidacy, because Tuck tries to recruit highly-motivated students. Another misguided approach would be to offer a false critique -- a negative that is actually a positive: “My boss told me that I work too hard and need to relax and take a vacation; it was hard to hear that…” These answers are transparent and only annoy the Admissions Committees.

When dealing with a critique of your abilities or character, it is important to approach the matter at hand in a straightforward way. The emphasis should be on acceptance and remedying the problem. Clearly, with the word “constructive” in the question, you are asked to identify a time when someone took care and sought to help you improve; you need to show that you responded with the effort and thought necessary to “correct” the problem.

4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?

Essay four is quite broad; within “personal history, values, and/or life experiences,” there is a great deal of range. So, it is permissible for you to develop one or two significant themes drawing from your life experiences (a bias toward your non-professional side) and then relate them back to the Tuck experience. This is an opportunity for you not only to display your unique attributes but to thoughtfully and subtly imply just how well you know the school. By describing your unique experiences and showing true awareness of their connection with Tuck, you will complete the essay portion of your application on a very compelling note.

[jeeves sunil]

thanks jeremy,

you asked how weak?

10 Secondary school 67.14% Average
12 higher school 56% Bad
Graduate Engineering 59.7

1st year 45%( dropped an year)
2nd year 50%( dropped an year)
3 rd year 53% On time.
final year 59.7%


Good final score (but took 6.5 years for a 4 year course)
i needed to drop one year twice in my first and second year of Graduation course)
in third and fourth i did well.

i actually had a bad spell of 5 years ( when one of my parents went critically ill)

later i recovered (cleared the last two years with out a drop and improved grades and representing the school in extra curriculars)
but too late to clear the past.

about GMAT improvement.

i have a 49 in math & a 28 in english.

in contrast i have score 96 percentile in cat verbal english twice.( hope you know of CAT?) so basically i need to improve in GMAT Verbal only ( sentence correction to be precise)

i have answere both queries ,

1)how weak?
2)plan for dramatic gmat improvement.


so does the top 20 go further.....far from me?
or would it boil down to my gmat?

In my work experience i am a documented award winner for this h1 2006.

Sunil

Originally Posted by MBA Mission

Thanks for your latest post.

A 750+ would certainly help you and it would be quite a dramatic improvement. If this were the case, even though the GMAT is not everything, there should be a school in the top-20 for you, as long as you can tell your compelling story. When you say that your academics were weak, how weak?

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

[MBA Mission]

Wharton

MBAMission’s analysis of essay questions continues today with University of Pennsylvania’a Wharton School of Business.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBAMission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Next: Stanford
Previously Posted: HBS, Chicago, Columbia, Haas, MIT, Darden

The Admissions Committee is interested in getting to know you on both a professional and personal level. We encourage you to be introspective, candid, and succinct. Most importantly, we suggest you be yourself.

Essay 1 (Required)

Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)

Again, because this question covers very similar ground with other applications, I have created a document on personal statements that should help regardless of application. Please feel free to contact – info@mbamission.com – for a copy.

As for Wharton itself, experience has shown, and successful candidates who have gone on to work with Wharton admissions have confirmed, that Wharton pays special attention to “Why Wharton/Why now” and that your reasons must be thorough and compelling. This is not exactly news as every school wants to see this emphasis, but Wharton is more inclined to “ding” those who don’t nail this section. Your “Why Wharton” rationale should not just offer praise for the school, but should illustrate your clear connection, academically, professionally and socially (meaning that you understand the environment that you would be entering).

Essay 2 (Required): Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)

The best failure essays are often those that show reasoned optimism and tremendous momentum toward a goal – a goal that is ultimately derailed. In most cases, you will need to show that you were emotionally invested in your project/experience which will enable the reader to connect with your story and vicariously experience your disappointment. If you were not invested at all, it is hardly credible to discuss the experience as a failure or learning experience.

With respect to setbacks, the door swings open to a range of personal experience as well. You could not discuss an injury that prevented you from competing for an elite college athletic competition, for example, as a failure, but it would certainly qualify as a setback. You can carefully consider setbacks, in which you bear no responsibility for creating the situation; in such a case, again, it is crucial that you show that you were emotionally invested, that events were going in a certain direction and that the situation quickly turned in an unfavorable direction.

Of course, the second part of the story, the reflective element, is vitally important. It is very easy to offer trite and clichéd statements about your response and what you learned about yourself (Note: everyone learns resiliency – consider another key learning). It will take time to truly create a unique statement about your road forward and lessons learned, but the payoff will come in an essay that is much more personal and self-aware than thousands of others.

Essays 3 & 4 (Required)

Clearly, by choosing two of four broadly based essays, you have a tremendous opportunity to showcase your greatest strengths below; the choices that you make here are, of course, contingent on your previous choices above. If you have offered a personal setback, for example, it will probably be time to discuss your professional accomplishments. You will need to exercise judgment in determining your approach.

Please complete two of the following four questions (500 words each):

* Describe a personal characteristic or quality that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better.

Again, this question is broad and flexible. You will need to offer consistent examples from your experiences to prove a theme. These essays often go wrong when they are light on experience, only offering one story to back-up a personal characteristic. Although it is possible to answer this question with one example if you provide an unusually strong story, it is more likely that creating a unifying theme across personal, professional, academic and community dimensions (and you can use a professional story to prove a personal characteristic) will be the most compelling.

* Describe an impact you’ve had on a team, group or organization. How has this experience been valuable to you or others, and what did you learn?

In this essay, you will need to show a clear cause and effect relationship, between your actions and the resulting implication for others. A successful essay will show how you took specific steps to produce the desired results, focus on the results themselves and then, most importantly, add a reflective element, explaining the learning, via the experience. This is a leadership essay and while it does not demand that you exemplify rousing “Churchillian” leadership, the goal is to show how you exercise your influence and bring about a new and better reality.

* What do you do best and why?

This essay will require a great deal of thought and you might start by asking those around you – parents, colleagues, supervisors, etc. – this very question, “What do I do best and why?” It is not only important that you identify what you do best, but you should ensure that what you do best is something unique/special or desirable to Wharton. In other words, if you are best at completing projects on time, this is probably not worth showcasing as many others do this quite well and while this might be your best trait it is unlikely a trait that will differentiate you from others or cause anyone to scream, “admit”. Again, in this essay, you will need to prove your case via experience; it is not enough to simply tell the committee that you are the best at X, you will need to show them your experiences which provide that proof.

* When have your values, ethics, or morals been challenged? How has this shaped who you are today?

Sometimes it is easier to explain what you should do in an essay by first explaining what you should not do. Inevitably, a candidate always ask if a story like the following would work: “My boss told me to trade on inside information and I said ‘no.’” In such an instance, there is no challenge to your value system; no one should be trading on inside information; no one should be breaking the law.

You need to start by offering an example in which there were two reasonable options which stand in stark opposition to each other -- both with positive and negative aspects -- and explore how you made your choice. In such circumstances, the outcome is less important than your reasoning. The committee is seeking to understand your thought process and trying to recognize the reasonable, logical and ethical applicant within. Furthermore, you will need to consider the lasting impact on you and identify the way that your thoughts or personality has changed; this is a heavy burden but if you can examine your changes, your story will likely be powerful and differentiated and will thus be the basis for a winning essay.

[purple yogi]

Thank you, I am slated to give another attempt for GMAT in August.

I got a scholarship to attend a conference in California so i got an opportunity to visit Haas and Stanford, i will be applying to both the schools....like you said in your reply....

I will be in touch

PYogi

Originally Posted by MBA Mission

Thanks for your inquiry.

The fact that you sacrificed your own paycheck to get involved with something more meaningful should be quite impressive to these schools – should show that you have resolve. I would ensure that they know this. Do not flaunt it; mention it subtly.

Other schools that are known for their social mission – Berkeley and Columbia (a lesser extent); Darden is known for its focus on ethics, not really the same thing but some connection.

I think that you should take the GMAT again. You won’t need a 700, but a 600 makes it difficult. There is no magic number, but an improvement will make you a more palatable candidate. As for the TOEFL, each school has a different policy. You should be able to ask for a TOEFL waver and considering your level of English in your email, you should be granted one.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

[prasadhegde]

Hi Jeremy
Commerce grad with decent acads
currently pursuing master in business law(part time) will complete in june 2007
Have work ex of 26 months ,
I intend to start the program in 2007 hence please advice me the application procedures for top US bschools , but I have not taken GMAT
is it really possible to make it in fall(round 1) 2007 and what can be the deadlines for fall(round 1)2007 ,actually one of the coaching centers informed me that app deadline for majority of the schools is sep 2007(R1) ,If that is the case please advice me as to when I should actully start applying either for fall 2007 or fall 2008.

I am quite pleased to be available to Pagalguy members to answer any questions on the admissions process, from those as broad as “What are my chances at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton?” or “How can I enhance my community and personal profile?” to those as specific as “How can I mitigate an F in calculus?” or “Is this response appropriate for Duke essay three?”

My goal is to help create transparency and demystify the admissions process for those applying to North American and European MBA programs.

Sincerely,
Jeremy Shinewald
MBA Mission

www.mbamission.com (new website coming soon)
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Throughout the last six admissions cycles, MBA Mission has worked with a small number of applicants from around the world, helping them gain coveted Letters of Acceptance to top-ranked U.S. and International Business Schools. We work closely with each candidate to identify unique attributes and experiences and then translate them into compelling and, most importantly, differentiated applications. [/quote]

[iday]

Hello Jeremy,
Your posts on the MBA application essays are really informative and useful.
Cant thank you enough

I have decided to apply to 6 of the 7 schools i had mentioned earlier. I've moved LBS to R2. Currenlty working on the essays of these 6 schools. Hope to finish them in a months time. Will get in touch with you in case i need any clarifications.

thanks,
Iday

[MBA Mission]

MBAMission’s analysis of essay questions continues today with the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Shinewald
MBAMission

www.mbamission.com
646-485-8844
Skype: MBAMission

Next: LBS
Previously Posted: HBS, Chicago, Columbia, Haas, MIT, Darden, Tuck, Wharton

Stanford

Many candidates will welcome the new Stanford questions or, more particularly, the new page limits, which reduce the page-count by about half. Some found it challenging to write truly exploratory and reflective personal statements as opposed to experiential statements, (What matters most to you vs. Discuss a leadership experience) and Stanford probably recognized that in past years quantity of pages did not correlate or maybe even had an inverse correlation to quality of thought. Whatever the reason, Stanford has changed the page count and added some additional options to explore specific experience – an applicant friendly decision that will likely result in more applications to the program.

* Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (Recommended length is 3-4 pages, double-spaced)

This question is intensely personal so before you start writing you should definitely give your topic some serious thought. You should absolutely not attempt to string together a bunch of unrelated experiences highlighted in your HBS and Wharton essays; if you are truly committed to creating a distinct application, you will find it difficult to manufacture a theme about what is most important to you. Thus, it is essential that you determine what it is that is truly important to you, so that it comes out clearly and compellingly in your essays. We always brainstorm in depth with our candidates, pushing them to think about their psychological and philosophical motivations behind certain goals, before helping to determine Stanford themes. We can’t emphasize this enough -- you should not make a snap decision. Even after we have identified themes, we encourage candidates to speak with those whom they are closest to in order to discuss the ideas we have generated; this step will help validate deeply personal and authentic themes and lead to a distinct essay.

Once you have challenged yourself and identified your main theme you should not just write a bunch of anecdotes supporting your idea. The best Stanford essays are explorations, where there is analysis of decisions, motives and successes/failures. In other words, your anecdotes are a means to personal exploration and not an end in and of themselves. If you are just telling a bunch of stories and trying to tie in the conclusions, you are probably not analyzing your experiences, but are forcing a theme upon the reader – a decision that will be transparent.

* Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve these?

Stanford’s career essay was more open-ended in the past; this essay is now more conventional and follows the pattern of most other schools. Still, you will notice that Stanford does not ask for short and long term goals, but for career aspirations, allowing you to be more philosophical. Short and long term goals can be somewhat confining; Stanford’s “aspirations” essay is similar to HBS’s “vision” essay – “aspirations” allows for flexibility and enables you to give a more broad and reasoned sketch of your goals. Once you have provided this sketch, you will need to explain precisely how Stanford will help you achieve your goals. Again, this is not an opportunity to sing the school’s praises; you want to connect the school’s resources with your professional goals and learning objectives. You must explain how Stanford has the resources to bridge your dreams/goals and reality.

Because these questions most often cover very similar ground, I have created a document on personal statements that should help regardless of application. Please feel free to contact – info@mbamission.com – for a copy.

(Recommended length is 2-3 pages, double-spaced)

* Essay C: Short Essays—Options 1-4

Please answer two of the questions below. In answering each question, please tell us not only what you did, but also how you did it. Describe what you felt, said, and thought during these experiences. Tell us the outcome, and describe how people responded. Your responses should describe experiences that have occurred within the last three years.

Option 1: Tell us about a time when you did something that was not established, expected, or popular. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

In this essay, you will have an opportunity to show that you are an independent thinker, capable of finding your own “true” path or adhering to morals and principals that you hold dear -- particularly when those who exercise influence are advising you otherwise. By setting up a clear picture of what was expected and then contrasting your choice, not only by showing your actions, but offering your reasoning and thoughts, you have the opportunity to create a compelling picture of yourself as a strong-minded “hero”. (See: The type of fellow who would never end up on the cover of the Wall Street Journal bringing shame to Stanford).

Option 2: Tell us about a time when you felt effective or successful. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

The key is to this essay is to offer not just any example of success, but one of your most compelling and then transition into an in depth analysis of your emotions and feelings. Beware of clichés about pushing yourself to new limits or going beyond expectations. Again, the Stanford application is one where they truly want to get to know your thoughts, not just your achievements, so we recommend exploring your thoughts beyond the surface level and challenging yourself to differentiate through self-awareness.

Option 3: Tell us about a time when you had a significant effect on a group or individual. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

In this essay, you will need to show a clear cause and effect relationship, between your actions and the resulting implication for others. A successful essay will show how you took specific steps to produce the desired results, focus on the results themselves and then, most importantly, add a reflective element, explaining the personal significance or learning, via the experience. This is a leadership essay and while it does not demand that you exemplify rousing “Churchillian” leadership, the goal is to show how you exercise your influence and bring about a new and better reality.

Option 4: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

In answering this question, you have the opportunity to show resilience and determination, but these are the most obvious traits that you can offer – a successful essay will offer more. It is vitally important that you not delve into cliché here – the reader needs to understand that you took creative actions in a distinct manner. The simple act of overcoming is not enough – the reader needs to understand your thought process and how you used your personality to affect change.

Note: It is possible to write a successful essay using an example in which you did not achieve your goals; the end result is not as important as the creative actions you took to succeed.

[sanket11]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']HI JEREMY, [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] Thanks a lot for answering my queries. I will plan the things according to your advice.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] I have some more quires regarding my present job:[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] As I have written in the last post, I am getting very Good experience in the field of Consultancy, but size of the firm is worrying me.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']You have mentioned that the Firm’s size is going to matter but My Individual Contribution to the Firm is under consideration, but I have following doubts.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']1. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] We have small office at Pune, India. It’s not a very high profile office. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Will that affect when the B-school will do their Background Check?[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']2. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Though I am getting a very good experience in the present Firm & Now we have good recognition after tie up with H. B. Maynard Co., USA, Still we have moderate revenues. Will this small size in terms of Revenues will adversely affect my application?[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']3. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I have also heard that because of the small size Consultancy Firm, the Accountability & Credibility of the documents related to Firm is Questionable? [I.e. sometimes the Adcomm will question the authenticity of the documents provided related to firm]. This is really worrying me. Can you clarify something on this front?[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']4. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Looking at my overall profile, do you believe that I have Good chance to get into First 15 B-schools in US? [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']5. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']If you were to reject me looking at my profile only[/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [ I can portray very good picture in Essays, As I have more than sufficient time available (2 years) & I can write Essays with good Introspection ], What would be possible reasons?[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']6. [/font][FONT='Arial','sans-serif']I am doing Voluntary Work for the people affected from Flood at ITC, Bhadrachalam. (My Current assignment of Consultancy is here). But I am not associated with any particular organisation; I am just helping these people in packaging food and other things. But there is no proof or certificate of the contribution. In the Background check how this contribution will be checked? Will the B-school will believe on such contribution , Because say for example if Schools wants to check the accountability of the contribution, I do not think so they will find reference of such activities especially after 2 or 3 years in company where I would be working as a Consultant with 3 months Project Duration? [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Sorry again for long post but these things really giving me sleepless nights. So pls deal with it.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Thanks in advance.[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] [/font]

[sanket11]

HI JEREMY,
Thanks a lot for answering my queries. I will plan the things according to your advice.
I have some more quires regarding my present job:
As I have written in the last post, I am getting very Good experience in the field of Consultancy, but size of the firm is worrying me.
You have mentioned that the Firm’s size is going to matter but My Individual Contribution to the Firm is under consideration, but I have following doubts.

1. We have small office at Pune, India. It’s not a very high profile office.
Will that affect when the B-school will do their Background Check?


2. Though I am getting a very good experience in the present Firm & Now we have good recognition after tie up with H. B. Maynard Co., USA, Still we have moderate revenues. Will this small size in terms of Revenues will adversely affect my application?

3. I have also heard that because of the small size Consultancy Firm, the Accountability & Credibility of the documents related to Firm is Questionable? [I.e. sometimes the Adcomm will question the authenticity of the documents provided related to firm]. This is really worrying me. Can you clarify something on this front?

4. Looking at my overall profile, do you believe that I have Good chance to get into First 15 B-schools in US?


5. If you were to reject me looking at my profile only [ I can portray very good picture in Essays, As I have more than sufficient time available (2 years) & I can write Essays with good Introspection ], What would be possible reasons?

6. I am doing Voluntary Work for the people affected from Flood at ITC, Bhadrachalam. (My Current assignment of Consultancy is here). But I am not associated with any particular organisation; I am just helping these people in packaging food and other things. But there is no proof or certificate of the contribution. In the Background check how this contribution will be checked? Will the B-school will believe on such contribution , Because say for example if Schools wants to check the accountability of the contribution, I do not think so they will find reference of such activities especially after 2 or 3 years in company where I would be working as a Consultant with 3 months Project Duration?

Sorry again for long post but these things really giving me sleepless nights. So pls deal with it.

Thanks in advance.