2010-2011 Top School Deadlines, Essay Topics and Rec Letter Questions
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I aim to collect deadlines, essay topics and letter of recommendation questions from top schools. I also include selected analysis and commentary from trusted counselors in my network. If you find incorrect data or useful updates you want me to include, please email Vince@VincePrep.com
Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Verify all data with the business schools.
CHICAGO BOOTH
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/
Application Process
Chicago Booth admits new students into the Full-Time MBA Program in the autumn quarter only. The process has two main components:
Application - You must complete an application and provide supporting details by the deadlines noted below.
Admissions Interview - Interviews are by invitation only. All invitations to interview will be released by the mid-decision dates listed below for each round.
Decisions will be released through the Applications Status section on the online application system according to the schedule listed below. For more information, see the Admissions Decisions section.
Submission Deadline: January 5, 2011
Decision Notification Date: March 16, 2011
Submission Deadline: Your application must be submitted by 5 p.m. (CST/Chicago time) on the day of the deadline in order to be considered for an application round. This includes receipt of all online and mailed-in materials. Applications submitted after a deadline will automatically be considered in the next round, as long as all materials are included with the application.
Application Checklist
Your application will consist of the following items:
completed application with required personal background
completed essays and slide presentation
professional resume
two letters of recommendation
unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions from which you have earned a degree. Only if you are admitted will you be required to submit official transcripts. Any official transcripts received prior to an offer of admissions will not be added to your file.
GMAT score
TOEFL or IELTS scores (international applicants only)
Application Data Forms (information about your personal and professional background)
Please choose your proposed industry post MBA.
Please choose your proposed job function post MBA.
Months of full-time post-undergraduate work and military experience at matriculation (September 1, 2011), excluding internships, summer employment, etc. 137
Awards
If you have received any significant awards or recognition for work you have done professionally, please list with a brief description of the selection criteria. (no limit)
1.
2.
3.
Professional certifications you hold and the year(s) earned.
Academics
If you have received a failing grade, been placed on academic probation, been part of an academic hearing or been dismissed from any school, please explain. (no limit)
Discuss the circumstances if you attended more than one undergraduate college or began a graduate program that you did not complete. (no limit)
If appropriate, include an explanation of any extraordinary circumstances influencing your academic record. (no limit)
List course titles, locations, and dates of any academic work not listed on your transcripts that you will complete before entering Chicago Booth. (no limit)
Extracurriculars
Chicago Booth strongly values community involvement and we know it comes in many different forms. Tell us how you have been involved in your community. Please indicate dates of your involvement, hours per year, scope of your experience, and leadership positions held. (no limit)
College / university social, school sponsored and community activities
Activity 1
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Activity 2
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Activity 3
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Extracurricular activities during college / university studies
(athletics, publications and professional/social organizations)
Activity 1
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Activity 2
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Public service and community activities after college / university studies
(services that are performed for the benefit of the public or its institutions)
Activity 1
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Activity 2
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Activity 3
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
International experience
Describe any significant study/employment outside your home country or significant interaction with people outside your home country.
International Experience 1
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
International Experience 2
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
International Experience 3
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
International Experience 4
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Hobbies
(activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation)
Hobby 1
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Hobby 2
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Hobby 3
Dates
Hours
Description (no limit)
Special degree programs
Please note, students apply to these programs after admission to Chicago Booth.
Are you interested in the IMBA (International MBA Program)?
YES NO
Are you interested in the GPHAP (Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy)?
YES NO
Essay Question 1
1. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you on both a personal and professional level. Please answer the following (maximum of 300 words for each section):
a. Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life?
b. Define your short and long term career goals post MBA.
c. What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals?
d. RE-APPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application?
These short essays will require you to know yourself. You will need to understand where you have been and where you are going. Before you begin drafting the responses to these essays, take some time for self-reflection. Why do you want to return to school? Why is the MBA the right degree for you?
We know that many of you will use your MBA experience to help you figure out what kind of job to pursue next. Even though your future career plans may not be clear at this time, you should still be able to discuss your goals and how they relate to obtaining an MBA.
For our reapplicants, question 1d is where you can tell us what, if anything, has changed since the time of your last application. What has occurred in your life or career that has either reinforced or changed your goals? What lessons have you learned or how have you grown since you last applied to Chicago Booth?
Essay Question 2
Chicago Booth is a place that challenges its students to stretch and take risks that they might not take elsewhere. Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you learned from that experience
(maximum of 750 words).
You’re probably wondering, “What kind of risk do you want me to discuss?” To be honest, we’re not looking for one kind of risk in particular. It can be a risk related to your professional, academic or personal life. It can be a risk that resulted in either a positive or negative outcome. We want to hear about a time when you challenged yourself and what you learned from that experience. How has that experience influenced your future actions?
Essay Question 3
At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with “blank pages” in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
Essay Question 3 Guidelines
We have set forth the following guidelines:
The content is completely up to you. Acceptable file formats are PowerPoint or PDF.
There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose.
The document will be printed in color and added to your file for review; therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points.
The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
Files need to be less than 9 megabytes in order to upload. If your file is too large you may save your file as a PDF and upload your essay.
Earlier this year, there was some discussion as to whether we would continue using the presentation as part of our evaluation process. With the presentation proving to be such an important tool in helping us determine who is a good fit for Chicago Booth, we decided it was necessary to include in our 2011 application. However, this year, we are giving applicants even greater freedom to decide what information they want to convey in the presentation.
Since we’re providing you with “blank pages,” what you decide to address in your presentation is up to you. Look at the other aspects of your application. Are there messages or activities that you have not yet been able to communicate to the committee? If so, then the presentation will be an opportunity for you to provide us with this type of information. After reviewing your presentation, we want to have a better understanding of who you are and how you think.
Also, please remember that it is the content – not the design – that should be the focus of the presentation. We understand that not everyone is a design guru. So, whether it’s through photos, images, graphs, or just words, the goal is to communicate your messages as effectively as possible.
http://bit.ly/Chicago2010-11
http://www.chicagobooth.edu/
If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.
Use the optional essay wisely. It's important to use this essay judiciously. The optional essay can be a great opportunity to provide greater explanation of any anomalies in your application. But it is not an opportunity to write another creative essay or expand on your work experience. Use this space only if you feel it's necessary in providing greater clarity around some aspect of your application.
Other Chicago Essay Tips
Check with your recommenders. Has it been a while since you talked to your supervisor/colleague/mentor about writing a recommendation for you? Confirm that they are aware of the deadline and procedures in submitting letters.
Answer the questions. We encourage you to take the time to read each essay question closely. The Chicago Booth essay questions may seem similar to other essays you've encountered, but in order to clearly answer the questions that are posed, you must pay close attention to exactly what you're being asked.
Use the slide presentation as an opportunity to express yourself. You may be thinking, “What does Booth want to see in each essay?” Simply put, we are looking for organized thoughts, strong communication skills, and the ability to convey ideas clearly. When you look at your application as a whole – your resume, your academic history, your test scores, and your essays – think about what is missing that is relevant to your candidacy that you want the Admissions Committee to know about you. Whether you choose to highlight new material or emphasize material presented in other parts of your application, the choice is completely yours. The slide presentation is not a measure of creativity or a test of your PowerPoint skills, but rather an opportunity to express yourself without guidance or restriction. There is no right or wrong way to complete this task!
Spell check. Sounds simple, but your computer's spell check function won't catch all spelling and grammatical errors. Check your work manually – spelling and grammar errors won't deliver the message you wish to send.
Have someone read your application. Have you worked on your application so much that you can recite each section by heart? The danger in getting to this point is that your application becomes so familiar that you aren't objective about improvements that can be made. You may even become blind to simple errors. Have someone read your application to make sure it all makes sense, is easy to read and that your messages are clear.
If you have any questions about the Booth application process, there are several ways to contact us. Call us at 773.702.7369 or send us an email at admissions@chicagobooth.edu. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can be of service. We’re here to help!
http://forums.chicagobooth.
Recommendation Instructions for Applicants
The Full-Time MBA Program requires every applicant to provide two letters of recommendation. These letters MUST be submitted via our online system. Be sure to check the "send" box when you want the email request to be sent to your recommender(s).
Who should write your letters of recommendation
https://admissions.chicagogsb.
Instructions for Recommenders
Please provide a written letter of recommendation. Be sure to include how the applicant ranks comparative to his/her peer group. Other items to consider are the applicant's:
most salient strengths
areas of development, including efforts the applicant has taken to show improvement
team skills and leadership ability
initiative, curiosity and motivation
other matters which you feel we should know about the applicant
Submitting your Application
Submitting an application and materials can be done online or via mail. It is highly recommended that you use our online application system.
Applying Online - The system includes step-by-step instructions for completing the application online, including the process for submitting transcripts, essays, and letters of recommendation. You may make changes and edits to an application at any time prior to submission. Registration and creation of a username and password are required to begin the online application.
Admissions Interview
Interviews will be granted on an invitation-only basis after evaluation of a submitted application. Candidates invited to interview will be contacted by the mid-decision date with instructions on how to schedule an appointment.
A candidate who receives an invitation will have only one interview. Interviews are conducted by admissions staff, students, or alumni. They are held on campus or in a location convenient for the prospective student. All interviews, regardless of who conducts them, receive equal weight in the evaluation process.
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COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL
http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/
Columbia September 2011 MBA Deadlines
Columbia Business School using a rolling admissions process. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received, and decisions can be rendered at any time. All decisions are final. It is always to your benefit to apply before the posted deadline (11:59pm of the posted date).
Application
Deadline: April 13, 2011 (Vince's note - I strongly encourage you to send your application by by 11:59PM EST on January 5, 2011 in order to be considered for a merit-based fellowship)
Application Review Period Begins: December 2010
Essays
You must complete two essays. An optional third essay will enable you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. Applicants who are reapplying within 12 months of a previous application for admission are required to write only a single reapplicant essay. Please note you may only apply once to a given term of entry.
Knight-Bagehot Fellows: Please use the space allocated to the first essay for the Wiegers Fellowship Application essay.
Essay Question 1
What are your short-term and long-term professional goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Maximum of 750 words)
Essay Question 2
Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Maximum of 500 words)
Optional Essay: Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
RE-APPLICANT ESSAY: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community. (Maximum of 750 words)
Clear Admit Columbia Business School Essay Topic Analysis 2010-2011
http://blog.clearadmit.com/
Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)
This prompt falls in line with the standard Career Goals Essay, and thus the general advice we’ve offered in the past on how to tackle this sort of question applies here. In addition, because people applying to Columbia are often also considering first-tier schools like Wharton, Chicago, and NYU, it’s especially important for you to convince the Columbia adcom of your interest in the program by packing your essay full of school-specific details about classes and clubs. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities – whether through a visit to campus, or conversations with members of the community– will pay dividends here.
Essay 2: Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Recommended 500 word limit)
New to the Columbia application, the second part of this prompt may look familiar to people who have looked at past essay questions from the Duke Fuqua MBA application. This prompt offers applicants the opportunity to demonstrate the well-rounded nature of their candidacy. Because Columbia explicitly states that they do not want to hear about professional achievements in this essay, applicants should instead chronicle other passions, showing how these have led to extracurricular and academic accomplishments. Regardless of how you chose to approach writing this essay, the most important thing is to demonstrate the unique aspects of your candidacy, as well as illustrate how you would make a valuable addition to the Columbia community, such as providing your classmates with a unique point of view, becoming the leader of a student club, or forming your own extracurricular activity.
Accepted.com: Columbia 2011 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips
http://blog.accepted.com/
In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully.
Dual Degree applicants: Please address the following question within your response to Essay 1: How will the Dual Degree enhance your short-term or long-term goals?
Reapplicants: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia Business School will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community . (Recommended 750 word limit)
Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)
This is a forward-looking goals question. While you should include events and experiences that contributed to the development of your goals, the bulk of the essay should be about the future. What do you want to do immediately after completing your MBA? 5 years later? How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? And be specific!
Essay 2: Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Recommended 500 word limit)
What is important to you, distinctive about you, and impressive? If you have one experience, characteristic, or value that addresses all three topics in the preceding question, you know what to write about. Even two out of three can contribute to a terrific answer to this question.
This is a great place to reveal the non-professional side of you. What do you do for fun? What do you do for satisfaction? How do you like to test yourself and stretch your limits (outside of work)? Where do you want to contribute?
Optional Essay: Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
Obviously you could use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your application, but in my mind, it is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to end the application with a strength and not a flaw.
Adam's Analysis of Columbia Business School Essays for January and September 2011 Admission
http://adam-markus.blogspot.
SHORTER ESSAY SET: PERSONALITY REALLY MATTERS NOW!
Columbia Business School has again reduced their essay count. They are now down to a total of 1250 words plus the optional statement. Goodbye essays about theory versus practice and team failure, hello personality!
This change is really quite monumental. In the previous year, there was no personality question, now there is only a goals essay, a personality essay, and an optional essay.
Frankly, 2010 was a great Columbia Business School year for my clients. Three clients were admitted for January 2010 and two were admitted for Early Decision for September 2010. You find testimonials from some of them here. While the advice that I gave those 2010 admits would still hold true for Essay 1, I have had to rethink how to approach this school's essays, which is what makes writing essay question analysis interesting.
JANUARY 2011 ADMISSIONS
The Accelerated MBA, J-Term, can be great program for those who don't need an internship. I had three clients admitted for January 2010 and all of them had one thing in common: Real clarity about their goals and strong track records in their professions. J-term is not for career changers, it is those looking to enhance their position within their present career trajectory and/or entrepreneurs. It is critical that you explain why the January Term program is right for you. According to the Columbia website:
The Accelerated MBA is ideal for you if
you are an entrepreneur;
you want to join your family business;
you plan to return to your current employer;
you are sponsored by your company;
you want to remain in the same industry;
you have built a strong professional network in the industry of your choice.
The program is designed for those students who do not want or need an internship. The principal advantage of the 16-month program is its accelerated format, which allows members of the smaller January class to network quickly and effectively and return to the workplace sooner.
Obviously you need to make the case in Essay 1 (The Goals/Why Columbia? Essay) that you meet the special criteria for this program and that an internship is not something critical for you. For those who don't need an internship, this is really a great program. If you think that an internship is not critical to your post-MBA goals, J-term is a great program.
The Essay Questions and Instructions:
"You must complete two essays. An optional third essay will enable you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. Applicants who are reapplying within 12 months of a previous application for admission are required to write only a single reapplicant essay. Please note you may only apply once to a given term of entry. Knight-Bagehot Fellows: Please use the space allocated to the first essay for the Wiegers Fellowship Application essay.
Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term professional goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Maximum of 750 words)
Essay 2: Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Maximum of 500 words)"
Optional Essay
Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)
Reapplication Essay
How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia Business School will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community . (Recommended 750 word limit).
ESSAY 1: THE EXTENDED ELEVATOR PITCH
I think it is best to conceptualize this as an extended elevator pitch because 750 words is a too long to be deliver in 1-2 minutes, but could be delivered in 5 minutes. Your job is to convince admissions that your goals fit what Columbia offers.
Essay 1: What are your short-term and long-term professional goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Maximum of 750 words)
Over the years, Columbia has been very consistent in the way they ask this question. At first glance, it does seem pretty straightforward and common, but if you have looked at other schools' essays, you will likely notice that something is missing from it. Compare it to Kellogg and you will see that there is no reference to the past. While one must certainly address one's past when answering this question, there should be no extended analysis of your career progress to date.
PAST PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Let your resume, application form, and references provide Columbia with a detailed understanding or your career. If they wanted to know about in the essays, they would ask. They don't, so respect their decision. That said, given the fact that there are no essays to discuss your achievements at great length (Columbia previous had two essays in each application for that purpose), you should certainly address how your prior experience will contribute to your future goals, but focus this essay on showing how Columbia will help you achieve your goals. Given that Essay 2 specifically requests that you don't focus on "what you have achieved professionally," you should certainly explain you will leverage your past experience to accomplish your goals. CAUTION: DO NOT OVER-FOCUS ON ACCOMPLISHMENTS HERE, I AM SUGGESTING YOU DISCUSS SUCH EXPERIENCES ONLY IN THE CONTEXT OF AN ARGUMENT ABOUT YOUR GOALS AND WHY COLUMBIA IS RIGHT FOR THEM.
WHY COLUMBIA? The resources available at CBS and Columbia University are vast, so figure out specifically what you want from the school. The program is flexible, so identify your needs from Columbia as specifically as possible. Also keep in mind that CBS recently changed its core curriculum. After all, you want to show them you love and need them For learning about what is hot at Columbia, I suggest taking a look at their blog: Public Offering. Also look at Hermes which provides news on the Columbia community. You will likely want to write about taking a Master Class. Japanese applicants should most certainly visit http://columbiamba.jimdo.com/
Making a clear case why your goals are best achieved at CBS should be at the core of the essay. To make sure that they can see that, be very specific about what you need to learn at CBS to achieve your goals. I suggest reviewing some of the full course descriptions that you can find on their website.
If you are having problems clearly articulating your goals, I suggest using my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS f (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it.
VINCE'S NOTE - you can find Adams' chart here: http://bp0.blogger.com/_