How to identify and confirm specific ways that you can contribute in classes, student-driven clubs and conferences, and as an alumnus

This post expands on my earlier tips for how to demonstrate your potential contributions to target schools

Below, you will find the advice I have been giving to my admitted for year. It worked for them. I hope it works for you, too!

Take the extra steps that show that you have real passion for the school
Passion is shown through action, not just words
Anyone can find any mention specific club names
By identifying and confirming specific ways that you can contribute, you will show your real passion and deep knowledge for the school

THE QUESTION

How will you contribute to our learning community?

How will you add value to our MBA program?

The below video answers a particular question asked by LBS, but the logic and method apply to any school.

THE QUESTION behind THE QUESTION

Why should we admit you?

Five Contribution Situations

Classroom discussions
Study groups
Industry clubs and conferences
Social and cultural clubs and student activities
Alumni activities

First, ask yourself

What do they have?
What do they need:
Why YOU are the best person to provide it?

Step one

Confirm what they have now

RESEARCH INDUSTRY CLUBS and CONFERENCES

Find two or three clubs that you would like to join.
If you do not see your target schools listed, just do a search for "SCHOOL NAME MBA student clubs and activities"

Step two

List what you know about each topic

IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS

Brainstorm ways that you can add value to each club.
- What are they already doing?
- How can you make it better?
- What is something new that they're not doing that you would like to help them start doing?

Step three

Talk to current students to confirm what they are doing now

CONFIRM YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS

Send brief, targeted emails to the club leaders pitching your idea and asking if they think students would be interested in it.
Because people are busy, you might not get a response from everyone.
Those who do write back can be mentioned in your essays.

Step four

Test your hypothesis - pitch your idea to current club leaders

SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGE

Dear CLUB LEADER: (TRY TO USE A REAL PERSON'S NAME)

Nice to meet you. I'm First Last. I will apply to SCHOOL on DATE.

I received your contact information from First Last ‘XX (add how you found them so they know the context...)

Professionally, I am BRIEF CAREER ANALYSIS / TOP ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR INDUSTRY

Now, I would like to confirm my contribution to CLUB NAME. For example, I noticed you are already doing "Hollywood meets Silicon Valley launch party" to discuss the convergence of entertainment and IT. Based on my background, I would like to organize a panel discussion to explore emerging distribution business models around the world.

I know you must be very busy now. If you have time, I would like to ask a few questions:

Do you feel that such a panel discussion would be of interest to current students?
Is there any one particular you suggest I contact to discuss my idea in more detail?

Please let me know if you need more information. Thank you in advance for your help.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

FirstName

Vince Contribution Essays Tips

AdCom wants to confirm that you understand two points:

What do they want?
What can you offer?

Q: WHY SHOULD YOU IDENTIFY YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS?

A: TO CONFIRM YOUR "FIT" WITH THE SCHOOL

Q: WHAT IS FIT?

A: YOUR ABILITY TO BENEFIT FROM AND ADD TO THIS SCHOOL'S UNIQUE STUDENT CULTURE

To quote Lou Gerstner, “Culture isn’t just one aspect of the game - it is the game”.

Read more about "fit" here (found at http://chicagogsb-dsac.blogspot.com/2008/12/school-culture-fit-in-application.html; accessed 11/2010)

Do you understand this school's student culture?
Have your done your homework and due diligence?
Have you identified what the school needs?
- What do your future classmates need that only you can provide?
- What needs can you fill? Be as specific as possible.

AdCom wants you to take an active role in all areas of student life because doing so will increase your love for the school (and perhaps motivate you to donate once you graduate ;-)

How much do you know about student groups at your target programs?

At many top MBA programs, campus groups are organized into four categories

Affinity clubs (women and US minority groups)
Industry or interest clubs (sector and function e.g. finance, consulting, marketing, social business)
Geographic clubs (Africa, Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, Middle East, etc.)
Family life clubs (spouse/partners and kids)

Students are active in three to five campus groups, but their level of activity varies.

You should be the leader of one of them (your industry or culture or social / hobby) expert level
You should be an active member in a few more (strong knowledge but know an expert or natural leader)
You should challenge yourself to become a novice in an area outside of your comfort zone - build your network with peers from a different industry or cultural group

Personality → Contribution Matrix

To organize your answer, fill out this matrix to help clarify how your contributions add value to you and others.

What skill, quality, personal characteristic, and/or strength are you trying to show with this example?

How does this example imply your ability to contribute to enrich the experience of your peers?

What SPECIFICALLY will you do that builds on what you have done in the past?

Why is this unique?

How will your actions help you achieve your future goals?

How will your actions benefit others?

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Personality → Contribution Matrix 2

Aspect

Keywords: Verbs and Adjectives

Professional Example(s)

Personal Example(s)

Application to MBA Life: Daily

Application to MBA Life

Application to alumni community

CONTEXT

Where?

When?

Class Study group

Special Project Team Case Study CompetitionBusiness Plan CompetitionMarketing CompetitionEventConferenceStudy Trip

Alumni networkRecruiting activities for school (school-specific events, MBA Tour, School Panels)

What?

Role

Expert / LeaderOrganizer / FacilitatorEnthusiastic Beginner

Strengths

analytical (head)

how strength helps you contribute to classmates

technical (hands)

interpersonal (heart)

USE MECE LOGIC

Use the MECE principle to identify what the school needs and how ONLY YOU can provide it.

The MECE principle, pronounced 'meesee', mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, is a grouping principle.

It says that when data from a category is desired to be broken into subcategories, the choice of subcategories should be

collectively exhaustive -- i.e., the set of all subcategories, taken together, should fully characterize the larger category of which the data are part ("no gaps"),[1]
mutually exclusive -- i.e., no subcategory should represent any other subcategory ("no overlaps")[1]

The MECE principle is useful in the business mapping process. If information can be arranged exhaustively and without double counting in each level of the hierarchy, the way of arrangement is ideal.

Examples of MECE categorization would include categorizing people by year of birth (assuming all years are known).

A non-MECE example would be categorization by nationality, because nationalities are neither mutually exclusive (some people have dual nationality) nor collectively exhaustive (some people have none).

MECE explained

MECE example

ONE MORE THING

Before hitting the submit button, re-read your essays aloud to yourself.
- If you have time, you might even record yourself reading them. That is the best way I know to catch careless mistakes.
As you read, ask yourself, "Could anyone else write this sentence?"
- If the answer is yes, make it better. Or cut it.
Prove that you have researched your ideas by speaking to current and former students.
When you mention the real names of people you contacted, be sure to include first names and last names.
- If you just write "Mr. Tanaka told me...." your reader might not recognize the name.
- At most US-based MBA programs, students and AdCom members know everyone on a first-name basis.
Show love for this school by mentioning your plans to make the school better.
Tie every potential contribution to an existing club or activity (use proper nouns as written on the school's club list website).
Show love with details.