Monday Morning Essay Tip: Multidimensional Brainstorming

We always tell our candidates, “You can’t turn a bad idea into a good essay.” We insist on taking our candidates through a lengthy brainstorming process (which begins with a thorough questionnaire) in order to discover the stories that make each candidate distinct. Even as you uncover your stories, it is still important to consider them from as many different angles as possible. While this will help ensure that you understand the various “weapons in your arsenal,” this will also provide you with the maximum flexibility (as MBA Admissions Committees ask questions which vary dramatically from schools to school).

For example, a simple experience about coaching a baseball team at an underfunded high school may have multiple dimensions. This may be the story of:
creatively motivating this underachieving team and changing attitudes — despite losses

• initiating and leading fundraising efforts so that each player can afford proper equipment/jerseys
• mentoring a struggling player and seeing an improvement in his on-field performance
• helping a player deal with a family issue off the field
• recruiting other coaches and then working with a team to improve the team’s on-field performance  

These are just a few stories that can be gleaned, which serves to reinforce the point that considering stories from various angles is quite beneficial and will help you discover many unique stories.

 1: Why a Yale MBA? What is the impact that you wish to have on the world? How will your previous experiences and a Yale MBA enhance your ability, in the short-term and long-term, to pursue a career that will allow you to achieve this impact? (500 words maximum)

Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the “MBA Mission Personal Statement Guide.” We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store.  Please feel free to download your copy today. 

2: Leadership Example
Describe a professional accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The accomplishment should include evidence of your leadership skills, a description of the actions you took, as well as the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)

The phrasing of this question emphasizes the need to create a narrative. You should not just tell the reader that you led and that you were successful, but you should tell the story of how you led. As you explain your actions, there should be a clear cause and effect relationship – your actions leading to the overall success and the desired impact. Remember, impact suggests that your actions had an enduring effect – that there was a before and after. So, you should be careful to reflect on this change and your personal learning.

3: Personal Statement 1

Choose one (1) of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

(1) A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership – leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way – is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?

This question is a bit convoluted in nature, but the end result of the lead-in is that the committee wants to know about a passion. So, this is not the place to discuss a hobby or an interest, but a something that you have taken to an extreme or shown an inordinate interest in, in relative terms. The individual who cooks regularly is not passionate. The individual who spends an entire day combing through a dozen farmer’s markets looking for a unique vegetable for a soup is indeed passionate. As you can tell, via the example in the last sentence, creating a sense of how the passion is manifest is crucial and so are the results of it.

(2) What personal achievement are you most proud of and why?

This essay question could result in some conceptual overlap with the last one. So, you would be wise to weigh which question you want to answer – which one lends itself to a more powerful showcasing of your story. In this essay, you will clearly need to identify a standout accomplishment and again, create a narrative that reveals it. Many candidates state the achievement first and then tell the story. While in certain instances, this can be effective, we generally advise candidates not to kill the mystery. By creating a narrative and letting the reader follow the progress of your story, the reader will naturally follow and want to read on, arriving at the climax, only to discover your remarkable feat. 

(3) Describe a situation in which your values were challenged. How did you respond to the situation and what did you learn from it?

In order for your values to have been challenged, you need to have identified a time when you were weighing something – something was hanging in the balance. If your boss asked you to do something that was flagrantly wrong, then your values would not have been challenged and the situation at hand would have been quite simple to resolve (nothing was weighed). In order to create a strong essay, you will need to identify a time when there was internal struggle with regard to the right course and then explain your reasoning in choosing one side.

(4) A phrase often heard among SOM graduates is that they aspire to lead a life that is an “SOM Story” – that of a broadly engaged, values-based leader who owns and solves hard problems that matter. How will you create your own SOM Story? Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or innovative solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

The phrasing of this question necessitates a discussion of the past and the future. You need to create a narrative about how you encountered a problem and solved it in a novel or unique way, which is a challenge in itself. Beyond this, you need to adapt this anecdote or the skills revealed in the resolution of this problem to a future situation (“How will you create your own SOM story?”) The “adaptation” aspect of the question will allow you to creatively delve into your future and discuss potential problems that you expect to resolve in a moral, ethical and creative way – a tall order for 500 words, but certainly possible.

(5) The Yale School of Management is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests. What unique attributes would you bring to the Class of 2011?

Again, Yale gives you the opportunity to differentiate, but in this essay, you can pick your experiences: personal, professional, entrepreneurial, academic, etc. In writing this essay you can showcase more than one distinct attribute and should do so anecdotally. Don’t tell the reader that you have “attribute X,” but create a story that reveals this attribute. Here, you will also have the opportunity to reveal fit with Yale by applying your attributes to the Yale experience. Your attributes should not exist in a vacuum, but you should reveal how you intend to “bring” them to the SOM.

(6) What is the most difficult feedback you have received and how did you address it? Looking forward, what skills are you most eager to build or improve upon in business school?

As you consider the feedback that you have received, you should be cautious and ensure that you are not inadvertently displaying behavior that is inconsistent with Yale’s values. An embellished example of what not to do follows: “My boss gave me tough feedback, stating that I am ‘lazy’….” By displaying laziness, you are undermining your candidacy, because Yale 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 difficult feedback, it is important to approach the matter at hand in a straightforward manner. You should attempt to show that you were bold in an attempt, but had a human failing and learned from it. After all, Yale is interested in remedying the “problem” via their resources.  

(7) Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement or taken on a personal challenge of sorts, the key to this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. Yale wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve, and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so, because a Yale MBA is vital to you. This essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, as each person’s needs and experiences will differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that the above requirements are met. 

4: Personal Statement 2
Choose one (1) of the remaining topics listed in Personal Statement 1, or create a topic of your own about a subject that is meaningful to you, and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number (or state the topic if it is not one of the ones listed) at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

At this point, you should have ample opportunities to reveal your distinctiveness. If an aspect of your experiences has not been showcased and can’t be via the essay questions above then you can pose your own question and answer it. However, candidates should not just take their best essay from another school and insert it into this space. You need to be strategic and think about your broad candidacy, as you respond to this question.

Because the pool of MBA candidates is so anonymous, we find that many perceive any minimal difference between themselves and others as a huge disadvantage. One anxiety that frequently surfaces is that a candidate may have no alumni connection to the school and may feel that he/she is behind at the starting line. We can assure you that if you are a strong candidate, you will not be “dinged” by a school if you don’t know any alumni. In fact, the vast majority of candidates will not have direct connections to alumni.  

The bottom line is that in some cases, if you know a powerful alumnus, he or she can help you. However, generally, the standout candidate without the alumni connection will still succeed and the weak candidate with the alumni connection will still fail. So, focus on defining your candidacy and not worrying about minor perceived weaknesses. You can succeed on your own, regardless of who you know.

This is certainly not a new story for those who have been obsessing over their MBA applications for months – applications are indeed on the rise. While this trend has been anticipated due to layoffs on Wall Street and a weak U.S. dollar, which makes higher education cheaper for those abroad, it is now confirmed. Yesterday, BusinessWeek reported that 77% of all MBA programs experienced an increase in application volume last year (citing GMAC sources) and that a record number of candidates have taken the GMAT this year.

In this article, BusinessWeek also offers statistics on individual school’s increases, from higher ranked schools like MIT (28%) and Stern (20%) to “middle tier” schools like Olin (36%) and Carlson (26%).

Last week, Bloomberg caught up with a few Wall Street Refugees, who are now trying their hands at new jobs in new industries (“Wall Street’s Jobless Try Cupcakes, Cheap Haircuts, Maybe Omaha”). Despite the elimination of more than 76,000 jobs, many bankers, due to years of hefty paydays, are landing on their feet – buying or starting businesses. This entertaining Bloomberg article highlights the new and unexpected futures of a few and the unfortunate present day of one.

Yesterday, Integrated Learning posted a 700 level GMAT question on our blog. Today, they have followed-up with the answer:  

Integrated Learning  provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

Each week Integrated Learning posts a 700 level GMAT question on our blog and follows-up with the answer the next day. Are you up for the challenge?  

 Integrated Learning  provides professional, experienced GMAT tutors throughout the United States.

Over the years, we have heard countless students invoke stereotypes about the top-MBA programs. “Columbia is only a finance school.” “Kellogg is for marketing students.” Moreover, we have listened as candidates have lamented just how hard it is to get to know their target MBA programs. So, now, we have responded with the MBA Mission Insider’s Guides Series – seven e-books designed to allow you to get to know more about your target schools’ unique academic offerings across disciplines.

Via the MBA Mission Insider’s Guides, we go beyond the stereotypes to educate you about each school’s resources throughout the professional and academic spectrum: marketing, consulting, finance, entrepreneurship, non-profit, international business and more. Further, we provide a lengthy appendix so that you can learn about the school’s curriculum, star professors and more.

We invite you to read our first of seven MBA Mission Insider’s Guides today:

MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to Harvard Business School
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to the Stanford Graduate School of Business
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to the Kellogg School of Management
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to Columbia Business School
MBA Mission Insider’s Guide to the Tuck School of Business

Please return to our online store as we will be releasing more titles each month!

This morning the Financial Times reported that UBS expects to reduce its investment banking bonus pool by one-third, as it continues to cope with mortgage-related losses. Although UBS has already shed 12% of its banking workforce, the bloodletting is still not over, with 500 more layoffs expected. So, even though the pool of bankers is shrinking, the bonus pool is clearly not keeping the same pace, meaning that (surprise!) UBS bankers can expect less.

For MBA candidates this year, there is probably little about which to worry. Who knows what a 2011 graduation date will have in store? For those graduating this year, this is indeed an ominous sign.

To the relief of candidates, Darden has changed its essay questions dramatically, now offering them the opportunity to reveal more of themselves. Last year, some candidates felt “pigeon-holed” by having to commit to identifying themselves with one of three adjectives that Darden provided. This year, a more open-ended approach will likely be appreciated.

1. What pivotal choices have you made in your life that have influenced your decision to pursue an MBA?  (500 words)

In this essay, you would be wise not to provide a work history, but to discuss specific instances that have shaped who you are today and why you want your MBA. While your specific anecdotes may be professional, they need not be exclusively so – there is certainly room here for community or personal accomplishment. What is important in this essay is that you create a cause and effect relationship, between these moments in time and your suitability for professional leadership.

While this question has its difference from typical goal statements, we nonetheless feel that some of the principles of writing a proper statement remain. So, we offer our Personal Statement Guide to you free of charge.

2. From the following categories, describe the one that has taught you the most: a creative challenge, an ethical dilemma or an experience of failure.  Why?  (250 words)

As you approach this essay, it is important that you not just take your best story and fit it to the options available. Such an approach will not fool the MBA Admissions Committee. Instead, take a step back and consider each option, carefully weighing which one gives you the opportunity to present the most compelling picture of yourself.

In terms of a “creative challenge”, you should be careful to ensure that both “creative” and “challenge” are represented in your story. Although this is plainly obvious, it is worth stating: any random challenge is not necessarily a creative one. Generally, the creativity will come in the form of your unique approach towards bridging a gap. In such a brief space, you will need to create a narrative about an impasse and then reveal how you solved it, illustrating your profound learning.

With respect to an ethical dilemma, you should be careful, even in 250 words, to show two equally agreeable sides to the chosen situation. Remember, you are not writing about a dilemma if one side is a natural choice. “My boss asked me to trade on inside information, but I said, ‘no’” is a classic example of an ethical issue that is not an ethical dilemma! So, once you have developed a well-balanced anecdote, you should explain how you resolved it in the way that benefited most or disadvantaged the least and then reflect on your (surprise!) profound learning.

Finally, you have the option of writing about failure – our guess is that the fewest applicants will make this choice. Unless you failed in quite a heroic attempt to achieve something special, you will probably shy away from this essay for fear that you will be unnecessarily raising your weaknesses to the surface. We can certainly understand that, but remember, the MBA Admissions Committee is seeking to understand how you learned profoundly from an experience. So, if your failure truly taught you a great deal, you might not be among the reluctant, but might use this space to reveal an honest and mature growth experience.

3. Describe how you are a fit with the case study method.  (250 words)

Before you can answer this question, you need to be sure that you understand the case method. At Darden, the case method is not just contained to the classroom experience, where you analyze and attempt to solve a business problem (many times there is no easily identifiable or collectively acceptable solution). The Darden experience offers more and includes your learning team experience, where you examine cases prior to class, the cold call, where you are randomly selected to lead the case discussion, and even independent preparation, which you complete prior to your learning team meetings. By learning about Darden’s approach to teaching cases, you will be able to better identify with this question.

So, from there, once you understand the case method, you can connect with it on many levels – via your penchant for group work and/or debate, previous success with experiential learning, track record of nurturing talent and educating/mentoring others, comfort with uncertain and unpredictable outcomes, etc. While there is no “right” answer (much like in a case), it is important that you create a clear connection between your experiences and your potential success in a case environment.

Darden offers a very particular experience; through this question, they are “weeding out” those who may not know what they are in for in terms of group demands, a willingness to participate in class and more. You will need to prove that you truly understand.