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Earlier this week, we hosted our annual mbaMission consultant conference, which we always schedule for right before the start of admissions season. During the conference, our consultants share best practices, transfer knowledge, and renew their bonds with one another. Why are we telling you this? We believe this kind of ongoing training and interpersonal connection within our consultant team is important in our clients’ success—and therefore important to you as you consider your admissions consulting options!

The mbaMission annual consultant conference is something that sets us apart from the other admissions consulting firms out there. Because the consultants at most firms work with MBA clients only part-time while maintaining a separate full-time job, they could not take the time away from their true careers to host or attend such a conference. At mbaMission, however, admissions consulting is our sole job and focus—so we can dedicate this time to gather and ensure that we are at the top of our game, to benefit you.

We at mbaMission are absolutely committed to hiring, training, and continuously educating the best admissions consultants in the world. And we are truly a team—our consultants know each other well, not just because they see each other face-to-face at our yearly conference, but also because they connect at our weekly Tuesday meetings, collaborate on admissions-related presentations throughout the year, and communicate every day via email, Skype, and other media. Our conference is a manifestation of our team approach.

So, what did we accomplish at our conference this year? Here are just some of the sessions we held:

• Brainstorming the One-Essay Application

• Best Practices for Thoroughly Informative Free Client Consultations

• Social Media Watch: The Details That Elude Applicants and Kill Applications

• MBA Career Coaches: Integrating Career Planning into Applications

• M7 Budget Watch: Understanding Where MBA Programs’ Proposed Student Budgets Fall Short

Over two days, we learned a lot, enjoyed each other’s company, and strengthened our team’s bond—and that last element is a positive for you, too! Because our team members can call on one another with questions and to exchange guidance, you benefit not just from your personal consultant’s experience and knowledge, but from that of our entire company. Our full-time team was on display this week, and it was quite the sight—20+ committed professionals learning, sharing, and enjoying their work!

*Please note: You are viewing an essay analysis from the 2015-2016 admissions cycle. Click here to view our collection of essay analyses for the current admissions season. 

We hate to read too much into minutiae, but the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has expanded its maximum word count allowance by 50 words this year, so that applicants now have 1,150 words with which to work. The school suggests that candidates use those additional words for their second essay, though applicants in fact have the leeway to allocate them however they please. We have to wonder whether Stanford did not see the depth of knowledge it had hoped or expected for its “Why Stanford?” essay last year, when fewer words were available. Perhaps the school wanted to give applicants a little more room in which to show that they really know what the GSB is all about. Aside from the slight change in total word count, the school’s essay questions have not changed at all. Here we go…

Stanford Graduate School of Business Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why? (School-suggested word count of 750)

For this essay, we would like you to:

• Focus on the “why” rather than the “what.”
• Do some deep self-examination, so you can genuinely illustrate who you are and how you came to be the person you are.
• Share the insights, experiences, and lessons that shaped your perspectives, rather than focusing merely on what you’ve done or accomplished.
• Write from the heart, and illustrate how a person, situation, or event has influenced you.

When candidates ask us, “What should I write for what matters most to me?,” we offer a pretty simple tip: start brainstorming for this essay by asking yourself that very question: “What matters most to me?” This might seem like obvious advice, of course, but many applicants get flustered by the question—often believing that an actual “right” answer exists that they must identify—and never pause to actually consider their sincere responses, which are typically the most compelling.

We therefore advise that you brainstorm in depth and push yourself to explore the psychological and philosophical motivations behind your goals and achievements—behind who you are today. We cannot emphasize this enough: do not make a snap decision about the content of this essay. Once you have identified what you believe is an appropriate theme, discuss your idea(s) with those with whom you are closest and whose input you respect. Doing so can help validate deeply personal and authentic themes, leading to an essay that truly stands out.

Once you have fully examined your options and identified your main themes, do not simply provide a handful of supporting anecdotes—or worse, recycle the stories you used in a similar essay for another school. A strong essay response to this question will involve a true exploration of the themes you have chosen and reveal a thorough analysis of decisions, motives and successes/failures, with a constant emphasis on how you conduct yourself. If you are merely telling stories and trying to tie in your preconceived conclusions, you are most likely forcing a theme on your reader rather than analyzing your experiences, and this will be transparent to any experienced admissions reader. In short, be sure to fully consider and develop your most sincere answer(s), outline your essay accordingly and then infuse your writing with your personality, thoughts, feelings and experiences.

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*Please note: You are viewing an essay analysis from the 2015-2016 admissions cycle. Click here to view our collection of essay analyses for the current admissions season. 

Columbia Business School (CBS), you usurper! For as long as we could remember, Harvard Business School had kicked off the MBA application season with the release of its essay questions, but then, three years ago, CBS showed that it waits for no one, and again this year, the school has struck first by releasing its essay prompts before any other program. In some ways, releasing the application earlier and earlier each year makes sense. As soon as the questions and requirements are out, applicants begin working on their submissions, invest more time and effort into their essays, and maybe even commit to applying to a school that they otherwise may have only considered a choice, had the application been released later, alongside those of a number of other schools. When you have only one option at hand, and it is one you like, you proceed! We cannot say for sure why the CBS admissions committee takes this approach, but we certainly plan to ask Amanda Carlson, CBS’s assistant dean of admissions, the next time we get to interview her. We recently hosted an admissions officer Q&A featuring Ms. Carlson. You can read the summary of that session here. She is very passionate about MBA applicants lowering their guards and understanding that she is eager to learn about each and every candidate. We would also ask her about the school’s ever-shrinking short-answer question, whose character count has decreased from 200 three years ago, to 100 two years ago, to 75 last year, to just 50 this year. Clearly, CBS values succinctness in this particular case. Our analysis of all the school’s essay questions follows…

Applicants must complete one short answer question and three essays.

Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Examples of possible responses:

• “Work in business development for a media company.”
• “Join a strategy consulting firm.”
• “Launch a data-management start-up.”

Reveal true goals, not what you think CBS wants.

This directive—which may sound to you as though Yoda wrote it—is a mere 48 characters and could suffice as a tribute form of essay analysis. Yes, we stayed within the character count, but we do have more to say…

You can see now just how brief you need to be with CBS’s short-answer question, yet you must still demonstrate that you can convey a point within such strict limits. So, we are sticking with the advice in our example. Do not misguidedly believe that admissions officers have a preference for specific professions or industries—they do not. Think about what you truly want to do with your career and state it directly. Then be sure that the rest of your application provides evidence that this goal connects to your existing skills and profound interests, making your professed goal achievable and lending credibility to your statement. If you can do this in 50 characters—and remember that we are talking about characters, not words—you will have answered this question quite well.

Columbia Business School Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)

Did you not just write about your career goals for CBS’s short-answer question? Well, yes, but clearly the admissions committee wants to know more. Here is your opportunity to elaborate on your aspirations and share why they truly make sense for you. We would suggest starting by giving some context to your goals, because a declarative statement alone can often seem naïve, detached, or whimsical, especially if some might consider your intentions adventurous. Declaring, “I plan to ultimately become president of the New York Yankees” may be an audacious and eye-catching way to start your essay, but it will not be an effective one if you do not subsequently provide context for how and why—once you have your MBA—this just might be possible. (Maybe you have significant experience in the entertainment or sports industries already? Maybe your last name is Steinbrenner?)

First, you must provide some brief context for your goals—revealing that a crucial and legitimate connection exists between where you have been and where you want to go, so that you are not merely expressing an unfounded “want”—and then you can reveal your goals. The key here is to go far beyond the 50 characters the school gave you for its short-answer question. For this essay, you have to go into more detail and show that you really understand what someone in your target field does. Too many applicants write statements like “I want to be a consultant at McKinsey or BCG” or “I want to join a start-up.” Using the start-up declaration as an example, what kind of start-up? Seed stage? Venture backed? What position within the start-up venture do you intend to fill? After all, a start-up is a business, not a specific job. Our point is that you must show that you have given your career path a lot of thought and truly understand what your immediate post-MBA role entails, why you are (or will be) properly equipped to perform it, and how it is the right fit for you personally. Then you can show that you have envisioned an ideal path for your career by sharing your long-term goals, which of course must represent a well-founded yet aspirational progression from your short-term goals.

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Some applicants mistakenly regard community service as a prerequisite for getting into a top MBA program. And some who believe that it is a prerequisite will sign up for community activities without considering whether their chosen organization or cause is a reasonable fit for them. Although community service is generally a positive, given that it demonstrates altruism on the part of the participant and frequently indicates leadership as well—attributes that may not be revealed in the workplace—community service is not a panacea. As you contemplate your involvements, keep in mind that “hours served” are not as important as the spirit of your participation and the extent of your impact.

We encourage MBA candidates to carefully consider their community experiences in the same way that they would examine and evaluate their professional or entrepreneurial opportunities. Although people can sometimes make mistakes in their career paths, most gravitate toward areas where they can excel, justifiably to further their own interests.  So, for example, if you do not enjoy one-to-one interactions, you likely would not consider a position in sales, because you could never thrive in such a position. In contrast, if working in sales were to bring out the best in you, you just might earn promotions, think of new sales techniques, train others, etc. Stories develop as a by-product of performance.

So, for example, if you have always enjoyed a particularly close relationship with your grandmother and want to share this kind of positive experience with others, you might decide to volunteer to spend time with seniors at a retirement home, where you would naturally be predisposed toward success. If you were quite passionate about your work there, you just might get others involved, expand the volunteer program at the home, take greater leadership in the program, and show other forms of initiative and enthusiasm. However, if you are not that passionate about the elderly, but you just happen to live near a retirement home, volunteering there just for convenience would likely be a mistake, because you would lack the spirit of commitment/adventure necessary to ensure that you have an impact—and therefore have a story worth telling the admissions committees.

Whether you are already committed to an activity or just considering becoming involved in one, carefully determine whether you have the spirit necessary to truly commit yourself to your chosen cause and make a difference. If all you can commit to is merely putting in the hours, you will only be wasting your time.

Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.

Letters of recommendation are an important part of your overall application package—they provide the only outside information the admissions committee receives about you. One of the most stressful parts of the application process can be picking your recommender. The first question you should ask is who can write a valuable letter on my behalf?

Like many candidates, you may believe that your recommenders must have remarkable credentials and titles to impress the admissions committee. However, what is far more important is selecting individuals who can write a personal and knowledgeable letter that discusses your talents, accomplishments, personality, and potential. If senior managers at your company can only describe your work in vague and general terms, they will not help your cause. Lower-level managers who directly supervise your work, on the other hand, can often offer powerful examples of the impact you have had on your company. As a result, their letters can be far more effective.

Nonetheless, not everyone who knows you and your capabilities well will make a good recommender. For starters, you should of course feel confident that your potential recommender likes you and will write a positive letter on your behalf. As you contemplate your choices, try to gather some intelligence on your potential recommenders. Have they written letters for anyone else? Are they generous with their time with regard to employee feedback and review sessions? Will they devote the effort and time necessary to write a letter that will really shine? (See also our blog post Mission Admission: Choosing “Safe” Recommenders.)

If your prospective MBA program asks for two letters of recommendation, you should generally approach two of your recent supervisors, with one ideally being your current supervisor. Your letters will have added credibility if they are written by individuals who are senior to you, because your recommenders are in evaluative positions and will not have anything to lose by critically appraising your candidacy.

If you are unable to ask your current supervisor for any reason, do not panic! Read how to handle this situation in our blog post Mission Admission: What If I Have No Supervisor?