How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? Jeremy Shinewald, the founder of mbaMission, will use this simple but often perplexing question as the starting point in a workshop for prospective business school applicants. Attendees will complete a series of exercises that challenge them to uncover their personal and nuanced stories, craft compelling opening statements, develop meaningful goal statements, connect their goals to their target school’s resources and more. A Q&A session will follow the presentation, after which Jeremy will remain on site to respond to any additional inquiries.
Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011 Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST Location: WaterPark Place, 20 Bay Street, 11th Floor, Toronto, ON M5J 2N8 Price: Free!
Applying to business school in 2011? 2012? By taking action now, you can dramatically improve your chances of gaining admission to a top MBA program in the coming years. Indeed, it is never too soon (and certainly not too late) to take several crucial steps to shape your MBA candidacy. Join mbaMission Founder Jeremy Shinewald as he leads prospective applicants through a Planning for Business School Seminar. Topics of discussion will include the following:
* Creating Your Ten-Month (and Beyond) Timeline
* Maximizing the Impact of Community Activities
* Accelerating Personal Goals
* Building an Alternative Transcript
* Taking and Retaking the GMAT
* Making the Most of Campus Visits
* Understanding the Differences Between MBA Programs
* More…
Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Time: 8:30 – 10:00 p.m. EST Location: Online Price: Free!
1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less.
How many words is 100? This sentence alone accounts for ten percent of that allowance. Because this essay’s word count is so tight, many candidates will struggle with it. Still, in 100 words, you could write a brief vignette/story that broadly represents you—that stands for who you are. Or, you could offer several short/clever sentences that capture your personality. You might even present a theme or two with supporting anecdotes. In short, you still have plenty of room to be creative and reveal what makes you interesting. (We strongly recommend not offering a historical statement that summarizes your biography/resume.)
By the way, the paragraph above is exactly 100 words.
2. Describe your career goals. How will an MBA from Ross help you to achieve those goals? What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community? (500 word maximum)
Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.
One of the most common questions that we hear from applicants is “What type of candidate is HBS/Stanford/Wharton/Chicago/etc. looking for?” Of course, the answer to that question is that schools do not want one type of applicant. In fact, each school is seeking to assemble a remarkably diverse class and thus wants to be able to identify distinct qualities in each candidate.
Although trying to simplify a school’s approach to admissions (“Kellogg wants team players!”) can be appealing, you should avoid trying to fit some perceived mold, because doing so will only mask your true distinct qualities. Rather than pandering to a stereotype with regard to your personal/professional experiences or changing your stated goals to match an imagined bias of an MBA admissions committee, you should spend a great deal of time brainstorming to best understand how you can showcase your unique traits. By showing that you offer something different than other candidates, you have the greatest chance of succeeding.
Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.
Ideally, your resume should be only one page long; admissions committees generally expect and appreciate the conciseness of this format. If you choose to submit a two-page resume or longer, your reader may have difficulty scanning it and identifying (and remembering) important facts. With these space constraints in mind, we offer two fairly straightforward “space saver” ideas:
1. Do not include a mission statement at the beginning of your resume. Your mission in this case is to get into the MBA program to which you are applying—and, of course, the admissions committee already knows this! A mission statement will take up precious space that can be used more effectively for other purposes.
2. Only your name should appear at the top of your resume. You do not need to include your address, email address, gender, marital status, etc., because these data will all be provided in your application form. As with a mission statement, adding this kind of information will take up precious space that can be used more effectively for other purposes.
Please, resist the urge to make your resume fit on one page by shrinking your font or margins. Your font should be no smaller than 10 pt type, and your margins should be no smaller than 1” on either side and 0.75” at the top and bottom. Rather than trying to fit too much information on the page, commit yourself instead to showcasing only your most important accomplishments that best tell your story.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
