CMU Tepper Deadlines 2011-2012

ESSAYS

A. What are your short-term and long-term goals? How will a Tepper MBA help you to achieve these goals. (Please include any information regarding what steps you have taken to learn more about the Tepper School.)

B. The Tepper School’s culture relies on all members to be active contributors to our community. With your values, experiences, and interests, how will you make a unique contribution to the Tepper community? Your examples may include: classroom interaction, student activities, career development, community service, etc.

C. Please answer two of the following three questions or statements. Please clearly specify which questions you are answering. Your two answers should equal a total of two pages or less.

1. Describe an obstacle you have faced in your professional or academic life. How did you overcome this obstacle and how did it foster your development?

2. Describe a time in which your ethics were challenged. How did you deal with the situation and what did you learn from it?

3. One thing people would be surprised to know about me is . . .

D. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? Note: if you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application.

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION QUESTIONS

In what area is the candidate most exceptional?

In what area does the candidate need most improvement?

Discuss how effective the candidate is when working with others. (Consider whether the candidate is a leader, is sought out as a team member, commands respect of his or her associates.)

Rate the candidate’s achievements when compared to his or her peers. (Consider the opportunities the candidate has had to make use of his or her abilities and how effectively he or she has exploited them; also, consider whether the candidate completes assignments and is an effective performer under stress.)

Describe the candidate’s ability to communicate verbally, in writing, and through presentations. (For a non-native English speaker, how well does he or she use English?)

Any additional statement you may wish to make concerning the candidate’s aptitude for an MBA and/or her or his potential for becoming a responsible and successful business leader.

Cornell Johnson 2011-2012 Deadlines

ESSAYS

1) What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why? (400 words)

2) You are the author for the book of Your Life Story.  Please write the table of contents for the book.  Note: Approach this essay with your unique style.  We value creativity and authenticity. (400 words)

3) What legacy would you hope to leave as a Johnson graduate? (200 words)

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION QUESTIONS

How long have you known the applicant?

In what capacity have you known the applicant?

What are the applicant’s most outstanding abilities or characteristics?

What are the applicant’s most noticeable weaknesses?

What impact has the applicant had on the organization?

Please comment on the applicant’s personal and professional integrity.

Please give examples of the applicant’s performance for any Top 2% ratings. (referring to ratings table)

	Application Deadline	Notification Decision
Round 1	October 25, 2011	January 10, 2012
Round 2	February 6, 2012	April 2, 2012

Applications due by 12 Noon PST (20:00 GMT)

ESSAYS

Cover Letter

Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

Essays

1) Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established or popular. (500 words of fewer, limited to one page)

2) Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words of fewer, limited to one page)

3) Please describe a time when you had to make a decision without having all the information you needed. (500 words of fewer, limited to one page)

Tuck MBA Deadlines 2011-2012

ESSAYS

Although there is no formal restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay and you should work hard to try to keep your answers around that length. There are no right or wrong answers, so tell us what you really think rather than what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Please double-space your responses.

Yale MBA Deadlines 2011-2012

ESSAYS

Essay Questions

This year the application will continue to contain four short answer questions of 150 words each and two longer personal statements of 500 words each.  Applicants must answer all four short answer questions.  The personal statements contain a list of three essay topics, from which you must choose two topics and answer them in essay form. If you are a reapplicant, you must answer the reapplicant question as one of your personal statement essay responses.  The questions are:

Short Answers

Please answer each of the four (4) questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are going professionally, and why. (600 words total)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long‐term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA? (If you plan to use your Yale MBA to make a significant change in the nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. The intentions of our students to engage in a broad-minded business school community and to connect to an eminent and purposeful university greatly influence the Yale MBA experience. How do you plan to be involved in the Yale SOM and greater Yale communities?

Personal Statements

Choose two (2) of the following topics and answer them in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

1. At the Yale School of Management, we believe the world needs leaders who:

• - Understand organizations, teams, networks and the complex nature of leadership;
• -   Understand markets and competition in different contexts; and
• - Understand the diversity of economies throughout the world and the relationships between business and society.

What experiences have you had that demonstrate your strength in one or more of these areas?

2. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you perceive in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?

3. Imagine yourself meeting your learning team members for the first time in Orientation.  What is the most important thing your teammates should know about you?

4.  Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

LOR QUESTIONS

1. What is your relationship to the candidate and how long have you known him or her? How would you compare the candidate to others with similar responsibilities within the organization?

2. Comment on the candidate’s career progression to date.

3. How would you describe his or her potential for professional growth and development?

4. Comment on the candidate’s aptitude for strategic thinking, leadership, and/or management.

5. Describe how the candidate deals with challenges.

6. Is there anything else that you would like us to know about the candidate?

	Application Deadline	Decision Notification
Round 1	October 12, 2011	December 14, 2011
Round 2	January 4, 2012	March 21, 2012
Round 3	April 4, 2012	May 16, 2012

ESSAYS

1. What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will a Chicago Booth MBA help you reach them? (600 words)

1 a) 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? (300 words)

2. At Chicago Booth, we believe each individual has his or her own leadership style. How has your family, culture, and/or environment influenced you as a leader? (750 words)

3. Considering what you’ve already included in the application, what else should we know about you? In a maximum of four slides, tell us about yourself.

Question 3 Guidelines

We have set forth the following guidelines:

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right, or even preferred, approach to this presentation.
• There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose.
• Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.
• The document will be viewed electronically, but we cannot support embedded videos, music, or motion images. Additionally, all content MUST be included in the four pages; hyperlinks will not be viewed.
• The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.

Wharton 2011-2012 Deadlines

ESSAYS

• First-time applicants and reapplicants are required to complete the same set of essay questions.

REQUIRED QUESTION:

What are your professional objectives?

RESPOND TO 2 OF THE FOLLOWING 3 QUESTIONS:

1. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today?

2. Discuss a time when you faced a challenging interpersonal experience. How did you navigate the situation and what did you learn from it?

3. “Innovation is central to our culture at Wharton. It is a mentality that must encompass every aspect of the School – whether faculty research, teaching or alumni outreach.” – Thomas S. Robertson, Dean, The Wharton School

Keeping this component of our culture in mind, discuss a time when you have been innovative in your personal or professional life.

ADDITIONAL QUESTION FOR REAPPLICANTS:

All reapplicants to Wharton are required to complete the Optional Essay. Please use this space to explain how you have reflected on the previous decision on your application and to discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances.

OPTIONAL SECTION FOR ALL APPLICANTS:

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application).

Kellogg Deadlines 2011-2012, App. Part 1

Kellogg Deadlines 2011-2012, App. Part 2

ESSAYS

2Y, 1Y & MMM questions 

Essay #1
a) MBA Program applicants – Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 word limit)

b) MMM Program applicants – Briefly assess your career progress to date. How do the unique characteristics of the MMM Program meet your educational needs and career goals? (600 word limit).

Essay #2
Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit).

Essay #3
Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit).

Essay #4
Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.

ESSAYS

Essays for Fall 2012 Entry

Three essay questions must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing. Your response to each question should be no more than 2 pages in length, with a font size no less than 10-point.

Candidates who applied to The Duke MBA between September 2010 and May 2011 are considered re-applicants. All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays.

All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.

Applicant Essays : Answer all 3 essay questions.

Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, emotional intelligence, and business acumen. Thus, Duke is in the midst of an ambitious global venture that will embed and connect us around the world, and we are seeking future leaders of consequence, who value diversity and collaborative leadership, and who aspire to impact the companies and communities of which they are a part in a lasting and positive way.

In an effort to identify, engage, and foster the development of future leaders of consequence, the Admissions Committee would like to get to know our applicants in a more holistic manner. We would like to know who you are, what has shaped you into the person you are today, and how you hope to impact both Duke and the communities of which you will be a part in the future. The essays are your opportunity to convey that to us. Please be open, genuine, and passionate. Share with us what makes you a dynamic, multi-dimensional person.

1. Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.
2. How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?
3. Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)

Optional Essay (not required)

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).

Re-applicant Essay

All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

• Comment on the applicant’s interpersonal skills (effectiveness in establishing and maintaining relationships; working with supervisors, peers, and subordinates; willingness to work in a team environment).
• Description of applicant’s peer group.
• What do you consider the applicant’s primary talents or strengths?
• In what areas does the applicant need improvement or growth? If you have had the opportunity to provide the applicant with constructive feedback, please provide specific examples of the feedback and the applicant’s response to it.