MBA Admissions Blog by ApexWriters

Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions?
After you completed your academic career, what factors led you to choose your current job –or in case you had been in a different job before, what prompted you to make a change e.g. enlarged scope of work, opportunity to work on a new product development etc. And now that you are making the choice to pursue an MBA, what do you find missing in your current job, which is driving this decision? Broadly what career path would you like to follow –you need not be 100% specific, but you need to have a coherent career path, in line with your interests and your decision to pursue an MBA. This will also answer the question about how the MBA will help you achieve your chosen career goals.

Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why?
How do you assimilate influences around you to acquire a new perspective or to deepen your insight about a particular issue? This is the thrust of this question. The scope of the answer is pretty vast, so to give yourself some direction, you could perhaps think of an issue which has had a bearing on some recent decision/action you have taken. For e.g. the revolution in Egypt brought about by the power of social networking has prompted you to deeply examine the extent to which you have leveraged this power in your marketing campaigns.

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IESE has released the application deadlines for 2011-2012 admissions.

The dates are available at the Official Link  

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What are the key issues facing organisations in your sector over the next three years? What course of action would you recommend to such organisations? 300 words
The key points are ‘your sector’ and the time horizon of ‘three years’ – with your current role in this sector, you would be expected to have this kind of perspective. So if you are in the financial services sector working in XYZ country, you could consider the impact of things like say, consolidation, or global influences etc. How should organizations deal with such issues – be pointed in giving solutions. Your solutions need not be long winded –just a line or two will suffice to indicate the general direction in which solutions need to be thought of.
What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? 200 words
What is your attitude to failure and how do you learn from it? Describe a situation where you failed to meet your objectives – what were your goals and why did you fail in achieving them. Who else was involved and what did you do when you realized that you had failed? Were you able to salvage the situation somewhat later? What insights did you get about your own way of working/thinking which you improved upon consequently?

What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have? 500 words
What do you intend to do immediately post MBA from Cambridge e.g. what kind of role, which industry? How does this follow as a logical consequence of your previous experience, qualifications and the skills/knowledge you have acquired through the Cambridge MBA? This will also answer the second part of the essay prompt regarding ‘what skills/characteristics’ you already have and what more you need to learn. How will the Cambridge MBA benefit you particularly in achieving your career aims– research the school’s offerings through its website, talking to alumni etc to answer this. Also, you can round off the essay by briefly stating the broad career path you have chosen for yourself in the long term.

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Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less

You want to stir the interest of your peers -not give them a full bio! So keep to 3-4 points and use an informal tone in writing. For e.g you are a qualified karate champion, you have started a fitness group at your workplace because you enjoy transferring your passion for fitness to others – this is also a clever way of bringing out that you take initiative, you can mobilize a group etc.

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?

What has driven your career so far and how do you see it unfolding in the future? How have your academic/professional experiences shaped your career? And what interests have you developed as a result of these which motivate you to pursue an MBA now. Briefly mention a broad career path, both immediately post MBA and in the longer term. How does Ross’ unique program, with aspects like MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Program) and specialized tracks tie in with your career goals?

Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience?

Since there is another question on personal challenge/obstacle, be prudent in choosing the example for this one. Also note that here a career specific example is asked for. Frustration/disappointment can be when you felt you had done the right things to achieve a goal and yet you could not. Why did this happen? What did this teach you about managing your emotions/dealing with the disappointment.

OptionA:What are you most passionate about?

What you are passionate about offers a window to your interests/values/desires – so think carefully about this answer. Along with the ‘what’, you also need to bring out the ‘why’ i.e why you are passionate about that thing. How has this passion/interest helped you grow?

OptionB:Describe a personal challenge or obstacle and why you view it as such. How have you dealt with it? What have you learned from it?

Read the topic closely – it says ‘personal challenge’ – so do not make this an essay about a workplace/professional challenge. Personal challenges can be in the realm of navigating a difficult relationship, overcoming a personal limitation/ disadvantage/difficult situation etc for e.g. as a Chinese national, moving to USA for higher studies, how did you overcome the cultural and linguistic barriers. What did the experience teach you about yourself and about dealing with such obstacles?

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The news has it – ISB (Indian School of Business) may increase the duration of its PGP course by six months. The new program will include six months of industry internship.
Ahmedabad and IIM-Calcutta recently organized a two-day conference “MBA Education: The Road Ahead”, where 30+ business schools and recruiters participated to prepare a curriculum that can produce industry ready graduates. ISB has formed a committee and started the process of revising its curriculum in May 2011. Dishan Kamdar, senior associate dean of ISB, who is also the chairman of the curriculum review committee says that the committee consists of faculty members from diverse areas like finance, marketing, organizational behavior etc. The committee will also consult ISB’s founding schools like Wharton and Kellogg, recruiters, alumni and other B-Schools and accordingly change the school’s curriculum. “The review will help us to know whether there is a need for major reform or not. We have seen that large investment banks offer Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) only to interns. Our PGP course does not have internship. After the review, we may include internship as well and to accommodate it, we may increase PGP course duration by six months,” said Kamdar.
ISB may also add a subject on business ethics in the new curriculum. “Currently, students attend one-day conference about ethics, but in the MBA education, the subject has become important and we may add ethics as a subject,” he added.

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Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

Be thorough with your research on Tuck and why in particular it fits your requirements for an MBA. These points should also concur with your overall career plans – short and long term. Tuck’s MBA is valued for its exclusivity( one of the smallest classes) and its focus on general management – so how will these factors work for you? Is your short term goal to move from a functional to a general management role and then eventually become an entrepreneur/consultant? What specific skillset/knowledge base/access to people and resources are you seeking to acquire through the Tuck MBA?

Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?

Leadership is learnt through real experiences which change/strengthen your abilities to lead a group towards a goal. The significance is as much in the learning along the journey as in achieving the results. So using an example where you had to lead (either with formal authority or even in its absence), briefly describe the challenges, what you did and how your team and you achieved the final goal. Why was it especially meaningful – first leadership experience etc. As a leader, did you self reflect on what you did well/could do better?

Describe a circumstance in your life in which you faced adversity, failure, or setback. What actions did you take as a result and what did you learn from this experience?

How you deal with failure/adverse situations and what you learn from them are important. Take an example where you could not achieve a desired result – what was this and why was it important to you? How did not attaining the result impact you? What did you do to deal with this and what was your takeaway from the whole situation? How did you grow/change as an individual?

Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?

In a small community such as Tuck’s, what distinctive ways can you make a difference? Your personal experiences and what you mined from them will make you stand out. So jog your memory and draw out those experiences which have uniquely shaped you e.g. you have been a lifelong yoga practitioner, coming from a family of Yoga teachers, this has positively impacted your mental and physical being at work too. However, dont just pepper the essay with numerous such examples, instead focus on one or two and connect them to how they will help you contribute to the Tuck community.

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Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 words)

Outline major steps in your career so far, explaining your career choices and what has mainly influenced these choices. Tie these with your personal qualities/interests and your academic/professional background. Going forward, how do you see your career shaping, and what drives your choices? How will the MBA add value in the pursuit of your chosen career e.g. you want to learn practical business problem solving in a collaborative environment, and also enhance your knowledge of different functional areas in management.

Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (400 words)

Dont despair if you havent led a team at work yet – leadership experiences can be from your academic life e.g. you led the Career Services function at college, you led the formation of a music band. What aspects of leading did you improve at through these experiences e.g. motivating your team members, resolving conflicts etc. What additional aspects do you want to develop and how e.g. standing for elected positions of certain societies/clubs, leadership related courses, practicums etc

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 words)

How well will you fit in with your cohorts and peers – this is very important in a collaborative learning environment such as the MBA program. Therefore, devote words to how you have worked in peer group settings before and what qualities these experiences have brought out/enhanced in you e.g. your passion and enthusiasm for organizing events and working with large and diverse groups, made you the preferred person in your class at college for leading volunteer events. Any unique skills/knowledge you can contribute, can also find mention in this essay.

Option1:Describe a time you had to inspire a reluctant individual or group. (400 words)

As a leader, influencing skills are very important, this essay aims to assess this quality in you. Briefly describe the situation where you had to persuade/influence, what was your final purpose, where you felt ‘stuck’ with this individual/group and what techniques/approaches you used to inspire him/them. Your understanding of what motivates different individuals/groups should come out in the essay.

Option2: People may be surprised to learn that I?..(400 words)

There’s more to you than your academics/work ex, and here’s the opportunity to highlight that. At the same time, be skilful in choosing those facets of yourself which might strengthen your overall application e.g. you were a bass guitarist with a college rock band, what did this experience teach you about teamwork and about working across differences of opinion. You can even talk about a specific incident/significant experience that you went through and what impact that had on you.

Option3: The riskiest personal or professional decision I ever made was?..(400 words)

Are you confident and adventurous or do you stick to the mundane? Risk taking in leaders is highly valued, as it can make a quantum difference to results. Therefore, how good are you at evaluating opportunities for taking risks, how do you think through the situation, what do you hope to gain by taking the risk and how do you push through the decision? Answer these questions using a specific instance when you took a risky personal/professional decision. You can add how it made you feel at the end – were you successful etc.

Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 words)

Have you taken new initiatives at work or handled greater responsibility professionally both in terms of extent and scope e.g. serving on a cross functional task force, becoming a team lead, while you were not previously etc? Also, this question asks for what steps you have taken – so these should be consciously thought of steps, e.g. if you plan to work in European financial services industry, you have started learning French/German. Maybe you want to strengthen your analytical skills, so you have enrolled for advanced financial management/mathematics courses.

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This post follows from Tuck Admissions Blog

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

2. Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?

3. Describe a circumstance in your life in which you faced adversity, failure, or setback. What actions did you take as a result and what did you learn from this experience?

4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute to the culture at Tuck?

5. (Optional) Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.

6. (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.

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INSEAD MBA Essay Questions 2011-2012

Q1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. (250 words)

Without making this read like a resume, give specific highlights about your work such as skills you have developed e.g managing shop floor production, no. of people you have managed, in what capacity you managed them and where this places you in the organizational hierarchy. Try to provide a flavor of your leadership/managerial skills through the range of responsibilities you have handled. If you have any special achievements in say acquiring large accounts/client management, production targets, cost control etc, you can mention them.

Q2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position?

You need to show that you have acquired progressively greater responsibility, so frame your growth story accordingly. Again, this is not a resume. You could focus on the range of exposure you have gained, extent of your growth vis-à-vis your peers, reasons for your quick growth etc. Also, if you have held widely differing roles in varied organizations, what was the common motivating factor for you through these? Given your unique accomplishments, which you can mention briefly, what would be the next logical growth step? Finally, what opportunities are you giving up for your INSEAD MBA?

Q3. If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme? (250 words)

You need to make some cogent points about how you are justified in taking a professional/academic break e.g. a gap year where you are traveling to foreign countries to learn about different cultures, or a 6 month break in which you are pursuing a professional certification program in a certain area. The key is to show why this activity is important to your personal and professional development and how it will benefit you even during your MBA and post MBA, in terms of new skills, perspectives etc.

Q4. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words)

An opportunity to not only bring out your persona in terms of strengths/weaknesses/interests, but also to show your unique style in talking about these. For this answer, both content and style matter. Be anecdotal if you wish, since they ask for examples anyway. Also, balance your content among strengths/weaknesses/interests. If you can talk about certain traits/skills, which will be relevant to you during the MBA program, that?s an added bonus.

Q5. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words)

Use varied backdrops to showcase your accomplishments e.g. a sporting event at college where you displayed exceptional leadership and determination to get success and acquiring a major contract from a tough client, bringing out your negotiation skills and perseverance. Whatever the accomplishments you choose, explain why they were difficult to achieve, how you developed as a consequence and how these experiences may benefit you at INSEAD.

Q6. Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words)

What did you do when you meet with failure ? how did you breakdown the elements of that situation to learn why you failed and how you can avoid the same fate in future. Illustrate this using an anecdote from your life, and briefly mentioning what was the goal you had, what were you expected to do, what went wrong, and why you failed. What did you learn about yourself from the failure? Any other lessons and if possible, any further instances, where you applied these learnings?

Q7. a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum) and b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)

Differentiate between short term and long term goals. What is the link between them? E.g. post MBA you want to work in Product Management function in FMCG sector and subsequently, rise up the ladder in the Marketing function, eventually heading Global Marketing. Also, bring out why you aspire to these goals e.g. they are related to your deep interests, suited to the kind of skills you have and will build through the INSEAD MBA. Keep in mind also, the impact of the INSEAD MBA on your goals. Learn as much as you can about INSEAD and from as many different sources to help you get a wide perspective. This includes the school?s alumni, website, information events, campus tours, attending classes etc. Quote from 3-4 such sources, the most salient features about the INSEAD MBA which motivate you to study there.

Q8.

Option1:Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words)

Since INSEAD has a highly diverse community, you need to show that you can adjust to new cultures and social groups, even if you experience somewhat of an initial shock. Describe personal/professional experiences where you had to interact with people from different cultures ?how this was difficult at first, how your expectations were not met and how you had to break out of your stereotyped thinking. In the process what did you learn? What helped you eventually cross over into the alien culture and become accepted? How will you apply this learning at INSEAD?

Option2:Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words)

Do you recognize that someone from a different culture can perceive things very differently from you when he/she visits your home country? What are some of the most obvious such differences e.g. if you are from an Asian country, a Westerner might be shocked at the general tendency in your country to avoid saying ?No? outright. Another such difference could be the extent to which personal issues are discussed/ work is done even during supposedly personal time. Pick up 2-3 such points and briefly explain them.

Q9. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words)

Be straight to the point ? if you have continued working, any new skills/roles you have held which can strengthen your application e.g earlier you did not have people management experience and now you supervise 2 people. Maybe you worked on an international assignment where you had to work with a cross cultural team ? this can add value to your INSEAD application. Remember also to mention why you continue to remain interested in pursuing an INSEAD MBA ? how this ties in with your career goals (briefly) and why specifically INSEAD over any other school (briefly).

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Dear Applicants,

ApexWriters’ Deadlines Monitor has a new functionality now.

We are glad to announce that you will not only be able to track your deadlines on our portal, but also get periodic alerts from us when your deadlines are close. Alongside, we will also share a checklist with which you can track your applications’ progress.

Start now -Create your login, select the deadlines and start working on the applications.

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