Calling All 2014 Consortium Applicants

Welcome to all the newbies of the group!

Just so everyone is reminded of the process:
1) You apply to your schools using the consortium's common app.
2) You are reviewed by the admissions committee at your school
3) All consortium applicants are considered together for MEMBERSHIP in the Consortium, by the Consortium Committee.
4) Individuals who gain membership are then reviewed by their schools' scholarship and admissions committee for the Fellowship.

Quick question(s):
1) Applying in the 2nd round of the Consortium app has no affect on admission except the fact that you will be applying later and hence getting an admissions decision later correct?
2) Round 1 or round 2 applicants are considered together for Membership to the Consortium, after the round 2 deadline correct?

In writing this question, I just realized that I had some more thoughts about the process. If you apply in Round 1 you are a better candidate for other university scholarships/fellowships.

I think in terms of R1 vs R2, you should consult the specific schools you are applying to. Most of the schools I am targeting group Consortium applicants (R1 and R2) together with the “Regular” R2 applicants. This is because some schools R1 deadline is before the R1 deadline for the Consortium. This also means that if the school groups R1 and R2 together, they give out decisions at the same time.
Again, I would ask each of the schools how they evaluate Consortium applicants and strategize accordingly. I just recently researched this, so I’m thinking of changing my timeframe for a R2 deadline and focus on non-Consortium schools for R1.
If anyone has insight that supports or contradicts this, please let us know because I did not receive this info from the Consortium directly. Thanks!

What kind of things count for being eligible in furthering the mission? Does being Hispanic and coming from grandparents without even a HS education count? I see it at furthering the education of hispanics through myself and my family? If not other ideas for things that count would be helpful! Thanks guys!

Hello Goillini13. Check out this page on the Consortium's website: https://www.cgsm.org/students/prospectiv ... uidelines/ it's full of ideas of how you can demonstrate commitment to the Consortium's mission. Being Hispanic alone may count if you are a positive role model in your (hispanic or african-american american or native-american) community, or if you have worked to change the perceptions people have of Hispanics (or other underrepresented groups). Both of these ideas came directly from the site I linked above. Look at that page to get some more examples.

Awesome, thanks!

Anyone considering Georgetown for Consortium now that they have joined?

I personally don't think that counts on its own. I'd guess that 80% of the applicants could say the same thing. My advice is to really dig deep and get creative about how you're helping the mission or defer a year and get some meaningful stuff on your resume. You have to remember that someone has to write you a recommendation saying how you further the mission. What are they gonna say? That you're hispanic and you went to school??

Also consider your competition. You're competing with people who have created non-profits for minorities and stuff. I only say this because I know people who have been denied membership to the Consortium and I know plenty of people with Consortium Fellowships.

Anyone know when the Consortium Application launched last year? I know the site said that this year it would be out end of summer (or was it mid-summer?Im getting confused with all the apps).

I definitely am. With the consortium now having 18 member schools it is almost tough to narrow down my choices.

So...I took the GMAT yesterday.

This was my first test in over 7 years, AND I haven't studied geometry in over 20+ years (9th grade). I knew going in that if I didn't get the 1st medium level question right I would be doomed, and that's exactly what happened. I was so nervous! Also, can you guess what the first question was that popped up on the screen? It was a stinkin' geometry question! I completely and utterly bombed the quant. Side note: I am weird in that I can answer harder math problems, but not the easy ones. How strange is that?

I did much better on the verbal and ended up with a 75%. I think my verbal score would have been higher if I hadn't panicked about the time. I rushed through the last four questions and ended up having 8-10 minutes of test time remaining. Ugh!

All things considered, I had a decent score and I will take the test again because I know I can do much better.
I am imagining what kind of score I will have once I conquer my nerves and the evilness that is geometry. I love algebra and arithmetic, but geometry? Boo hiss hiss!

Daniellej!, That same thing happened to me! I took my GMAT jULY 13th and I was progressively doing better on quant for MGMAT, I had gotten up to 61%, not the best, but it was a huge improvement for me. I was doing pretty good on the MGMAT CAT's. BUT when I took the GMATPREP1 I thought the questions were significantly easier but I didnt know how to do any of them. I had focused on MGMAT math questions--which were much more difficult--all this time and couldnt figure out how to do the easy GMAT Prep1. This should have been a read flag for me, but my real GMAT was only a few days away so there was nothing I could do.

When I get into the real GMAT, THE SAME THING HAPPENED IN QUANT. I wasnt nervous. I was really excited about tackling it. But the questions were SO EASY. My brain couldnt even adjust down to that level quick enough. I totally panicked, because questions were coming on screen and I didnt know how to solve them. I ended up with a poor math score 35% and a pretty good Verbal 84%. Im going to spend the next 6 or so weeks ONLY working Official GMAT problems, and Im going to buy the software that gives you answers to the GMAT Prep 1 off mba.com Good Luck on your next test. I plan to take it hte end of August.

So did anyone else notice that the consortium app will now be released mid-August 2013, instead of mid-July? The first deadline is October 15th, so it really doesn't give us much time to work on the application, if there are any changes to the essay questions/recommender's etc. We will roughly have about 1 month. It's do-able, but I'd love to get started on those things now. But for now I'm just going to work on the essays/recs as they are and then change them later, if need be.

It's definitely annoying that the Consortium app won't go live until mid-August, but we'll still have 2 months, not 1.

Also, I spoke to a consortium rep who said they are going to try to release the essay questions before then. This is the process that most b-schools use. So hopefully we'll get that soon!

Lastly, If any of you are applying to Ross, their school specific Consortium questions are already posted on their website.

Posted from my mobile device

I can only find 1 Consortium school I would love to be at and 1 ivy league school I also love. (Love the Consortium school more though). Both schools, the Ivy and the Consortium school, are hard to get into, but I feel like I have a good shot at both of them. However, I am kind of nervous that I'm putting my eggs all in 1 basket (or 2)... How many schools total (including Consortium and non-consortium) are you all applying to?

I am taking the Knewton online prep class and I plan to take the test again in September. I wish you much success on your next test. We can do this!

the questions are finally available https://www.cgsm.org/wp-content/uploads/ ... stions.pdf

Core Essays
Core Essay 1: Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. How has your professional
experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree?
Core Essay 2: Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in
the application? You may also use this essay to provide further explanation of employment gaps, test
scores, etc. (Optional)
Core Essay 3: The mission of The Consortium is to enhance diversity in business education and
leadership by helping the serious underrepresentation of African American, Hispanic Americans and
Native Americans in both our member schools’ enrollments and the ranks of management. What have
you done pre-MBA in your business, academic or personal life to demonstrate commitment to this
mission? What will you do while enrolled in your MBA program to demonstrate your commitment to the
mission? What will you do post-MBA with respect to community service and leadership involvement to
demonstrate your continued commitment to The Consortium’s mission of diversity and inclusion?
Please provide specific examples of your involvement, actions and results.

School-Specific Essays

Carnegie Mellon University


1. What transferrable skills have you developed that are related to your professional goals outlined
in your short-term goals above? Identify and explain the skills that you will need to develop or
enhance? Specifically, how will the Tepper MBA help you achieve these goals? (Maximum 500
words)

2. Describe a defining moment in your life and explain how it shaped you as a person. (Maximum
300 words)

3. How will your presence in the Tepper MBA program benefit your fellow students? How will you
contribute to the School as a student and as an alumnus? (Maximum 300 words).

Cornell University

1. 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.
(Maximum 300 words)

2. Park Fellowship Essay OPTIONAL: What is your greatest example of leadership and what
personal qualities helped you succeed in that role? (400 word limit)

Dartmouth College


1. Please respond fully but concisely to the following essay question. There are no right or wrong
answers. Why is Tuck the best MBA fit for you and your goals and why are you the best fit for
Tuck?

Emory University


1. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The CocaCola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling
consumption, building the brand responsibly, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth.
It is his leadership, legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision:
Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. We encourage you to watch this short video for
inspiration in answering the question. The transcript of the video can be found here.

2. How will you contribute to and make a lasting impact on the Goizueta Business School
community as a student or alumnus? Please limit your response to 300 words.

3. In 25 words or less, please share with the committee and your future classmates an interesting
or fun fact about you.

University of Southern California


1. Introduce yourself to your future Marshall classmates in 100 words or less.


The University of Texas at Austin

1. Imagine that you are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2016. Please introduce
yourself to your new classmates and include any personal and/or professional aspects that you
believe to be significant. Select ONE communication method you would like to use for your
response.

a. Essay (250 words) OR
b. Share a video introduction with us (1 minute). Please provide a link to your video
introduction here: OR
c. Share your https://gmatclub.com/chat profile with us. Please provide a link to your https://gmatclub.com/chat profile
here:

2. In the Texas MBA program we value our tight knit and highly collaborative culture
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-h1PqfBOpk - From :28 to :56). Outside of your
professional goals, please discuss why you are a good fit with the Texas MBA program and how
you intend to impact the Texas MBA community?(250 words)

3. What do you hope to gain from your Texas MBA experience? How do you expect to develop,
both personally and professionally, during the Texas MBA Program? (250 words)

4. Optional Essay: Please provide any additional information to the Admissions Committee that
you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the
Admissions Committee in considering your application (200 words) (For example, if your
standardized test scores are not exactly what you would like them to be or if you have not had
coursework in core business subjects, i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial
accounting or finance, please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor
of the MBA curriculum. Discuss any unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of
recommenders, any academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application or
extenuating personal circumstances that you think may impact your candidacy.)

University of Virginia

1. Share your thought process as you encountered a challenging work situation or complex
problem. What did you learn about yourself? (500 words)


University of Wisconsin- Madison


The following questions are specific to your career specialization. Based on the career specialization you
selected, please address the appropriate essay questions below:
Applied Security Analysis
1. Why do you believe a career in the investment industry is a good fit for you? Please describe as
specifically as possible the overlap between your skill set and interests with the traits necessary
to succeed in this industry.

2. Describe a situation where you were part of a team that worked very well together. What
attitudes and behaviors enabled that team to be successful? If you have not been part of a
successful team, please describe a situation where you’ve been part of a team that struggled,
and the attitudes and behaviors that you think led that team to have problems.
Arts Administration

1. How will the Wisconsin MBA in Arts Administration advance your career goals in arts and
cultural management? What specific skills or abilities do you hope to gain, and what do you
think you will bring to the program?

2. Identify and describe a key issue facing the marketing, management, development, creation, or
support of arts and culture today. Explain why you think this is a critical issue to arts
administrators, and provide your recommendations as to how this issue might be addressed.
Include specific examples from your own experience if applicable.
Brand and Product Management

1. What personal qualities and past experiences have most directly influenced your decision to
seek a career in brand management? What are your short-term career goals? What are your
long-term career goals? What would you consider one of your “dream” product management
positions to be?

2. Give an example of a product that is marketed particularly well. Why? What is an example of a
product that is not marketed well? Why and what would you do to improve it?

Corporate Finance and Investment Banking

1. Explain why you are interested in pursuing an MBA at this point in your life. Specifically, explain
how this degree will impact your future career and describe your professional short-term career
goals.

2. Please describe why you should be admitted to the Corporate Finance and Investment Banking
(CFIB) program, and why you believe CFIB is a good fit for you.

Marketing Research

1. Why are you interested in marketing research and the A.C. Nielsen Center? What kind of career
path (industry, positions, etc.) do you envision for yourself? What do you think it takes to be
successful in marketing research?

2. Describe something you have done well and something you wish you could have done better.
How have those situations impacted you personally and professionally?
Operations and Technology Management

1. Briefly describe three critical operations or technology management-related issues facing global
businesses today (you may narrow this down to an industry with which you are familiar). Also,
describe why you think they are critical and what you as a manager could to do address them.

2. Why are you, and what made you, interested in operations and/or technology management?
What kind of career (industry, positions, etc.) do you envision for yourself within the next 5-10
years?

Real Estate

1. Why are you interested in real estate as your area of concentration? What specific aspects of
real estate most interest you and why? What specific qualities and skills do you bring to the
study and practice of real estate?

2. Please share your short- and long-term goals. Given these goals, which personal qualities and
skills do you think you need strengthening? How do you see yourself developing in the next two
years? Please be as specific and concrete as possible.

Risk Management and Insurance

1. Who are the individuals and/or what are the events in your life that have led to your specific
interest in pursuing a degree in risk management and insurance? Please explain.

2. . In what area of risk management and insurance are you most interested? Provide a discussion
of the current key issues associated with this field and the skills you bring to efforts in
addressing those issues. Be as specific as possible.

Strategic Human Resource Management

1. 1. In what way, or in what area of strategic human resource management, do you hope to make
your biggest mark and why? In answering this questions, also elaborate on your short- and longterm career goals. What type of organization would you like to work for after completing your
MBA? Ideally, what roles and responsibilities would you take on? Now, jump ahead 15 to 20
years, and consider the same questions. What would you like to be doing and in what kind of
organization?

2. Thinking of the plans you have described, what are your reasons for choosing to earn a
Wisconsin MBA in Strategic Human Resource Management? What is it about our program that
will help you achieve your goals? Given what you would like to do, what are the advantages and
disadvantages of our program relative to other programs?

Questions Continued:

Supply Chain Management
1. Explain why you are interested in pursuing your MBA and the supply chain management
specialization at this point in your life. Specifically, explain how this degree will impact your
future career and describe your professional short- and long-term career goals post-MBA.
2. List three key issues/areas of focus for supply chain management in today’s business
environment, and select one to discuss in depth. Explain why this issue is important to business,
using examples from your own experience if applicable.
OPTIONAL
If you wish, you may include an additional essay on a topic of your choice. This optional essay is
typically used to cover any issues you may want to address to the admissions committee that
are not already covered in your application. Examples include a low undergraduate GPA, gaps in
education or employment history, or explanations of your choice in recommenders. This
optional essay is not required.”

Washington University in St. Louis

1. Why are you interested in pursuing an MBA from the Olin Business School?

Yale University

1. What motivates your decision to pursue an MBA? (300 words maximum)
2. The Yale School of Management provides leadership education for broad-minded, rigorous, and
intellectually curious students with diverse backgrounds; a distinctive integrated curriculum;
connections to one of the great research universities in the world; and the broad reach of an
innovative and expanding global network of top business schools.
What motivates you to apply to the Yale School of Management for your MBA? What will you
contribute to Yale and Yale SOM? (450 words maximum)
3. OPTIONAL: Provide any additional information you feel the Admissions Committee should know in
evaluating your candidacy. You should use this section only if the information is not adequately
captured elsewhere in your application. Re-applicants should use this space to let us know how
your candidacy has changed since you last applied to Yale SOM.