Johnson (Cornell) Class of 2016 Calling all applicants

I agree, I'm not a fan of this at all! I'm just going to jump in the deep end, and bullet point important/interesting points in my life, and see what sticks.

If it is any consolation, I made my first draft yesterday. It was a pain to get started, but once I did, the words started to flow. I think just getting anything on paper here will help ease the apprehensiveness some of us have with this essay. Good luck!

Hello,
Plans for financing the MBA?

Hey ya all,

I am a re-applicant to Johnson like many of you - was waitlisted until June end.

I came across this website that said, "applications from previous years do not remain on file" for Cornell. Is that true? How can I confirm this kind of information. I need to change some dates that were slightly off in my last year app.

Thanks a lot for your help, and good luck specially to all the re-applicants

Does anyone know if all 3 prompts in essay #2 have to be answered individually in 150 words or can we combine the answer for the three into one, single 450-word essay?

R1 applicant too and i dont know how you guys are doing it but i'm finding sticking to 150 words for essay 2 very challenging..i guess the adcom really wants to eliminate applicants talking about the usual 'general benefits of an MBA' and their entire 'career progression'...but that sort of puts more pressure in trying to show personality and creativity in the TOC essay because the second essay is so concise and direct.
I agree with hamm0 too- once you start to write it, you will see something develop pretty quickly. I put off writing the TOC essay for weeks and just started a couple of days ago and its coming along ok so far. After the first draft, I would recommend letting it sit for a day or two..then come back to it and you will see where it can be improved.

It seems like yesterday I was sitting in my cube at work, checking these boards every hour. Now, I've got to-do lists a mile high and counting. The 1st years at Johnson are going through a pretty intensive stretch right now as part of our Core curriculum and corporate visits/briefings starting but it's still a blast. (The weather thus far in Ithaca has also been fantastic... but I'll revisit this topic in a month or two with the inevitable winter-feels-like-death remarks). For anyone who's been in my shoes where your job just plain wasn't challenging or intellectually stimulating anymore, do not fret: b-school will keep you busier than you've ever been.

Also, for what it's worth since you all appear to be on the topic of essays, I used the TOC format for one of my admissions essays last year, and used it highlight my diverse travels having lived in multiple regions, and used my favorite movie titles/quotes to characterize each chapter. I've also read a couple of my classmates and some used the TOC to infuse their sense of humor whereas others listed their accomplishments (or a combination of both). Good luck all to you future applicants

Quick question about recommendations: both of my recommenders have submitted, but one of them left the company yesterday. This means that his contact information (his company email address) won't be active anymore. Is this a problem or is his cell phone and personal email going to be enough?

Thanks

Posted from my mobile device

In the comments on this blog post, Christine Sneva answers this question and states that it should be three separate essays:

https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/Full-Tim ... -Tips.aspx

Good luck!

Does it matter if some one applies in R2 vs R3?

It is way better to apply as early as possible.
I came from the last round, but I would advise you to apply as early as you can because it tends to be more competitive in R3

Does anyone know whether a professional or personal focus is recommended for the Optional Park Leadership Essay?

personal...I think more geared towards community service.

FWIW - I wrote a professional essay and ended up with a Park Fellowship. But hailmary is right, service is an important part of the selection criteria. The extracurricular portion of your application is a great place to highlight this.

Thanks, hailmary and CobraKai. Since all application components are reviewed comprehensively for Park, it sounds like as long as the service piece comes through clearly somewhere in the application, the actual Park essay could potentially be professional or personal.

Generally, aren't merit/fellowship essays reviewed by the financial aid department and not adcom? Or does financial aid have full access to your application as well?

I'm not 100% sure, but yes, I think that's generally the case. However, I believe the process is a little different with Park because it's part of the regular application (almost like applying to a specialized program).