Are you seeking an MBA program with a strong record of job placement in the technology industry or consulting? Then the University of Washington Foster School of Business may make an excellent choice for you. A full 52% of the class of 2016 joined the Technology industry after graduation, and 23% joined consulting firms such as McKinsey, Accenture, and BCG. For those joining industry, they are functionally concentrated in roles in marketing – 32% of the class – and finance/accounting – 21% of the class. Yes, Foster is a somewhat regional school as 86% of graduates stay in Washington State after graduation, but that also means that there is a strong local alumni network in Washington’s startup and technology ecosystem – think Amazon, Microsoft, and EMC – where many of its 54,000 alumni are concentrated.
Foster has two required and one optional essay. My tips are below in blue.
Essay 1. Post-MBA Plans (750 words maximum)
Tell us your ideas about what lies ahead for you in your career. What are the gaps or deficiencies currently preventing you from pursuing these potential career paths? How do you plan to use your time in the Foster MBA program to fill these gaps and advance your career?
This is a nice amount of space to explain what you’ve gained so far in your career and what you need to learn to reach your career goals. As with any goals essay, make sure to show the connection between your future goals and the career you have established thus far. At least half of this essay should discuss the gaps/deficiencies in your knowledge and skills and how Foster’s curriculum and activities will fill them.
Essay 2. Inspiring Experience Essay (500 words maximum)
Tell us about an experience that inspired or confirmed your decision to pursue the MBA.
The experience that you share in this essay not only has to have inspired you to pursue the MBA, it needs to inspire the admissions committee to want to meet you! Experiences in which you have stepped out of your comfort zone to lead new initiatives and make exciting impacts will demonstrate that you have the potential to thrive at Foster and in your future career.
Essay 3. Optional essay (500 words maximum)
Include this essay if you have additional information you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee in considering your application.
Most people cannot be summarized in two essays. If that is the case for you, then you should consider submitting this additional, optional essay. Obviously, you can use this space to explain a gap or GMAT/GPA weakness, but if you do so, I recommend sharing some additional information to assuage any of the Admissions Committee’s concerns. For example, if your Verbal GMAT score is lower than you would have liked, you might consider sharing an example of your strong communication and presentation skills to counterbalance that weakness.
Outline your work experience in reverse chronological order. Be sure to include company name, a brief description of the organization (or a web address), your job title, and detailed information about your responsibilities and achievements.
Feel free to use up to three pages for your resume, and include all significant work experience since graduating from high school. Include educational background as well as your activities and community involvement.
This is one of my favorite parts of the Foster application. You cannot fit all of your achievements into your application essays or the little text boxes in the application, so go ahead and share details of your accomplishments in your resume. The three-page limit allows you to describe the challenges you overcame and impacts you made in each professional role and in the community.
Video Interview:
All applicants will be asked to submit a video interview, and will receive an email within 3-4 business days after the application deadline to which they applied with instructions on recording the video interview. The video interview allows us to get to know you better and to assess your communication skills and your ability to think on your feet as we review your application and consider your candidacy.
Once applicants receive the video interview invitation via e-mail, they will have approximately one week to complete this requirement. The email will provide instructions on recording the video interview. Applicants can test their video and sound before recording their video interview, answer practice video interview questions, and ask for technical support if needed within the video interview system. The email instructions will include the deadline to submit the video interview, and applicants must complete this requirement in order for their application to remain under review.
The video interview must be submitted in order for the application to be reviewed. Applicants will be contacted if they are selected for an admissions interview later in the application review process.
A growing trend in MBA admissions is this addition of online automated video interviews to complement the picture an applicant presents of himself in his written application. Questions are randomly generated from hundreds in a database and are not in any way linked to the content of your application. You may be asked to describe your strengths and weaknesses, for example, or tell about a recent project you initiated at work or even what you do in your free time. You will have 90 seconds to respond and can even press the space bar to stop recording if you finish your response in advance of that limit.
The purpose of the video exercise is, as Foster says, to see how you “think on your feet.” However, it also gives the Foster admissions committee a chance to assess your presence and delivery. The admissions office will be judging your ease of speech and personality more than they will be seeking signs of your drive or measuring your ambition during the video exercise. Since more employers are using video as a screening tool, Foster also wants to see how you will appear to a potential employer.
If you would like professional guidance with your Foster School of Business MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our MBA Application Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the FSOB MBA application.
University of Washington Foster School of Business 2017 -18 MBA Application Deadlines:
The Foster Full-time MBA Program offers one intake per year—each fall. You may apply to any of the below deadlines, however, you may only submit one application per academic year.
* Round 2 is the final deadline for international applicants.
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***
Jennifer Bloom has been a consultant with Accepted for 19 years and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at crafting application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget. Want Jennifer to help you get accepted? Click here!
Related Resources:
• Why do You Need an MBA?
• What is an Accomplishment?
• 7 Signs An Experience Belongs In Your Application Essay
This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.
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