{"id":51075,"date":"2021-02-15T23:48:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T06:48:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/how-to-create-a-video-essay-for-your-mba-application\/"},"modified":"2021-02-15T23:48:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T06:48:37","slug":"how-to-create-a-video-essay-for-your-mba-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/how-to-create-a-video-essay-for-your-mba-application\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Video Essay for Your MBA Application"},"content":{"rendered":"

You sit down at your desk, a cup of coffee in hand and ready to write. You\u2019re all set to author the great American MBA essay, the 500 to 1,200 words that will get you into your dream school, take your career to the next level and begin your long road to fame and fortune through business. Except, you look at the prompt and suddenly realize, your dream school doesn\u2019t want an essay. Or at least, it doesn\u2019t ONLY want an essay: You\u2019ve been asked to create a video essay. Your whole game plan is out the window. What\u2019s a video essay? What\u2019s a multimedia essay? What\u2019s the difference? Don\u2019t panic: We\u2019ll answer these questions and show you how to structure a video essay.<\/p>\n

Multimedia submissions are a key part of several schools\u2019 application process, most notably and famously, MIT. They serve as an opportunity for schools to evaluate candidates directly in terms of personal presentation, speaking skills and body language, all of which can make them nerve-wracking for applicants. Why? Well, there are few reasons. First, there are far fewer opportunities to hide your weaknesses on video than there are on a page. Essays can be edited, re-written and poured over countless times. A friend, colleague or professional admissions consultant can easily swoop down from the rafters to fix a stray typo or suggest a rework of a wonky sentence. On video, however, there are few easy fixes. Unless you\u2019re a master video editor seeking an MBA as a career change, if you mispronounce a word or stumble in your diction, or look and sound a bit too swift and awkward, there\u2019s no saving it. You have to go back to square one and record the whole thing from the start, or at least from the start of the sentence, which you\u2019ll then need to seamlessly cut and paste into the rest of your video. <\/p>\n

For more introverted students, this can be a nightmare \u2013 after all, maybe one of the reasons you\u2019re pursuing an MBA in the first place is to gain the leadership and confidence that would come in handy for this very video! Things get even more hairy for English as a second language applicants, who must also contend with a variety of extra factors from a slight accent to a generally lower level of spoken English. These are all things that can be carefully thought through in a written essay, but not so on video.<\/p>\n

The improvisational nature videos is part of the reason are more and more schools are including them in their application requirements. Business schools are trying to find the best candidates, and they hope videos will elicit more genuine responses from applicants. Notably, the Kellogg MBA Admissions<\/a> committee have stated that \u201cthe video essay provides students with an added opportunity to demonstrate what they\u2019ll bring [Kellogg] in an interactive way.\u201d INSEAD, meanwhile, says their video provides opportunities for students to \u201cshare their passions, motivations and personalities.\u201d Once again, the focus is on an authentic view of the applicant as a person, and seeing how applicants communicate their ideas verbally.<\/p>\n

To add another layer of complexity to the process, there are three main types of video essays. The first two are recorded via each school\u2019s platform, as continuous takes, with no editing. First, we have the \u201cprepared\u201d video where applicants are given the question ahead of time. Usually, you\u2019re asked to either present yourself (to the adcom or your peers) or present your career plan and long and short-term goals<\/a>. This is the easier of the two, as you\u2019ll have plenty of time to write out your ideas, and practice ahead of time, before recording and submitting your final product to the school. In that sense, it\u2019s not all that different from a written essay, beyond being a test of your spoken English skills.<\/p>\n

The second type is more spontaneous. You\u2019ll be asked a random question and provided a timeframe to think up and then give an answer. The best way to prepare for this is to arm yourself with a number of personal stories relevant to a wide range of topics, and then adapt them to the question you\u2019re being asked. In this case, there\u2019s virtually no time to write down and edit an answer, you\u2019ll have to be confident in your speaking skills and able to answer on the fly. This is very much like in class discussions, which is why they\u2019re asking this of you.<\/p>\n

Finally, the third type of video essay offers the most time for preparation: You can be asked to record and edit a video ahead<\/strong> of your submission, on your software of choice. MIT Sloan is the most well-known school asking for submissions of this type. You\u2019ll often have to adapt to specific parameters (one take, no editing) but these can vary by school and by year. The good news here, is that you\u2019ll have plenty of time to think of your answer and submit the best version possible, and we\u2019re here to show you how to structure a video essay.<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that for some schools, such as McCombs, video essays are offered but not mandatory. However, if you have the opportunity to do so, submit one. This is a chance to showcase your personality and enthusiasm for the program. You\u2019ll be competing against applicants that will use this opportunity, so you must do the same.<\/p>\n

So with that out of the way, what is YOUR <\/strong>dream school asking of you, video wise? Let\u2019s take a look at the top four schools with a serious video essay component to their applications.<\/p>\n

MIT Sloan<\/a><\/strong> asks that you submit a video statement, recorded on your software of choice and uploaded at your convenience. You\u2019re asked to \u2018Introduce yourself to your future classmates\u2019 in a single take, in 60 seconds or less. The admissions committee recommends covering your personal experience AND why you chose to pursue your MBA at MIT.<\/p>\n

INSEAD <\/strong>meanwhile, won\u2019t give you a topic ahead of time. Once you\u2019ve submitted your (already massive) written essay package, you\u2019ll receive an e-mail from the adcom with a unique link to complete your video essay. There will be four questions drawn from a larger pool. Some will ask why you\u2019re interested in INSEAD, others about leadership, teamwork, diversity and more. Once you receive the questions, you\u2019ll have 45 seconds to prepare and 1 minute to record an answer. That\u2019s pressure! The good news is, you can practice on the INSEAD online platform<\/a> ahead of recording your answers. The practice sessions feature multiple questions and there\u2019s no limit to how much you can practice \u2013 so take advantage of that opportunity!<\/p>\n

Yale SOM <\/strong>will also send you access to video questions upon the submission of your application. You\u2019ll be given three behaviour-based questions, with 30 seconds to think of an answer and 90 seconds to respond. Much like INSEAD, there is a practice tool so you can get familiar with the process.<\/p>\n

Finally, Kellogg<\/strong> was the first major business school to popularize the video essay. Once you submit your essays, you can access the video portal through your application page. You will be asked three questions with (only!) 20 seconds to come up with answers and one minute to respond. The twist is that you\u2019ll be provided two questions upfront for brainstorming but one will be randomly selected when it comes time to respond. They want to keep you on your toes, while giving you some time to think.<\/p>\n

As you can see, there\u2019s quite a lot of variety between each school\u2019s demands, much like their requirements for written essays. Creating a video essay for maximum impact will take time and, depending on your confidence on camera, probably quite a few takes (if allowed). The best video essays have a lot in common with well-written prose essays, however. Here are some tips:<\/p>\n