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The Stanford Graduate School of Business application is the most comprehensive among top schools. And its famously fundamental essay question \u2014 \u201cWhat matters to you most and why? \u2014 is so deep and probing it can cause temporary brain freeze.<\/span><\/p>\n In a <\/span>Masterclass webinar<\/span><\/a> in early 2023, Fortuna Coaches Heidi Hillis, Tatiana Nemo and Rachel Erickson Hee (all Stanford GSB MBA alumnae and former GSB admissions interviewers) and Fortuna Founder and Director Matt Symonds offered specific, actionable advice on how to master Stanford\u2019s process and produce an application that stands out from the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n Be you, be genuine, be authentic!<\/b> <\/p>\n Go deep!<\/b> <\/p>\n Select recommenders who have seen your growth.<\/b> <\/span>It\u2019s your impact that matters<\/b><\/p>\n Stanford\u2019s mission and mantra is \u201cchange lives, change organizations, change the world.\u201d It\u2019s all about impact, and \u201cthat takes some intention and drive,\u201d says Nemo. They want to know what you have done, but they also \u201cwant to see that you have not just been doing for doing\u2019s sake. They want to see that there\u2019s a purpose, a desire to have impact. They want to understand the motivation behind your actions, what you are seeking and how you have gained momentum. That\u2019s something that is very difficult to observe and infer. It\u2019s something that has to be dug out and offered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Stanford asks recommenders to evaluate applicants using a grid that explicitly solicits examples of impact on the various facets and traits evaluated. Hillis advises that it\u2019s helpful for applicants to go through the grid and rate themselves, coming up with concrete examples of times when they made an impact in each area.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThink beyond what would normally be defined as impact and include more subtle examples if needed,\u201d Hillis says. \u201cPerhaps you\u2019re the person in the office who remembered birthdays, brought the cake, and served as the glue that bonded a team or built relationships. If you have worked in a team environment where you can\u2019t readily point to individual impact, think about efforts outside of work, such as organizing successful fundraisers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Details are important<\/b> <\/p>\n Maximize the interview to build rapport and a relationship.<\/b> <\/p>\n Connect with the school and the alums for your benefit<\/b>.<\/span> <\/p>\n For example, she finds that almost all of her clients aiming for Stanford mention the school\u2019s reputation as a \u201ctouchy-feely\u201d culture in the first draft of their application materials. \u201cEverybody says it; you have to explain <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> you want to participate in that. For instance, if you want to be an ambassador, In that role you will need to interact with a lot of people from different backgrounds, so you need those people skills.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The post 7 Things You Need to Know About Getting Into Stanford Graduate School of Business<\/a> first appeared on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post 7 Things You Need to Know About Getting Into Stanford Graduate School of Business<\/a> appeared first on Fortuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Stanford Graduate School of Business application is the most comprehensive among top schools. And its famously fundamental essay question \u2014 \u201cWhat matters to you most and why? \u2014 is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1831,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-fortuna-admissions","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Stanford really wants to get beyond the resume and learn what makes you you. That main iconic essay is an opportunity to let the school understand who you are as a person,\u201d says Hillis. \u201cEverybody has a story; the key is to make sure that yours is unique.\u201d <\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cPeople come to me and say things like, \u2018I read that the GSB really likes candidates who are X or Y.\u2019 That\u2019s a signal that you need to stop and rethink. Don\u2019t second guess what the GSB wants to hear; what the GSB wants to hear is about you. What works for someone else is not necessarily going to work for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Stanford\u2019s multiple essays and longer word count are an opportunity to dig down and do the self-reflection that most of us don\u2019t have an opportunity to do in our day-to-day lives. \u201cThey are looking for is something that is really hard to find on a resume or a GMAT score. They want to know what\u2019s driving you,\u201d says Nemo. \u201cThey are looking for that texture that makes your ambition, your sense of self, come to the fore.\u201d <\/span>
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\n<\/span>Hillis notes, \u201cTexture is a really good word for it; you need to get beyond the facts, go beyond the what and get to the why. At Fortuna, we work with our clients on showing, not telling \u2014 finding those stories and weaving them into a cohesive narrative.\u201d It can be daunting and requires a deep dive, coaches agree. \u201cStart to think about those stories,\u201d Hillis says. \u201cIf it was something that stuck with you from childhood, what was it about that story that made you change or think in a different way? How did you feel, how did you change, why did you make a decision that might have been different?\u201d Really drilling down to mine those nuggets of truth yields rich materials that can be used in other components \u2014 and for applications to other schools as well.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>The admissions committee is not looking for fan letters, and they are not impressed by a recommender\u2019s big name or shiny title. They are looking for evidence, anecdotes on how you have responded to challenges, how you work in teams, your leadership and ability to form partnerships and develop others and how you communicate, the coaches agree. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>To be effective, this evidence must come from someone who has direct observation of you and has been involved in your growth, given you feedback and has seen how you translate that into action. Recommenders have far more impact when they can speak persuasively about your impact.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>You want to give your recommenders clear guidance, with suggested areas they should cover\u00a0 \u2014 but definitely do not prepare a draft for them, even if the recommender asks for one. Prompt your recommenders to reinforce points you make elsewhere in your application, but avoid repetition. If you cover the same topic, make sure your recommender adds additional context or a different viewpoint.\u00a0 \u201cUse the real estate of the application strategically, so you cover <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> your best points and strengths. Figure out what goes in the essay, what is on your resume and what you ask recommenders to speak to,\u201d Nemo says.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>As massive as the Stanford application may seem, it\u2019s still limited space. Take care to make sure that you incorporate as much detail and information as you can to show the real you, webinar host Matt Symonds advises. Use clear, plain language, and tell a story that shows what you did, how and <\/span>why it matters.<\/span><\/i>
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\n<\/span>Make sure everything in the application is clear. If you had a bad semester in school, explain why. If you come from a country with different academic standards, explain the transcript. If jobs on your resume overlap, explain that. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>All this rich detail and data should weave a coherent and compelling story about who you are. A top candidate may have an incredibly long list of extracurricular activities, but it\u2019s useful to curate that list down to a set of activities that bolster a common theme and show what matters most to you. Find the backbone \u2014 the cadence and rhythm running through the whole application that ties it together.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>The goal is to put all these pieces together well and score an invitation to interview. That may seem nerve-wracking because it\u2019s the component you can\u2019t review and revise. Rachel Erickson Hee offered some reassurance: \u201cMost of the people who get an interview do a good job. It\u2019s really about providing the interviews and school with\u00a0 more information about who you are.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cA lot of times people prepare with talking points: these are the ideas I need to get across. This is <\/span>so<\/span><\/i> not the way to approach the Stanford interview. It\u2019s a conversation,\u201d she added. The interview will be a Stanford graduate who has not read your full application. \u201cTheir job is to be your advocate,\u201d said Hillis; \u201cYour job is to give them the stories and information they need to <\/span>be <\/span><\/i>your advocate.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>That said, it\u2019s a behavioral interview, with questions taking the \u201ctell me about a time when you did X\u201d format.\u201d Be prepared for interruptions and follow-up questions. Know your work, know your contributions, know your goals and be ready with stories of times when you showed leadership. \u201cThis is where you add color and depth to those stories: how you approached the problem, what your thought process was,\u201d Hillis said. \u201cKnow your stories \u2014\u00a0 then relax, listen and be in the moment.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>Erikson Hee adds, \u201cDon\u2019t worry too much about whether you said things just right, It\u2019s really not about that. The interview is looking for the best of you. It\u2019s about giving them evidence to demonstrate your best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>You are investing a lot of money in your MBA experience, \u201cbut it\u2019s also the time of your life,\u201d Nemo says. It\u2019s well worth taking the time to connect with and learn from alumni and students to confirm that your target school is a good fit for you.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>You are making a decision about where you will be at your best, says Nemo. \u201cYou\u2019ll perform best where you feel you belong, where you are comfortable and happy. So, when you are with alumni, do you feel comfortable? Do you appreciate their values and where that person is coming from? When you walk across campus, do you see yourself there? Do you feel the right vibe?\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>All of these elements are key, and they are things you can\u2019t learn from a website, Nemo points out. \u201cBe demanding in finding the place that is the best fit, both from a cultural standpoint of how you experience the school, the personalities and individuals you will be spending two years with and the body of alums you will be interacting with.\u201d<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s not about meeting 17 people; it\u2019s about trying to understand what it is that\u2019s unique about Stanford that is important to you,\u201d says Erickson Hee.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Going into those conversations with sources in the Stanford community, \u201cit\u2019s important to have a really robust understanding of why you want to go to business school. Then you can talk about how Stanford is going to help you achieve those goals,\u201d says Hillis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n