Insights into video essays

Video Essays:
This article has been written to shed light on video essays, which are now increasingly becoming common in applications. I applied to 8 schools and 4 of them had this requirement.

I recall being scared of video essays to the extent that I would look for schools which did not have this requirement. Until one day, a friend suggested that I would do well in video essays and that really boasted my confidence. Looking back, I realise that it was solely because I did not know anything about video essays and I do not want others to undergo the same pressure.

Now, video essays have become a part of the job application as well. This trend is coming up because schools and companies are looking for new innovative ways to test a candidate and their preparedness to handle the changing realities. So, it is advised that one gets used to it as it has many advantages for the future too.

There are 2 types of video essays- one is constant and the other is spontaneous.
The first one is the one where a topic/ question is given in the application itself and the time limit is also mentioned. The question is the same for all the candidates. Here there are multiple advantages:
1) You get ample time to prepare what you want to say- you can also look for videos of other students to get an idea.
2) You can take multiple shots at recording the video- you can get it right in the first shot or you may take 20 shots. Subsequently, you can ask your friends or family member to help you pick out the best one.
These types of videos are easy to handle because of the reason I mentioned above. I was able to get through both the schools which had a requirement of this video essay type. I am attaching the link here to my YouTube channel for you all:
VideoEssay for ASB- https://youtu.be/ta0bW-Kx41I
UBC Sauder- Video Essay- https://youtu.be/aSGBe3Jw0k4

The other video essay type is spontaneous.
Here You do not know the question that will be asked and it varies for each candidate. The questions are randomly selected by the algorithm. The Schools want to test your ability to think on the feet and your reaction in times of the unknown and stressful situations. These are a little tricky because:
1) You get a brief time of about 30-45 seconds and then, you have 1-1.5 minutes to respond.
2) You have one shot at recording the video essay. In some cases, you may get an opportunity to record once again. Please read the instructions carefully so that you know such things beforehand.
They do give you time to practice on unofficial questions before your start the real assessment so that you get a hang of it and they also allow you to replay your response before you move on to the real assessment.
I honestly did not do well on these video essays and was constantly looking for words which was definitely a deal breaker. I suggest you utilise each second of the preparation time carefully. Sit with a pen and paper and try to structure the information properly. In an interview, you hardly get 5-10 seconds to think before answering a question. Here, you get 30-45 seconds which is more than enough. Just remain calm and visualize that you are talking to a person and not the machine. This will definitely help you.
I had 2 schools asking for spontaneous videos- 1 had only 1 video essay requirement and the other had 3 video essay requirements along with a timed written assessment. What I observed is that- there was a question common to both. It is along the lines of why MBA? I suggest you to prepare these answers for a duration of 1-1.5 minutes so that you are not caught off guard like me even with simple questions.
1) Why do you want to do an MBA now? (Give a brief background of your career and future aspirations and talk about the importance of MBA in that light).
2) Why do you think the school is the right fit for you and your career goals? (Know the strengths of the school in alignment to your future goals)

Tip: Please make videos on a laptop only. Phones are not recommended for this.
Background setting: Pick a place with ample lighting and preferably with a light colour- tone background. Some people make videos in their workplaces to show the adcom their work stations. I chose to make my video at home itself. Also, some candidates put multiple effects and try to incorporate their personalities in it and are wildly creative. This is absolutely a personal call. There is no one way of doing it. Adcoms will definitely appreciate creativity but that should not compromise on the more important aspects. I did not do any of it because I did know how to video edit nor I felt it was necessary to put across my message. I simply focussed on my content and more importantly, the way I said it- clear pronunciation and a structured logical answer. Don’t smile too much. Just look pleasant and calm. Opt to wear something formal.
This is all that one needs to know before going for video essay submissions. I hope it helps you guys. Feel free to reach out in case of doubts regarding the admission process.

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