HarvardGrad wrote:
What's the likelihood of CBS Fulltime MBA program requesting the same essay questions for next year applicants as this year?
It seems like they have been asking for the same questions for couple of years, but they recently decided to change the questions little bit.
Nobody has a crystal ball and there are no guarantees, but the why "MBA / Why Now" question has been a CBS mainstay and is unlikely to change significantly. The "Why CBS" question will probably play a part in the app going forward, even if it becomes a short answer. Even if CBS *does* change their longer word count essay prompts a little bit, it's still a useful exercise to have good responses for these questions, because these questions WILL be a part of the application process, either in the application or the interview. Plus, the "Why MBA/Why now" question plays a part in virtually every other MBA application as well, so a good narrative about what you want to do with your career near and long-term and how your ambitions are imminently doable given your prior professional and academic success is important.
For schools like CBS, which are ultra selective but struggle with low yield (many of those accepted defect to schools like HBS, GSB, Wharton, Booth, etc.), the "Why CBS" question is a really important way to signal that you've done your research on the school. CBS wants to make sure that you are really interested in THEIR school in particular and you can show them that by having a very well-researched "Why CBS" answer. Yield is an important factor for rankings, which is one reason why schools want to make sure that you are really interested in their school and not just using it as a "safety" or spreading a wide net with as many half-hearted applications as possible.
If you are applying this year and aren't accepted, you should know that the re-application essay for CBS is very different from the primary attempt. You don't fill out the entire application again but rather answer a question to the effect of "What has changed about your candidacy since your last application."
If you are planning to apply to CBS next year or you have a feeling that you will be re-applying to CBS next year, it would probably help to get started early. Nobody ever wishes that they had started this process later. If speaking to an admissions consultant might help with strategic positioning and "why xyz" school answers, feel free to sign up for a free consultation here:
https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/