McDonough MBA Admissions and Related Blogs

Two major changes to Georgetown McDonough's application this year
1. A new essay prompt: A little more focus and 250 words shorter than last year's question.

2. A one-minute video.

I recently interviewed Georgetown McDonough's Dean of Admissions, Shari Hubert for our Admission Straight Talk podcast. While the main topic of the podcast is the evolving nature of the MBA job search, Dean Hubert did discuss both these changes and the reasons for them in the podcast. I highly recommend you listen to the entire interview. However, if you don't have time for the 40-minute interview, make time for the portion discussing this year's application, which starts at 28:30.

My comments are in blue below.

Essays:

We want to hear your story. When responding to our required essays, be authentic and take time to reflect on your goals and past experiences. Craft a response that explains how these experiences led you to pursue an MBA.

Essay 1:

We would like to learn more about you. Please answer the following essay question in 500 words or less: “What matters to you? Please share an experience from your past that illustrates why this matters to you and how it will enable you to contribute during your MBA Program (note: this does not necessarily need to be related to your professional goals).”


If you listen to thepodcast mentioned aboveor the earlier one with Dean Hubert, it will quickly become clear that giving and contributing are important values at Georgetown. So choose an experience that shows you as a contributor or giver to a cause or value that matters to you. It does not necessarily need to be "what matters to you most" as in Stanford's Essay A, but something that matters enough to you so that you took action.

Then relate your initiative to a need or opportunity at McDonough. How does what's important to you show that you will contribute at Georgetown? How will you choose to leave your mark at this business school guided by its Jesuit heritage?

A possible structure: Start with an anecdote that illustrates why this issue matters and then define what exactly does matter. Then relate it to events, groups, or activities at Georgetown.

Video Essay:

The required video essay is an opportunity for you to bring life to your application. Please introduce yourself to your future Georgetown MBA cohort in a one minute video.

This is one of those questions when you are not supposed to think about the fact that your essay is being read by admissions people. You are supposed to address your peers, your professional network to-be, and your future friends i.e. your classmates.

What would you want them to know about you?

They're looking for more than just spreadsheet skills or professional mojo here, although that might creep in. Balance personal and professional. As Georgetown says, "bring life to your application" with this video.

Take the time to sketch out what you want to say in these 60 seconds. I don't recommend that you write it out and memorize it, but definitely have a plan. And then practice. It's really strange to speak to a camera. The camera gives no feedback, has no affect, and is completely wooden in responsiveness. You may be tempted to behave similarly. Bad idea. Either practice by yourself and view the videos of your practices so that you improve, or ask an encouraging friend to film you so that at least you have your friend's reactions to respond to.

What is the Georgetown admissions committee looking for in this video? They are trying to imagine you as a member of their community. They also want to see how you present yourself without going to the trouble and expense of an interview. They want to assess your presence: How are you going to appear to a potential employer?

Optional Essays:

1. If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)

Show them that you are using this period of unemployment to acquire new skills, contribute to your community, or grow in some way.

2. Please provide any information that you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)

Please see “Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them”

Re-Applicant Essay:

How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally. (500 words or fewer)

This is a key question (whether asked explicitly or not) for all reapplicantsto any MBA program. What has changed? How are you "new and improved" since last year -- when you were rejected? Georgetown does you the favor of providing this explicit prompt so you can address this question while retaining the ability to address the main essay.

If you would like professional guidance with your Georgetown McDonough School MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consultingor our MBA Application Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Georgetown McDonough MBA application.

Georgetown McDonough 2016-17 MBA Application Deadlines:




By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted and co-author of the definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business SchoolsLearn How to Demonstrate Leadership in Your Application, free guide
• What You Need to Know About Finding a Job Post-MBA [Episode 164]
• School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips

This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help you get accepted!

Looking for the best possible admissions advice?

How about admissions advice from the admission committee members themselves?

Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted and host of the Admissions Straight Talk podcast has a collection of highly enlightening interviews with directors of admissions and adcom members of top business schools!

Listen in as Linda asks her adcom guests pointed and to-the-point questions about the school, the admissions process, how to get in, and…how to get rejected.

Listen, enjoy, and apply successfully!

Columbia Business School
Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions

Yale School of Management
Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions

USC Marshall
Keith Vaughn, Former Assistant Dean of Admissions

Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business
Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions and Doreen Amorosa, Associate Dean and Managing Director of Career Management


UCLA Anderson
Jessica Chung, Associate Director of Admissions 

MIT Sloan
Dawna Levenson, Director of Admissions

Rotman School of Management
Niki da Silva, Recruitment & Admissions Director

Tuck School of Business
Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions

Univ. of Michigan’s Ross School of Business
Diana Economy, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, and Terry Nelidov, Managing Director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise

The Fuqua School of Business
Liz Riley Hargrove, Associate Dean for Admissions

HEC Paris
Philippe Oster, Director of Communication, Development and Admissions

Johnson at Cornell University
Ann Richards, Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid

For a varied menu of thought-provoking and informative conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, MBA students, and more, check out the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast:

Subscribe:







This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help you get accepted!

Hey everybody! We’re back with another installment of “Ask the AdCom,” where we share a wide range of tips and advice from admissions team members from a dozen top business schools. Since AdCom members are human, too, we know our readers will enjoy seeing  a different side of what makes these guys tick.

This fun space is not really about the application process but more about real-life topics, like what’s a good book to read, best place to study, where you can find a killer meal near campus, and all the fun stuff happening at b-school that creates those lifelong, cherished memories for MBA students.

We hope you become inspired, too!



Today’s Question is: What study abroad options can MBA program students explore?
Alex Lawrence, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at UCLA Anderson School of Management, points to The Global Immersion Program includes classes at UCLA Anderson and one week immersion in-country for a blend of classroom lectures, guest speakers, panel discussions, company visits and cultural activities.

Morgan Bernstein, Executive Director of Full-Time MBA Admissions  at Berkeley-Haas School of Business, says: Berkeley MBA students may embark on an international exchange program in the fall semester of their second year. International exchange programs are offered at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, IESE Business School, Universidad de Navarra, Barcelona, L’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), Jouy-en-Josas, and London Business School.

Students can also do an exchange with Columbia Business School in New York. Students interested in international exposure without the semester exchange often participate in International Business Development(IBD), our global consulting course that sends student teams all over the world to complete a three-week consulting project.

Judi Byers, Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid  at Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management, asked students to share their experience with Johnson’s study abroad options:

• Sydney Chernish, MBA ’16: We have programs where students can attend schools across the world. For shorter periods, there are opportunities to attend two week international treks to receive elective credit.
• Najeen Riazi, MBA ’17: There is incredible diversity of study abroad programs.  I participated in programs in South Africa/Zanzibar and Israel and both were life-changing.
• Daniel Greenhaw, MBA ’16: Yes – either semester abroad or week long excursions known as Johnson Treks.

Virginie Fougea, Associate Director of Admissions at INSEAD, says: In addition to our three campuses (Abu Dhabi, Fontainebleau & Singapore), we have alliances and partnerships with Kellogg, Wharton, SAIS John Hopkins and CEIBS in the US and China.

Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of MBA Admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, says: We have semester exchange programs with ESADE, HEC, and BiMBA at Peking University. We also require all MBAs to complete the Global Business Experience course, which asks them to consult for a company abroad then travel to that company to present their recommendations to executives.

John Roeder, Assistant Dean Graduate Admissions  at SMU Cox School of Business, says: While we have traditional Study Abroad programs, all students will go abroad to either Asia, South America or Europe as a part of the Global Leadership Program at Cox at the end of their first year.

As one of the first leading business schools to mandate global immersion for our students, the Cox School has built deep and extensive relationships with the leaders of today’s greatest international companies. As a result, students don’t just tour countries and visit headquarter locations; you hear and learn from the C-level executives who lead their global organizations on a daily basis.

Allison Jamison, Admissions Director at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, says: In addition to our courses, where students study an area of the world for a term and then go to visit, we offer more than 30 international exchange partners from Denmark, to China, to South Africa, to Argentina, and more.

Isser Gallogly, Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions at NYU Stern School of Business, says: Yes, including our popular 1-2 week in-country, intensive courses called Doing Business in… (DBis) to explore how business is conducted in other countries in Central America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia & Pacific.

Kelly R. Wilson, Executive Director of Admissions at CMU Tepper School of Business, says: Transitional Economies Study Abroad in EU is an option for those looking for a formal exchange program. Global Treks also play a role internationally.

Melissa Fogerty, Director of Admissions at Yale School of Management, says: Global engagement is a daily occurrence at Yale SOM…Our curriculum not only incorporates global perspectives into course work and cases but also requires significant global experience and includes a unique class on working in global virtual teams.

Yale SOM was the first major MBA program to require students to study abroad, with the introduction of our International Experience trips in 2006. Students now choose from a menu of Global Studies options, which include leveraging the Global Network for Advanced Management through Global Network Weeks and Courses, semester-long study abroad, International Experience trips, and real-world consulting experience with mission-driven entrepreneurs in the Global Social Entrepreneurship elective. Students also participate in an innovative Global Virtual Teams course, in which they partnered this year with Global Network peers at EGADE Business School in Mexico and HEC Paris in France on a virtual operations management project.

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Get your passport ready, because it seems international travel is all but guaranteed when you pursue an MBA degree at one of the top b-schools anywhere in the world!  Look out for the #AskAdCom in our social media channels, and we’ll see you again next week when we check in to Ask the AdCom about the entrepreneurship resources available at their programs.


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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University has published the updated application essays for the 2017-18 admissions cycle. Per the admissions website:

We want to hear your story. When responding to our required essays, be authentic and take time to reflect on your goals and past experiences. Craft a response that explains how these experiences led you to pursue an MBA.

• Essay One: We would like to learn more about you. Please answer the following essay question in 500 words or less: “What matters to you? Please share an experience from your past that illustrates why this matters to you and how it will enable you to contribute during your MBA Program (note: this does not necessarily need to be related to your professional goals).”
• Video Essay: Please introduce yourself to your future Georgetown MBA cohort in a one minute video. The Admissions Committee would like for you to appear in person during part of your video, and we strongly encourage you to speak outside of the experiences we can read on your resume. You may paste the link to your Youtube or Vimeo video in your application. Please note that we cannot accept private or password protected videos.  For more instructions, view our Video Essay Guide.
• Optional Essay One: If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)
• Optional Essay Two: Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)
• Re-Applicant Essay: Required for re-applicants. How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally. (500 words or fewer)

For additional information on applying, please visit the Georgetown MBA admissions website.
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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

FROM McDonough Admissions Blog: The MBA Admissions Team hopes to provide our prospective...

The MBA Admissions Team hopes to provide our prospective students with helpful tips for the application process. Director of Admissions Anne Kilby kicks off our application tips series with thoughts on the application process overall. Watch our blog for more tips to come! The MBA application process allows candidates to reflect on their accomplishments, outline their career paths, and define their academic goals. It requires introspection and self-awareness. There are a variety of engagement opportunities provided by Georgetown McDonough’s admissions office to assist you in this exploration. In anticipation and throughout the process, helpful questions to consider are: “why pursue higher education now?” “why is an MBA the best fit for my career application?” and “what do I hope to achieve through the degree program?” More specifically, and this will need to be addressed in your application, “why is the Georgetown McDonough MBA the best fit for me?” Once you have decided to move forward with your Georgetown McDonough application, you can reference the tips below which are meant to encourage your success in the process. Be strategic. Planning your timeline for applying to Georgetown McDonough requires organization. Be mindful of application deadlines, then work backwards to determine when to take the standardized test (GMAT and GRE accepted), when to write and revise essays, when to request recommendations, and etc. There are benefits to applying early in the process – primarily, you’ll be notified earlier of the admissions decision, and be eligible for more scholarships. Be strategic in your standardized test preference, who you select to write your recommendations, and how you craft your essays. The early bird gets the worm – or at least has a better shot at finding them! Be authentic. As you would imagine, the Admissions Committee is reviewing many applications. The best way to help us assess your fit for McDonough is to express yourself genuinely – allow us to get to know “the real you.” For example, the video essay is a great opportunity to help us look beyond the paper application. While we certainly encourage concision, we also want you to include all details that would be relevant in our candidate assessments. There are numerous places you can do so – in your resume, essays (required, optional, and video), application questions, and in the interview. The MBA Admissions Office prides itself on holistic admissions. All these various application components enable our team to review candidates in a holistic, comprehensive way. Being authentic ensures you will stand out in the crowd, since no one can be you but you! Be proud and excited. Getting your MBA is an exciting, challenging adventure. Even making the decision to pursue higher education is a milestone you should feel proud of reaching. The Georgetown McDonough MBA program is transformational; you will be exposed to a new network of international professionals, learn from world-renowned faculty, and equip yourself with skills intended to increase your post-degree career opportunities. Enthusiasm is contagious, and we are spreading it at Georgetown McDonough, with your help!

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