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In this live 60-minute masterclass, How to Get Ahead of MBA Recruiting Now, we’ll walk through the four biggest mistakes incoming MBAs make and how to avoid them so you’re not scrambling to catch up once recruiting begins.
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21 Nov 2014, 12:53
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This has probably been addressed somewhere, but why do you think schools have reduced the number of essays required, or at least the length of them. I know Booth only has two short answer 700 character questions and then the presentation (A few other 250 character answers too). Curious why schools are going that way and what they are using instead to judge admission in its place...
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21 Nov 2014, 14:00
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Great question! There are a number of reasons the schools are reducing the material required to apply and I'll address a main one today.
By forcing applicants to write less, the quality bar of the essays has risen and it is now even more important to get your story across very succinctly. In the past there were multiple essays and eventually applicants got powerful and convincing messages across. It was left up to the adcom to take the time and read through everything to decide what was quality and what was not. With fewer essays, applicants are challenged to convey themselves in an abbreviated format, much like the job recruiting process or the 30 second elevator pitch. With less to write, applicants are actually separating themselves through the essays even more, and so far this approach has been effective.
While many schools are not necessarily using something else to evaluate applicants instead of the essay, they are using different techniques to get a more well rounded picture of the applicant. For instance, group interviews, video interviews, presentations and post-interview reflections are all elements that allow the admissions committee to view applicants from another angle besides simply reading another essay.
By forcing applicants to write less, the quality bar of the essays has risen and it is now even more important to get your story across very succinctly. In the past there were multiple essays and eventually applicants got powerful and convincing messages across. It was left up to the adcom to take the time and read through everything to decide what was quality and what was not. With fewer essays, applicants are challenged to convey themselves in an abbreviated format, much like the job recruiting process or the 30 second elevator pitch. With less to write, applicants are actually separating themselves through the essays even more, and so far this approach has been effective.
While many schools are not necessarily using something else to evaluate applicants instead of the essay, they are using different techniques to get a more well rounded picture of the applicant. For instance, group interviews, video interviews, presentations and post-interview reflections are all elements that allow the admissions committee to view applicants from another angle besides simply reading another essay.
21 Nov 2014, 21:34
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There are multiple reasons behind this changing trend of requiring fewer and shorter MBA application essays. First, Admission officers have thousands of applications to review, so they don’t want to be overburdened with too many essays filled with overly lengthy paragraphs or sentences. Reducing number of essays and their word limits will definitely ease the burden of the admission committee. Secondly, schools expect their prospective students to be original and innovative. Sara Neher, assistant dean for MBA admissions at UV Darden School of Business, explains that they moved to single essay of 500 words three years ago because they discovered “applicants were writing one essay specifically for Darden and then recycling essays from their applications to other schools.”
Furthermore, by expecting you to answer the essay questions within the stringent word limits, B schools aim to evaluate you for your ability to make your point concisely and succinctly without beating around the bush. Lastly, I believe exceeding word limit reflects the applicants’ unwillingness to follow the guidelines.
In my article titled B - School Application Essays– ‘Less is More ‘ I have provided some examples from my student essays illustrating how you can tell your story in few words by using some strategy tips. Here is the link to the article:
https://myessayreview.com/blogs/?p=1837
I hope it helped.
Furthermore, by expecting you to answer the essay questions within the stringent word limits, B schools aim to evaluate you for your ability to make your point concisely and succinctly without beating around the bush. Lastly, I believe exceeding word limit reflects the applicants’ unwillingness to follow the guidelines.
In my article titled B - School Application Essays– ‘Less is More ‘ I have provided some examples from my student essays illustrating how you can tell your story in few words by using some strategy tips. Here is the link to the article:
https://myessayreview.com/blogs/?p=1837
I hope it helped.
