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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 4420
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University of California Los Angeles Anderson Essay Analysis, 2019–202
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31 Jul 2019, 08:01
31 Jul 2019, 08:01
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: University of California Los Angeles Anderson Essay Analysis, 2019–2020 |
 The UCLA Anderson School of Management appears to be embracing a kind of “less is more” approach with its application essay prompts this year, having cut its total word count for its essays from 800—which we already considered rather sparse—to just 550. What was previously its first required essay (500 words) about applicants’ short- and long-term professional aspirations and why Anderson is the right school for them has been broken down into two mini essays (150 words each) that cover essentially the same information but now in a more succinct and direct way. Meanwhile, its 300-word “short answer” question from last year about candidates’ passions has been replaced with a 250-word submission on a characteristic applicants share with Anderson’s student community. Even the school’s reapplicants must contend with a stricter limit on what they can share with the admissions committee, now that that essay has been cut from 750 words to 500. All this minimization might tempt more candidates to consider taking advantage of the school’s optional essay, but Anderson specifies that this submission is for “extenuating circumstances” only, so applicants need to be prudent about doing so. Read on for our full analysis of the school’s essay questions for 2019–2020. a) Tell us about your MBA goals AND why you are applying to UCLA Anderson now:
Once your goals have been firmly stated and contextualized, explain how being a UCLA Anderson MBA student is key to your achieving them. You need to demonstrate that you have dedicated just as much thought—if not more—to why you want to study at UCLA Anderson as you have to where you want to go in your career. Think carefully about what you need to learn or experience (with respect to skills, network, and knowledge base) to be able to reach your stated aspirations and then detail which specific resources and opportunities at the school you believe will allow you to do so. Your goal is to convince the admissions committee that UCLA Anderson is the missing link between who and where you are now and who and where you envision yourself in the future. The basic components of these prompts are elements of a traditional personal statement, so we encourage you to download your free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide. In this complimentary publication, we offer a detailed discussion of how to approach such queries and craft an effective essay response, along with multiple illustrative examples. And to learn more about UCLA Anderson’s academic program, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, standout faculty members, and other key features, download a copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Anderson School of Management, which is also available at no cost. b) At Anderson, we believe our students are engaged, courageous, humble, and open. Describe a time when you demonstrated one of these traits in your personal life. (250 words maximum) Very simply, this essay is your opportunity to illustrate for the Anderson admissions committee that you are a good fit for its community and would meld well with your classmates. The school is essentially saying, “This is who we are. Now show us that you belong here.” Simply stating that you possess one of the qualities presented is easy, so the admissions committee is understandably asking for an illustration of this phenomenon from your past to better gauge this for itself. Having an idea of which characteristic resonates most with you personally and of how you have incorporated it into your life and interactions with others will help the school better envision how you might conduct yourself in its classrooms and in the world after you graduate. The school requests that you choose from the options it has provided—engaged, courageous, humble, and open—and share a story from your personal life specifically, likely to balance the professional angle of its other essay prompts. Like all other application questions, this one has no “right” choice, so do not try to guess which one you think the school “really” wants you to pick. Authenticity is key to your success here. Simply select the trait that best matches your personality and character, and identify an instance in which this characteristic was clearly apparent. Then present this story using a descriptive, narrative approach, so that the admissions reader can easily grasp which quality you identify with and how it has manifested in your life. c) Optional: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions committee should be aware. (250 words maximum) Here is your opportunity—if needed—to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, or a gap in your work experience. Do not simply try to fill this space because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you. And however tempted you might be, this is not the place to reuse a strong essay you wrote for another school or to offer an anecdote or two that you were unable to include in your required essay. However, if you truly feel that you must emphasize or explain something that would render your application incomplete if omitted, write a very brief piece on this key aspect of your profile. We suggest downloading your free copy of the mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, in which we offer detailed advice on deciding whether to take advantage of the optional essay and how best to do so (with multiple sample essays), if needed. Reapplicants: (For applicants who applied for the MBA program in the previous two application years.) Please describe your career progress since you last applied and how you have enhanced your candidacy. Include information on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (500 words maximum) Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement and forward momentum. UCLA Anderson wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile, remain focused on your goals, and have seized available opportunities during the previous year, because an MBA from its program in particular is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, of course, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible. The Next Step—Mastering Your UCLA Anderson Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. We therefore offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along! Download your free copy of the UCLA Anderson Interview Primer today. |
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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
Joined: 25 Apr 2013
Posts: 4420
Given Kudos: 1
August 2019 Event Roundup
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01 Aug 2019, 08:01
01 Aug 2019, 08:01
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: August 2019 Event Roundup |
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Are you applying to business school this year? If so, you can enroll in one of our free business school workshops, which are offered both online and in person in major cities across the country! This August, the event lineup includes the following sessions:
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mbaMission Admissions Consultant
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Posts: 4420
Given Kudos: 1
London Business School Essay Analysis, 2019–2020
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02 Aug 2019, 09:01
02 Aug 2019, 09:01
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: London Business School Essay Analysis, 2019–2020 |
 Once again, London Business School (LBS) appears to be satisfied with the scope and presentation of its application essay questions, having made no modifications to them this season. Although the program strictly requires only one essay—one that largely constitutes a traditional personal statement—some applicants may want to seriously consider submitting the optional essay as well if they feel that doing so will facilitate a fairer or more thorough evaluation of their candidacy. In our analysis that follows, we offer our advice on crafting your approach, whether you ultimately write just one essay for LBS or two. Essays are a vital part of your application and we recommend that you spend a significant amount of time in their preparation. Essay 1: What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words) As we noted earlier, LBS’s primary essay prompt essentially covers several basic elements of a traditional personal statement. You will need to show that you have a long-term vision for yourself and your career and that you have a clear plan for how to get there via the LBS MBA program. The basic assumptions, of course, are that business school is the next logical and necessary step in your progress and that you need to pursue your degree at LBS in particular, because the school provides specific experiences, knowledge, skills, exposure, and/or other elements that are necessary for you to attain your long-term aspirations and thrive in your chosen career. Ideally, you have already researched the program thoroughly to discover these important resources and areas of fit, but if not, do not skip this important step and/or refer only to basic offerings most business schools have. Your essay must be LBS specific. Demonstrating your authentic interest in the program by giving concrete examples and drawing clear connections between what the school offers, what you need, and who you are is key to crafting a compelling essay response here. Because 500 words is not a lot, avoid going into excessive detail about your past, though you will need to offer enough information to provide context and support for your stated goals. Because, as we noted, this essay largely encompasses a standard personal statement, we encourage you to download your free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide. In this complimentary guide, we present a much more detailed discussion of how to approach and craft this kind of essay, along with multiple illustrative examples. Optional Essay: Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words) Applicants often use the optional essay to explain confusing or problematic elements of their candidacy—a poor grade or GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in work experience, etc.—and LBS’s can certainly be used in this way. If you feel you need to clarify an aspect of your profile, first check the other parts of the school’s application, which already includes several opportunities to address certain issues (such as academic performance and disciplinary instances). If you can discuss your concern there instead, do so, and avoid using this essay to simply repeat any information provided via that avenue. If you have a problem to address that is not mentioned in the LBS application, we suggest downloading a copy of the mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, which is also available for free, and in which we offer detailed advice on deciding whether to take advantage of the optional essay and, if so, how best to do so to mitigate any concerning elements of your application. However, if you do not feel your candidacy includes any elements in need of further clarification, you might use this essay instead to offer a more rounded, positive representation of yourself—but be thoughtful about this opportunity. Do not just copy and paste an existing essay you wrote for a different school here and hope for the best. Take a step back and carefully consider what the admissions committee already knows about you from the other parts of your application, including, of course, your other essay. Then, do your utmost to develop and convey a narrative that is truly crucial to understanding your character. Because this question is so open-ended, your options are somewhat limitless. You will need to honestly check your instincts and ask yourself whether you are simply tacking something extra onto your application with this essay or whether you are offering something that is truly additive and would be helpful for the school to know to fully and fairly evaluate you. Be mindful and respectful of the admissions committee’s time, and remember that each additional file you submit requires more resources on behalf of the admissions office, so whatever you write must be truly worthwhile and clearly reveal that you made good use of this opportunity to provide further insight into your candidacy. Business schools outside the United States are increasingly popular among MBA hopefuls, and we at mbaMission are proud to offer our latest publications: Program Primers for international b-schools. In these snapshots we discuss core curriculums, elective courses, locations, school facilities, rankings, and more. Click here to download your free copy of the London Business School Program Primer. The Next Step—Mastering Your LBS Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along! Download your free copy of the London Business School Interview Primer today. |
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