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Get the inside scoop on what makes Emory’s Goizueta Business School great, learn how you can present a strong MBA application, and connect with an Admissions Director to get your questions answered.- Jan 17
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24 May 2021, 08:00
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: Heading South for an MBA: The University of Texas McCombs School of Business and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School |
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In 2013, the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, Austin, introduced several highlights to its MBA program that would allow students to benefit from expanded opportunities for work experience (including with nonprofits), entrepreneurship, and leadership programming. For example, the school expanded its pilot program for brand management experience with Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Yoo-hoo brand. In what is now called the Texas McCombs Labs program, students learn marketing and supply chain skills by working hands-on for such major firms as Dell and Sam’s Club. All first-year MBA students are eligible to apply to the program, which runs through the course of one academic year. Another addition, the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition, awards MBA scholarships to the winners of a start-up pitch competition, in which both admitted and prospective students can compete. The competition awards nearly $60,000 in prizes annually. In the area of nonprofit work, McCombs hosts a chapter of the Net Impact program, which affords students the chance to work on socially and environmentally responsible projects aimed at solving major societal problems. In 2014, the McCombs chapter was chosen as the Net Impact Graduate Chapter of the Year. Another Southern institution, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School—named after late Coca-Cola CEO Roberto C. Goizueta—is deeply rooted in a legacy of global business leadership. Goizueta’s MBA program offers one- and two-year formats, strives to maintain an intimate learning environment, and offers its students the benefit of being located in a significant global commercial hub. One of the program’s notable advantages has been its success in attracting recruiters. The school’s recruiting strengths seem to be reflected in its latest employment report as well—92% of the Class of 2020 received job offers within three months of graduation and accepted positions with such major companies as Amazon, Barclays, Deloitte, Delta Air Lines, Google, J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, PwC, and UPS. |
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24 May 2021, 13:00
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: University of Virginia (Darden) Essay Analysis, 2021–2022 |
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[url=https://i1.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Darden-Logo-1.jpg?ssl=1][img]https://i1.wp.com/www.mbamission.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Darden-Logo-1.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1[/img][/url] “Inclusion,” “purpose,” “community,” “perspective,” “support”—these words appear prominently and often in the essay questions for the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business this year. Although Darden has pretty much always focused on the strength of its community, the way students collaborate both inside and outside the classroom to learn and grow, and the value of bringing people from diverse backgrounds and with differing mind-sets together, the school’s updated prompts seem to emphasize these ideas even more than usual. Applicants must provide five short essays—which the school interestingly refers to as “short answer questions” instead—ranging from 50 to 200 words, and for two of them, candidates can choose between two prompts, though the overarching theme is the same. As a whole, the essays cover applicants’ personal, educational, and career objectives while touching on aspects of Darden’s particular character and ethos—notably, its learning teams, vast international reach, and diversity. Candidates who feel they have still more they need to impart to the admissions committee can take advantage of the school’s 250-word optional essay as well. Read on for our analysis of Darden’s 2021–2022 prompts. [b]Learning Team: Learning Teams are an invaluable peer resource for Darden students as they navigate the core curriculum. Every student is assigned to a Learning Team consisting of 5–6 students from an array of backgrounds and perspectives, and this built-in support system serves as an important connection to the broader Darden community. Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you that is not on your resume. (150 words)[/b] Before you start writing, do some foundational research into what a learning team is, its purpose, and how it functions. As the prompt explains, Darden’s learning teams are carefully selected groups of five to six students, assembled with the intent of creating an eclectic mix of personalities and backgrounds. This group meets in the evenings, Sunday through Thursday, to tackle the next day’s case work together (and if you are not familiar with the case method, now is the time to do your homework on it as well!). Learning teams are a true core element of the Darden experience, in part because some cases are so voluminous that students must take a divide-and-conquer approach and teach one another the material. In short, learning teams are intense and complex, requiring strong teamwork skills and contributions but capable of providing support and camaraderie as students work their way through Darden’s notoriously challenging first year. So, in a mere 150 words, you must reveal that you have a perspective, attribute, background, or talent that will enable your learning team to function better or perhaps even just more pleasantly. Although the prompt’s implication is that you will be communicating with your future Darden classmates, the truth is, of course, that you are speaking to the admissions committee (and maybe even to whoever will ultimately be assembling the school’s learning teams). For your essay to be most successful and compelling, you must demonstrate that you have something valuable to offer your future teammates. We always advocate using anecdotes to reveal this kind of information and suggest you consider focusing on a single experience that demonstrates your chosen attribute and can represent how you might function on your learning team. Keep in mind that (1) the prompt specifically instructs you to avoid discussing anything that is already conveyed in your resume, and (2) you do not have to describe a clichéd team experience to prove you are a team player. For example, perhaps you are a great debater and can clearly see and easily elucidate multiple sides to a story, or you have a natural talent for organization and can help people keep from getting overwhelmed by the various readings, tasks, and deliverables the first-year course work demands. Or maybe you have a talent for diffusing tense situations with humor and so can keep a tired and stressed group of ambitious students with strongly held but opposing views in a good headspace and cooperating civilly. Perhaps you are a certified Reiki practitioner and can thereby help your teammates manage their stress and energy levels. Within reason, what the skill or trait is that you highlight here does not matter as much as establishing that it would make you advantageous to Darden’s learning team experience. To learn more about Darden’s learning teams and other characteristic elements of its MBA program, download a free copy of the mbaMission [url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/uva-darden-school-of-business-administration-insider-s-guide][b]Insider’s Guide to the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business Administration[/b][/url]. [b]Leadership and Impact: Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please respond to one of the following prompts. (200 words)[/b] [b]Q1: Tell us about a time when you acted with a team to solve a problem or seize an opportunity. What role did you play? What did you learn from this experience?[/b] [b]Q2: Tell us about a time you acted to solve a problem for the greater good. What drew you to this issue? What did you learn from this experience?[/b] At first glance, these prompts look very similar, so you will have to drill down a bit to determine which one is a better fit with your personal stories. Both ask about solving a problem, but the first one also allows you to discuss “seiz[ing] an opportunity,” which opens the door to situations that did not necessarily involve an obstacle or challenge. And even though both questions are presented under the umbrella heading of “Leadership and Impact,” neither prompt specifically demands that you share a time when you served in an official leadership capacity, and “acted with a team” (emphasis ours) in the first one clearly implies that a story about having been part of a group—rather than directing or responsible for one—is totally acceptable. The fact that both options ask about what you learned from the experience indicates that this is what Darden is most interested in understanding, so make sure to clearly explain what your major takeaways were and, ideally, their influence on how you intend to navigate similar situations going forward. At mbaMission, we love when admissions committees request examples, because they invite essays that use a narrative structure, and we believe such essays tend to be not only more revelatory but also more interesting to read (always good when trying to make an impression on someone who reads literally thousands of essays each year!). To illustrate, you might start by launching directly into your story and perhaps highlighting the problem or opportunity involved right away: “Although I had never organized a community-wide fundraiser before, when a beloved local nonprofit was in danger of….” Darden will understandably want to know the outcome of the incident you describe, so you need to relate the results of your actions, but the admissions committee is even more interested in knowing what decisions you made and steps you took. In other words, in addition to explaining what was achieved, you must illustrate the values, thought process, and initiatives that made it possible. Also, make note of the words “responsible” and “purpose” in the intro to the prompts and keep them in mind as you brainstorm ideas for this mini essay. Qualities related to these concepts would be good ones to highlight if they are truly part of your authentic story. [b]Diversity: Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. Read the [url=https://vpdiversity.virginia.edu/#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Virginia's%20Commitment,attributes%2C%20perspectives%2C%20and%20disciplines.]University of Virginia’s Commitment to Diversity[/url]. [/b] [b]Diversity stands with ethics, integrity, and academic excellence, as a cornerstone of University culture. The University promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment that embraces the full spectrum on human attributes, perspectives, and disciplines. When people of different backgrounds come together, they exchange ideas, question assumptions (including their own), and broaden horizons for us all. A University of Virginia community rich in diversity affords every member equal respect and provides a forum for understanding our differences as well as our commonalities.[/b] [b]The Darden School develops practices and cultivates a culture that reflect and incorporate the worldviews of its many community members. In this inclusive culture, the community learns important—and sometimes uncomfortable—lessons from one another, resulting in more conscientious global leaders and citizens. Please respond to one of the following prompts. (200 words).[/b] [b]Q1: Share a time when you learned something related to diversity, equity, or inclusion that was previously unknown to you. How did this experience impact your perspective?[/b] [b]Q2: Share a time when you advocated for a perspective, identity, or community different from your own. How did this experience impact your worldview?[/b] In business school—as in life in general—you will encounter people who think differently from you, operate according to different values, and react differently to the same stimuli. And success in an endeavor often involves considering and incorporating others’ input and standpoints. Via this essay, Darden hopes to learn how you view, approach, and react to such differences. Once enrolled in the school’s MBA program, you will be surrounded every day by people who are unlike you in a multitude of ways, and you will need to work in tandem with and alongside these individuals when analyzing case studies, completing group projects, and participating in other activities both inside and outside the classroom. The school is clearly seeking evidence that you are capable of listening, reflecting, learning, and growing and that you are open and receptive to things beyond your usual frame of reference. And by asking you to share a time when something new that you “learned … related to diversity, equity, or inclusion” changed you in some fundamental way, Darden is requesting actual evidence of this open-mindedness in action. With respect to the second prompt option, perhaps you were not exposed to or taught something completely new but instead put your existing beliefs into action on behalf of someone else. The past year has certainly offered a multitude of opportunities for people to “show up” for others who are different from them, whether as part of an organized protest or march, or by speaking up or stepping in when an individual was observed being harassed or marginalized in some way. Again, Darden wants to know how you act on your values and ideals, as well as how doing so has helped you continue to grow and broaden your mind in this respect. To craft an effective essay response, consider using a narrative approach to describe a kind of “before and after” situation or “lightbulb moment” in which your takeaways from the experience influenced your subsequent thoughts, values, and/or actions. Perhaps you were exposed to something completely new that resonated with you and thereafter became a fundamental part of your mores or a routine practice in your life. Or maybe an experience challenged one of your existing beliefs and altered your opinion or stance in a significant way—or reinforced and strengthened it. Keep in mind, however, that the admissions committee is much more interested in your willingness and capacity to learn and grow than in the specific kind of change you experienced. [b]Career Goal: Darden’s Career Center delivers personalized career searches, support, and resources to empower students in their goals to create value as purpose-driven leaders. The team of dedicated, expert career coaches spans every major industry, function, and geography and collectively represent over one hundred years of coaching experience. Coaches are prepared to support students wherever they are in their search, as career goals shift and evolve while pursuing an MBA.[/b] [b]Through a wide variety of career-related programming, students gain lifelong skills they will continue to leverage throughout their careers. And this support continues after graduation. All Darden graduates have access to complimentary career support for life through Darden’s Alumni Career Services. [/b] [b]What is your short-term, post-MBA goal and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (150 words)[/b] At an mbaMission annual conference, Darden’s Executive Director of Admissions Dawna Clarke shared with us that one of her favorite expressions is “You don’t know what you don’t know” and that she keeps this maxim in mind when considering Darden applicants’ career goals. MBA students encounter an incredible (and often surprising) number and breadth of professional opportunities while in business school, and given Dawna’s extensive admissions background, she knows only too well that candidates can and do change their minds and trajectories along the way. That said, Darden wants to know that you have given this aspect of your MBA experience very serious thought, have thoroughly researched your options, and are approaching business school with a strong sense of purpose—that you have a fitting and attainable goal in mind and can articulate it clearly. Note that the admissions committee asks specifically about your short-term goal, which is often a pretty practical one, compared with applicants’ typically more idealistic long-term goals. So, first make sure that the path you have chosen is a sensible one for you. Ask yourself, “Will a Darden MBA help me get from where I am now to where I want to be?” If, for example, you are a journalist and have dreams of working at a hedge fund after you graduate, the admissions committee will probably not respond very positively to your plan, because hedge funds tend to be the domain of math PhDs and seasoned finance professionals. The school wants to feel that you will be able to achieve your aspirations after completing its program, so you want to avoid goals that could sound farfetched. Instead, as a journalist, you would need to identify a far more realistic path, but one that is true to who you are. Being ambitious is great, but the goal you present must be connected to reality, and to demonstrate that connection, you will have to spell out why your objective is a reasonable one for you. Establishing briefly that you have the skills and knowledge to enter your target field will make that logical connection for your admissions reader, reassuring them that you can be a happy and productive graduate. One’s career goals are often part of a traditional personal statement, so we encourage you to download your free copy of the [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/personal-statement-guide]mbaMission Personal Statement Guide[/url][/b], which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. This complimentary guide offers detailed advice on approaching and framing these subjects, along with multiple illustrative examples. Be sure to [b][url=https://info.mbamission.com/MBA-Personal-Statement-Guide]claim your copy today[/url][/b]. [b]The [url=https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/darden-worldwide/scholarship-fund/]Batten Foundation Worldwide Scholarship[/url] provides all Darden students in our full-time MBA program with an opportunity to participate in a [url=https://www.darden.virginia.edu/mba/darden-worldwide/]Darden Worldwide Course[/url]. Darden has an incredible network of alumni and partners around the world, and, in a typical year, the School connects with over 80 countries. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to travel? (5 words) And why? (50 words)[/b] First, we want to make sure you fully understand what this essay prompt is revealing. At the aforementioned mbaMission annual conference, Dawna explained to us that because of this generous Batten scholarship, every single Darden student can now afford to participate in an international course at some point during their two years in the program. Business school is an experience rife with opportunities, and Darden wants to make sure no barriers stand in the way of its students taking advantage of this particular one: the chance to study abroad and explore new horizons. While this essay prompt might initially strike you as hypothetical, let us reassure you that it is very much grounded in reality. In addition, the admissions committee has noted on its blog, “Th[is] question is intentionally broad. While we encourage you to review our Darden Worldwide Course offerings, you are welcome to go beyond the locations where we deliver a course when crafting your response” (emphasis added). So really plumb your interests and identify a location that truly excites you—then write about it! You can reveal yourself to be adventurous, curious, or intellectual by pinpointing which country most entices you. Then clearly and succinctly (your response must fit a delineated box, so no longwinded travelogues!) convey your enthusiasm for this choice and explain how the opportunity would enhance your Darden education and experience. (Note that the previous paragraph is exactly 50 words long!) [b]If there is further information you believe would be helpful to the Admission Committee, please provide it. (250 words)[/b] We tend to believe that the best use of the optional essay is to explain confusing or problematic issues in your candidacy, and this prompt offers an opportunity to do just that. So, if you need to, this is your chance to address any questions an admissions officer might have about your profile—a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in your work experience, etc. In our [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/mbamission-optional-essays-guide]mbaMission Optional Essays Guide[/url][/b], we offer detailed advice on how best to take advantage of the optional essay, with multiple examples, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your application. However, because Darden does not stipulate that you can only discuss a problem area in this essay, it does open the door for you to discuss something that is not addressed elsewhere in your application but that you feel is truly critical for the admissions committee to know to be able to evaluate you fully and effectively. We caution you about simply trying to fill this space because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you. Remember, by submitting an additional essay, you are asking the admissions committee to do extra work on your behalf, so you need to make sure that time is warranted. If you are using the essay to emphasize something that if omitted would render your application incomplete, take this opportunity to write a very brief narrative that reveals this key new aspect of your candidacy. [b]The Next Step—Mastering Your UVA Darden Interview: [/b]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 [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/collections/interview-guides]free Interview Guides[/url][/b] to spur you along! Download your free copy of [b][url=https://shop.mbamission.com/products/uva-darden-interview-guide]The UVA Darden Interview Guide[/url][/b] today. |
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26 May 2021, 14:00
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| FROM mbaMission Blog: Explaining Your Contribution and Using School-Specific Info in MBA Application Essays |
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Many business schools use their essay questions as an opportunity to ask about the unique contributions you will make to their particular program. Unfortunately, candidates often make the mistake of thinking that a bland summary statement like “I will bring my leadership skills to XYZ School” will sufficiently express their intended contribution. One reason we prefer to work with business school candidates “from start to finish” is so we can prevent such problems. Simply relating a story about a past experience and then repeating the main point does not demonstrate that you can or will make a meaningful contribution to the school. Ideally, you want to go further, explaining how you would apply and use your experience and skills while at the school in a way that would offer some benefit to others, thereby demonstrating a true understanding of your fit with that particular program. Example 1: “My experience as a stand-up comedian will allow me to bring humor to the Wharton environment.” With this statement, the MBA admissions committee is left wondering, “How exactly will this applicant bring humor to the environment? Does this person really know what our environment is about?” In contrast, consider our next example. Example 2: “My experience as a stand-up comic will prove particularly useful at Wharton, a dynamic environment where I will be constantly joining new and energetic study teams. I anticipate using my sense of humor to create more relaxed team environments, helping everyone feel comfortable contributing, though I will use my humor judiciously, such as to diffuse tense moments during late-night study sessions, rather than as a distraction. I believe my skills and experience being funny on stage will also allow me to play an important role in the Wharton Follies.” In this example, the writer has applied their personal experience and intended contribution directly to the Wharton experience and has thereby shown a clear connection with the school, proving that the candidate truly identifies with it and accurately understands its nature. At times, candidates also tend to unintentionally describe their personal experience with a specific MBA program in a vague and general manner. Because they are writing from memory and discussing their authentic experience, they do not realize that they are not being specific enough. Consider the following example: “During my visit to Cornell Johnson, I was struck by the easygoing classroom discussion, the warmth of the professors, and the time spent by the first-year student who not only toured the facilities with me but also took me out for coffee and asked several of his colleagues to join us.” Although these statements may in fact be true, the text contains no Cornell-specific language. If the Yale School of Management, Michigan Ross, or the name of any other school were substituted for Cornell Johnson here, the statement would not otherwise change at all, resulting in a weak and generic essay. In contrast, the following statement could refer only to UVA Darden: “While on Grounds, I was impressed by Professor Robert Carraway’s easygoing and humorous style as he facilitated a fast-paced discussion of the ‘George’s T-Shirts’ case. Although I admittedly felt dizzied by the class’s pace, I was comforted when I encountered several students reviewing the finer points of the case later at First Coffee. I was impressed when my first-year guide stopped mid-tour to check in with her learning teammate and reinforce the case’s central point. It was then I recognized that this was the right environment for me.” If you were to substitute the Darden name and even the professor’s name with those of another school and professor, the paragraph would no longer work. Including the Darden-specific information regarding the day’s case, First Coffee, and learning teams ensures that these sentences have a sincere and personal feel and shows that the candidate truly understands what the school is about. This is necessary to craft a compelling personal statement that will catch the admissions committee’s attention. |
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