mba admission essay

Setting Your Sights to Getting an MBA and Coming Up with a Winning MBA Admission Essay

The focal question asked by many nervous applicants to any MBA school is this: “will the admission essay ultimately decide whether I will be accepted or not?” One way to increase your chances of getting accepted into your dream school is to come up with a winning MBA admission essay.  The MBA admission essay is a crucial part of the whole application process, but there are still other considerations.  What the admission essay does is to serve as a tool for the admissions people to know the applicants better.  An effective way to let the admissions people see a more personal side of you is to discuss your career goals in your essay.

However, so many MBA applicants commit the blunder of just turning the resume entries into complete sentences, consolidating all these sentences, and then call it an essay.  The following are tips on how to come up with a winning essay.

Show your communication skills in your essay.

One thing that admissions committees look for is an applicant who has the ability to communicate.  The admissions officers are cognizant of the fact that not everybody is an excellent writer, but if they see a personal statement that is riddled with punctuation blunders and spelling errors, they would simply make a conclusion that the applicant does not have what it takes.  Excellent communication skills are very important, especially if you want to achieve your corporate goals and climb up the corporate ladder.  Indeed, one could be motivated and intelligent, but if he or she could not properly impart his or her ideas to others, then the ideas are useless.

The good thing about the admission essays is that it (in a way) levels the playing arena.  This means you can increase your chances of getting accepted into your dream school even if you don’t have the highest grades by coming up with an excellent essay.  As such, the admission essay helps in determining if an applicant has the commitment, motivation, and communication skills needed to be a success in the business world later on.

Be truthful and sincere when writing your essay.

Another common blunder of so many applicants is that they think they should present a perfect picture of themselves through the essay.  What the applicant must do is to focus on experiences that developed or showed his or her initiative to excel, to improve his or herself, and to contribute to the society.  MBA admission committee members want individuals who could rise above the pack, while at the same time exhibiting qualities that show suitability to a particular MBA course.

Discuss your career goals in your essay.

Discussing your career goals in your essay is one way to add a more personal touch to your personal statement.  Once the admissions panel see that you already have career goals, they’ll know that you are a person who has a direction in life and is determined in reaching your goals.

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Make Management Proud by Landing a Spot at Your Dream MBA School with a Winning MBA
Admission Essay

Almost all colleges and universities consider the admission essay as a crucial part of the application procedure.  A very bright student who submits a half-heartedly written admission essay would be in for a rude awakening when he or she gets rejected because of it.  In the same vein, a student who doesn’t have the highest GPA can increase his or her chances of getting in if his or her essay is original, compelling, truthful, and interesting.  Having said all that, here are some tips to turn that MBA admission essay into a winning one, and impress your boss and colleagues by getting accepted into a top-notch dream MBA school.

#  The MBA admission essay is not a list of achievements.  A lot of applicants commit the sin of including all their achievements in the essay, even including irrelevant achievements.  There are other documents (transcripts or records) to be submitted for your application, and as such, these lists of achievements would be best included on those documents.  An essay that is compelling to the admissions board is one that tells a story, yet has a clear topic as opposed to something that goes in circles like a snake with a hangover.  A relevant and interesting discussion of a very difficult time in one’s life is better than a recitation of all competitions won way back in high school.

#  Just a tiny bit of humor is best.  The admissions essay is an application essay, not a script for a comedian’s skit.  A witty discussion would do well, and is appreciated by the admissions people.  Sex-oriented or racist jokes are definitely a no-no, and if you make the mistake of including one in your admission essay, expect your chances of getting accepted to plummet faster than the speed of light.

#  Your character must be revealed in the essay.  Positive attributes such as honesty, integrity, and maturity should be reflected in your essay.  While there is something to be said about straight A’s, this is not the sole criterion being sought by most colleges and universities.  They need students who have shown and proved themselves as responsible citizens and matured individuals, and not just smart students with high grades.

#  Pay attention to the technical side.  Punctuation blunders, grammatical errors, and even spelling mistakes would make your essay look unprofessional.  If every other sentence in your admission essay has one of the aforementioned blunders, the admissions officers would come to the conclusion that either you lack the perseverance to edit your work, or you are just a very poor writer.  Whichever it goes, it is a bad mark as far as the application is concerned.  Assuming writing excellently is not one of your assets, seek help from others such as your previous English professor in college or a mentor.

Getting into an MBA school could do wonders for one’s career, especially if one wants to impress bosses and colleagues at work.  However, it all starts with the application process, with the MBA admission essay being a significant part of it.  Make sure that your essay does not repeat data already included in other documents, and that it is well-written and edited.

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Writing an MBA Admission Essay Focusing on Your Business Communication Skills

Why should an applicant for an MBA grad course emphasize his or her business communication skills on his or her MBA admission essay? The reason for this is that business communication skills are one of the most important skills a successful corporate executive can develop.  According to several surveys, some of the most important skills a business executive could have or develop in order to climb the corporate ladder are oral and written communication skills.

Focusing on the importance of having excellent business communication skills can be a topic for a winning MBA admission essay.  The following are tips on how to come up with a well-written essay that focuses on these skills.

Discuss your goals clearly.

Keeping the importance of communication skills in mind, the quality of the applicant’s essay would depend greatly on his or her ability to convey goals or experiences in a reader-friendly manner.  Among the first queries to be answered in an admission essay is “Why pursue an MBA degree?” When answering such a question, it’s important to discuss your goals or reasons clearly and concisely.  As much as possible, give specific examples of goals or plans you have after graduating.

Include experiences that helped develop your business communication skills.

In your MBA admission essay, it’s beset to include experiences that helped hone your communication skills as a future business executive.  These experiences can include being part of the debate team or school paper.

Avoid using technical jargon in your essay.

Good communication skills are not necessarily equivalent to being knowledgeable about technical jargon.  As such, use simple but effective words in your essay.  Bear in mind that the admissions committee members read hundreds of essays.  So if you want to keep them interested, make sure to write an essay that is clear and free of technical jargon that are irrelevant to the topic of your essay.  When discussing your leadership experiences, problems solved, and career path, make sure that the readers will be able to understand your essay without having to open a dictionary.

Keep your admission essay as interesting as possible.

A sign of having excellent communication skills is the ability to convey your ideas without boring your audience or the readers.  Admissions officers have read hundreds or even thousands of essays, so make sure that your essay stands out from the rest.  Thus, start the essay with something that would instantly capture their attention, instead of making them yawn.  Remember, they do not expect you to give them a creative literary piece.  What they want is an essay that’ll set you apart from the rest of the applicants.

Avoid being too wordy in your MBA essay.

A wordy essay tends to confuse the readers.  Plus, it may make you exceed the specified length for the admissions essay.  Having good written communication skills means you can convey your ideas using the most appropriate words without sacrificing the coherence and content of the essay.

Communication skills in the business world have become very necessary for someone to become successful.  This is why it’s very important to focus on these or show the readers of your essay that you have excellent communication skills and that you are willing to use such skills to excel in the corporate world and contribute to the school.

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According to the 2008 Best MBA Program ranking of BusinessWeek, the following schools take the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth places, respectively: Darden Graduate School of Business, Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Cox School of Business. To help you know more about the schools, below are brief profiles about them. Just click on the links to go to the schools’ official websites.

Darden Graduate School of Business (University of Virginia)

The University of Virginia is a brainchild of Thomas Jefferson who wanted people to learn in the areas of arts, philosophy, foreign languages, law, medicine, and science. The university was opened in March 1825 to scholars, and among them was the famous poet and writer, Edgar Allan Poe. The Darden Graduate School of Business is one of the expansions of the university and it is one of the most recommendable business schools in the United States. To apply to Darden, fill-up an online application form available at the school’s official website.

Kenan-Flagler Business School (University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill)

UNC Kenan-Flagler was established in 1919 as the Department of Commerce of UNC Chapel Hill’s College of Arts. It was only in 1991 that the school’s name was changed to what it is now, after philanthropists Mary Lily Kenan Flagler and husband Henry Morrison Flagler gave donations. Also, the school’s name is a form of recognition of F.H. Kenan of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.

Among the programs offered in UNC Kenan-Flagler are MBAs, executive MBAs, master of accounting, executive education, undergraduate-BS in Business Administration, and doctorates. Apply to UNC Kenan-Flagler through its official website.

Cox School of Business (Southern Methodist University)

Cox School was founded in 1920. It is currently considered by several major publications like The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek as one of the best business schools in the world. Students who apply to Cox School can opt for undergraduate, graduate degrees, and executive education programs other than MBAs. Visit the official website of Cox School of Business to submit an application.

In the 2008 BusinessWeek MBA school rankings, Leonard N. Stern School of Business takes the thirteenth place, while Anderson School takes the fourteenth. In the fifteenth spot is Kelley School of Business. Below are short profiles of these MBA schools. Take time to read the profiles to be more informed.

Leonard N. Stern School of Business (New York University)

NYU Stern started out in 1900 as the NYU undergraduate School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance and is located on New York University’s Washington Square Campus. It was only in 1916 that the graduate business program was launched and was able to accommodate both full-time and part-time students. Throughout the years, NYU increased the number of programs it offered as prompted by the changing business industry demands and trends. The School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance was also changed to Leonard N. Stern School of Business after Stern gave a $30 million donation to improve the school’s facilities. To apply to NYU Stern, visit its official website and sign up through the online application form.

Anderson School (University of California–Los Angeles)

The Anderson School of Management was founded about 70 years ago under the University of California in Los Angeles. Currently, Anderson offers MBA, PhD, executive MBA, and Master of Financial Engineering as one of the school’s post-graduate programs. In addition, Anderson offers the UCLA-NUS Global Executive MBA program, Management Development programs, Global Access program, Riordan programs, and Management Communication programs. To apply to UCLA Anderson, visit the school’s official website and accomplish the online admission form.

Kelley School of Business (Indiana University)

Kelley School of Business was established in 1920 but formerly had the name School of Commerce and Finance. The school was again renamed to School of Business Administration which was later shortened to School of Business. Finally, in 1997, when E.W. Kelley gave a $23 million donation, the school was renamed as the Kelley School of Business. It offers Undergraduate, full-time MBA, online MBA, specialized master’s degrees, and doctoral programs as well as executive education. Apply to Kelley School through its website and complete the online application form.

The MBA schools that rank tenth, eleventh, and twelfth in the 2008 MBA School rankings are the Haas School of Business, Johnson Graduate School of Management, and Tuck School of Business. Below are links to these MBA schools as well as their brief profiles. Read on to know more about the schools.

Haas School of Business (University of California–Berkeley

The establishment of Haas School of Business was an idea initiated by Berkeley graduate and businessman Arthur Rodgers. The idea of a College of Commerce in the University of California was mentioned in Rodgers’s 1883 commencement address and was realized no more than 15 years later. Among the programs offered in Haas School are full-time and part-time MBAs, PhDs, undergraduate and executive programs, Masters in Financial Engineering, and non-degree programs. Apply to Haas School by contacting the admissions office or by completing an online application form.

Johnson Graduate School of Management (Cornell University)

Johnson School was founded in 1946. It offers MBA, executive MBA , PhD, and graduate and undergraduate with MBA programs. The prominent alumni of Johnson School include Irene Rosenfeld of Kraft Foods, Inc., Daniel Hesse of Sprint Nextel Corp., Nancy Schlichting of Henry Ford Health System, Robert Ramin of National Aquarium, and Kyung-Bae Suh of AmorePacific Corp. Apply to Johnson School by visiting its website and by accomplishing an online application form.

Tuck School of Business (Dartmouth College)

The Tuck School of Business was founded in 1900 and is stationed in Dartmouth. The school offers just the full-time MBA to fully support and assist students. But other than the full-time MBA program, Tuck also offers executive education programs and the undergraduate Tuck Business Bridge Program. Among the alumni of Tuck, some of the most prominent are Quentin L. Kopp, Colin Kenny, John Jacquemin, Mark Byrne, Anne Sullivan, and Philip J. Moss. Apply to Tuck through the online admission page at its official website.

The MBA schools that take the seventh, eighth, and ninth places in the 2008 MBA School rankings are Columbia Business School, Fuqua School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management. Brief profiles about the schools are provided, along with instructions on how to apply to the schools. If you want to visit the official websites of the schools, just click on the links in this article.

Columbia Business School

Columbia Business School was established in 1916. Ever since the year of its establishment, this school has produced business leaders in the United States. Today, however, Columbia Business School has more than 40 percent of its student body representing other countries.

The school is most proud of its MBA, executive education, and doctorate programs. In addition, Columbia Business School is proud of having many professors who coined various business concepts and are also business practitioners and advisers to business heads around the world. To apply to Columbia Business School, visit the official website and begin the online application.

Fuqua School of Business (Duke University)

Duke University was founded by James Buchanan Duke in 1924. The school was formerly an expansion of Trinity College and was made possible by the Duke family’s philanthropic foundation, The Duke Endowment. Then, in 1969, the Fuqua School of Business was established. Today, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business boasts of one of the best business education in the United States. The university also offers cross continent and joint degree programs other than MBAs, doctorates, and executive education. Apply at Fuqua by using the online application form available at the school’s official website.

MIT Sloan School of Management

MIT Sloan in Cambridge, Massachusetts was established in 1914. It did not start as a business school but was, in fact, an engineering administration curriculum in the MIT Department of Economics and Statistics. Today, MIT Sloan offers MBA programs, Master of Finance programs, PhD Programs, undergraduate Programs, and executive education. To apply to MIT Sloan, contact the admission office or download the online application form from the school’s official website.

The fourth to sixth placers in the 2008 Best MBA Programs by Businessweek are Wharton School, Ross School of Business, and [[Stanford Business School]][[link to: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/]], respectively. Below you will find information about the said schools including famous professors or graduates and ways to apply. Click the links to visit the official websites of these MBA schools.

Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania)

Wharton is considered as the world’s first collegiate business school. It was founded in 1881 by Philadelphia industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Wharton, with the intention of providing liberal education in the field of business. The school now has 11 academic departments, the most cited faculty, and over 25 research initiatives and research centers. Among the programs offered in Wharton are undergraduate programs, MBA, PhD, and executive education. To apply to Wharton, visit the official website and fill up the online application form.

Ross School of Business (University of Michigan)

The School of Business Administration was established in January 10, 1924 and had the Tappan Hall as its main center for a quarter of a century. Gradually, the department expanded not just in the scope of program offerings but also in territory. In 2004, alumnus Stephen M. Ross donated $100 million to the school and was acknowledged by the Board of Regents by renaming the School of Business Administration after him. The new building opens in January 2009.

Among the offered programs in Ross are MBAs, executive education, and doctorates. To apply to Ross, visit the official website. Programs and schedules are available with the downloadable application form.

Stanford Business School

It was through the initiation of late US President Herbert Hoover that the Stanford Graduate School of Business was founded in 1924. Hoover wanted to keep many of the brightest students in the West Coast who proceeded to the East Coast to study business. Stanford GSB prides of having three Nobel laureates in its faculty, as well as of being able to offer the Center for Leadership Development and Research, the Center for Global Business and the Economy, the Center for Social Innovation, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies. To apply to Stanford GSB, visit the official website and fill up the online application form.

The best MBA education comes only from the best business schools. Below are brief profiles of the top three business schools in the United States for the year 2008. Read on to make an informed decision on your MBA.

University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Chicago Booth was founded in 1898 and boasts of an effective, discipline-based approach to learning. The university is also the alma mater of many respected, effective, and confident businessmen and businesswomen. Among them are several Nobel laureates. Of these Nobel laureates, the first is James Kilts who turned Oscar Mayer, Gillette, Kraft, and Nabisco into large companies. To apply to Chicago Booth, visit the official website and request for an application form. Program options are full-time, evening, and weekend classes, along with executive, PhD, and MBA programs.

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School (HBS) was founded in 1908, making it one of the oldest MBA schools in the US. Throughout its history, HBS was able to maintain the effectiveness and quality of its management education. To date, there are 42, 012 living MBA Alumni from HBS and its deans included John H. McArthur and Jay O. Light. McArthur has been the Senior Advisor to the President of The World Bank since 1996. Current dean, Light, on the other hand, became a Director of Investment and Financial Policies of the Ford Foundation. To apply to HBS, visit the official website and use the online application program.

Kellogg School of Management [NorthwesternUniversity]

The Kellogg School of Management was founded in 1908 and has since been the alma mater of business leaders of varying cultural backgrounds. Today, Kellogg offers full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programs as well as executive education, doctoral programs, and undergraduate programs. To apply to the Kellogg School of Management, visit the official website and apply online. Remember to download the application form appropriate to the MBA program of your choice and check out the admission requirements.

If you’re planning to advance your career or make a career change, then you might want to consider pursuing an MBA degree. In case you’ve already decided that you want to enroll in an MBA program, then perhaps you’re wondering about how you can increase your chances of getting accepted into the particular program you want. What you have to keep in mind is that even if you do not have exceptionally high grades in your undergraduate program, you can still get accepted into an MBA program. It’s still best to apply to several programs so that you will have some choices if you don’t get accepted by a certain school. One of the ways by which you can increase your chances of getting accepted is to approach alumni of the MBA programs you wish to enroll in.

Ways to approach alumni of MBA programs

In case you have a relative, friend, or coworker who already has an MBA degree, then you can ask about the admissions process of the school they entered. It would be good for you to get some ideas regarding how you’re going to write your MBA admission essay, because this gives admissions officers the chance to know more about you. If you don’t know anyone you can approach or seek advice from, then you can turn to the Internet and seek MBA program alumni from there. Consider joining forums of universities offering MBA programs and ask questions. You will most likely get answers from MBA students and MBA professors, which will give you additional information on what to expect in the admissions process.

Getting help with your MBA admission essay

Alumni of MBA programs and MBA students can give you tips on how you should act during the interview as well as what questions are usually asked. But it’s also advisable for you to get some suggestions on how you can write an excellent MBA admission essay. You may also ask these alumni or students for samples so that you can get ideas on what topics you can write about and how to structure your essay in a way that will make it interesting and easy to read. After all, your MBA admission essay can increase your chances of getting into the MBA program you want.

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