Manhattan Review InFocus BLOG

SPECIFIC APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Essays

Business schools often ask candidates several essay questions. Generally, schools ask about the applicant’s professional goals and experiences, achievements and/or leadership roles, impact, ethical dilemmas faced, specific events/role models that led you to where you are and where you want to be, and disappointment and how it was handled.

The goal of the essay is to fill in the picture that the admissions committee has of the applicant. The essays should be seen as your opportunity to show, explain, and support your candidacy. In the essay portion, the admissions committee wants to get to know you better and understand why you want an MBA, why now, and why at their particular school. Also, they want to know how an MBA is going to help you achieve your goal in both the short and the long term, as well as what you uniquely have to offer.  For some applicants answers to these questions are clear; for others, they require greater introspection. Regardless of whether your answers to these questions come easily or with difficulty, you must be sure that your essays answer these questions. This is one of the foremost concerns of admissions committee and it may seem elementary—but you must ANSWER THE QUESTIONS. They ask the particular questions they ask for a reason, and they want answers to those questions, not to other ones. Your answers should be precise, clear, and straightforward, even if you employ creative styles in your answers. Do not leave them guessing.

Optional essays are an opportunity for you to provide additional information about yourself. You can explain pitfalls, gaps, hardships, or highlight items that have not been properly illuminated in other areas of the application.

Once you have decided on where to apply you are ready to begin attacking the essay portion.

 ·  Create a list of different experiences you’d like to cover in the essay section.  You may consider categorizing these according to leadership, team experiences, and growing/learning experiences.

 ·  Read over all essays, required and optional, for a given school. Determine which experiences you’d like to cover in which essays or if any experiences are best left out as a result of being difficult to match with a particular school.

 ·  Outline Essays.  Your outlines should include a thesis, supporting points and specific examples.

 ·  Write freely. Do not concern yourself yet with whether or not a particular point is helpful or harmful, just write.

 ·  Edit. This will most likely be an ongoing process. Admissions committees want to see well-edited, clear, concise prose—this may require the help of a trusted friend or seeking out an admissions consultant.  The committees read your essays several times so even minor mistakes are likely to be noticed.

After a successful pilot, the highly esteemed University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business has officially accepted the PowerPoint presentation as an integral component of their graduate application. In addition to the two traditional essay questions, a mandatory four-slide PowerPoint presentation will be included as a means to better know their prospective students and attract more innovative thinkers to the university. “We wanted to have a freeform space for students to be able to say what they think is important,” Rose Martinelli, associate dean for student recruitment and admissions at the University of Chicago and key admissions officer behind the decision recently expressed in an interview with The Washington Post. “To me this is just four pieces of blank paper. You do what you want. It can be a presentation. It can be poetry. It can be anything.” Although this ambiguity may seem a bit daunting to MBA applicants, Chicago has set the following ground rules:

 * The PowerPoint presentation must be no more than four slides.
* The presentation must consist of “static” slides, or slides that do not contain hyperlinks or video as each presentation will be printed and added to their application file for review by the admissions committee.
* A Word document containing notes may be attached to the presentation if an applicant feels a further explanation of his or her slides is necessary.

As to Martinelli’s expectations: “I really don’t know what we’re going to get,” she recently told The Washington Post. However, after reviewing thousands of pilot presentation submissions this past year, Martinelli does know that more conservative slideshows did not fair as well. With only four slides given, a nebulous question and the desire to stand out, it may seem instinctual for applicants to immerse themselves in constructing the visual aspects of the presentation first. However, an applicant’s first focus should be finding something distinctive about themselves that would be beneficial for the Chicago admissions committee to know and was not previously addressed in earlier essays. Only after securing a sound topic should applicants “get creative” with their presentations through the use of strong pictures, legible fonts, and colors. In addition, applicants should also bear in mind that their projects will be printed out before they are judged by the admissions committee. “You could tell when someone figured out how to work with the ambiguity and really embraced that,” Martinelli told BusinessWeek, favoring the applicants who weren’t “going to play it safe and regurgitate what is in my application already.”

 Martinelli later conceded to BusinessWeek that the university may “put some further context or shape around it [the PowerPoint presentation],” but for now, the former guidelines and restrictions (and ambiguity) will apply.

 Below is the actual PowerPoint question you can find the Chicago GSB application.

 Chicago GSB PowerPoint Presentation

 We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you tell us about yourself. Using four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.

 We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

 The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach this essay. Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.

 There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.

 Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. Color may be used.

 Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.

 You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

In our research about full-tuition scholarship at business schools outside of the US, we found that quite a number of business schools offer partial tuition scholarships that also significantly cut the costs of a management education. We couldn’t keep this information to ourselves!

London Business School - London, England

Number of partial scholarships available: Over 30 different scholarships

Average class size for full-time MBA program: about 205

How to apply:  Some are awarded solely on consideration of the original MBA application. Others require submission of additional material. Many scholarships are based on the candidate’s country of origin. A number of scholarships are available solely to female candidates. 

Lancaster University Management School - Lancaster, England

Number of partial scholarships available: 3 different types 

Average class size for full-time MBA program: about 40-50

How to apply:  Only awarded to candidates who have been awarded a place in the program with the submission of general application and evidence of exceptional leadership qualities. One particular scholarship is designed for German-speaking students and sponsored exclusively for members of the German website e-fellows.net. 

IESE Business School, University of Navarra - Campuses in Barcelona and Madrid, Spain

Number of partial scholarships available: about 15 different types of scholarships, 1 of them is awarded to 20-30 students per year

Average class size for full-time MBA program: about 215

How to apply: No separate scholarship application is required although some scholarships are awarded to strictly to female candidates, candidates from developing countries, or candidates from Asian countries. 

INSEAD - Fontainebleau, France

Number of partial scholarships available: about 45 different types of scholarships

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 830

How to apply: For most of the scholarships, no separate scholarship application is required. Some are based on merit and some based on financial need. 

Copenhagen Business School - Copenhagen, Denmark

Number of partial scholarships available: 18 scholarships for students from outside the EU/EEA

Average class size for full-time MBA program: about 40

How to apply: No separate application or additional materials necessary to be eligible. Students receiving a scholarship may not receive a scholarship from their home country or be entitled to a state education grant or any other public support in Denmark.

International Institute of Management and Development (IMD) - Lausanne, Switzerland

Number of partial scholarships available: 7

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 90 

How to apply: Accepted candidates for the program are considered for most of the scholarships. 

In this article, we wanted to expand on the list of US business schools to provide information for students interested in pursuing their management education outside of the US. Many top non-US business schools are also very generous with full-tuition fellowships and scholarships.

Below is our compiled list (for more information on the scholarship offering, click on the names of each school):

The Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto - Toronto, Canada

Number of fellowships awarded each year: : 8 in total

- 5 general full-tuition scholarships

- 1 for the top Canadian male applicant

- 1 for the top Canadian female applicant, and

- 1 for the top international student 

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 264

How to apply: No separate scholarship application is required. Candidates are automatically considered for scholarships during the application review.

HEC Montreal - Montreal, Canada

Number of fellowships awarded each year: about 6

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 175

How to apply: No separate scholarship application is required. 

Nyenrode Business Universiteit - Breukelen, the Netherlands

Number of fellowships awarded each year: 12 in total

- 5 for students of any nationality

- 7 for students from specific regions/countries including Mexico, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia

Average class size for full-time MBA program: Not listed

How to apply: No separate scholarship application is required. 

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus Graduate School of Business - Rotterdam,the Netherlands

Number of fellowships awarded each year: 4

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 350

How to apply: No separate scholarship application is required.

Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne - Melbourne, Australia 

Number of fellowships awarded each year: 3 in total

- 2 for students who are descended from, identify with, and are accepted by a designated Australian Indigenous community and

- 1 for an international student

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 90 

How to apply: All successful MBA candidates are automatically considered for scholarship support and successful candidates are notified as part of the admissions process.

Westminster Business School, University of Westminster - London, England

Number of fellowships awarded each year: Not announced 

Average class size for full-time MBA program: Not announced

How to apply:  Selection is based on excellent scholastic record in undergraduate studies and/or evidence of excellence in previous employment, business and community service. International applicants from developing countries are considered. 

China Europe International Business School - 3 campuses in China: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen 

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 6

Average class size for full-time MBA program: 196

How to apply:  Selection is based on financial need.

The programs above also all offered numerous partial scholarships. So, again, we say-do NOT be scared of tuition prices! Inquire at your dream schools to find out about their scholarship offerings. 

Most of us think that getting a management education simultaneously means earning an MBA and accumulating a large amount of debt in student loans. Inspired by a recent article from BusinessWeek which challenged this notion with a report on full-tuition fellowships, we performed extensive research and data collection on our own and summarized our findings in three segments.

 Today, we will present key data of full-tuition fellowships from many of the top US management programs including Berkeley’s Haas, Columbia, and University of Chicago. In the next two articles, we will cover major non-US schools.

 During your application process, do not overlook these fellowships. Many schools usually require one extra essay or interview to be eligible for a two-year, full-tuition fellowship. The list of fellowships at the schools below may surprise you.

    University of Chicago

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 11

Average class size for full-time MBA program:  550   

How to apply: Most admitted applicants are automatically considered at the time of the application, but many have additional required interviews as part of the final selection process. All of the fellowships have a mentoring component.

    Columbia

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: About 25

Average class size: 1,196

How to apply: Automatically considered with application

   Harvard

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 25

Average class size: 918

How to apply: Scholarships are awarded based on financial need. To apply, complete and submit a financial aid application upon admission

    California Berkeley Haas

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 14

Average class size: 250

How to apply: For most of the fellowships, students automatically quality with application. For one particular fellowship, an additional essay is required.

   MIT Sloan

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 10-12

Average class size: 375

How to apply: Automatic consideration with application

    Pennsylvania Wharton

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 10

Average class size: 825

How to apply: Selection is based on the a number of criteria such as personal background, leadership, and integrity. Students who fit the criteria must complete a separate financial aid form.

    Virginia Darden

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 61

Average class size: 632

How to apply: All admitted applicants are considered. For one fellowship, a separate application is required

    Yale

Number of fellowships awarded to 2008 entering class: 11

Average class size: 180

How to apply: All applicants are considered for merit scholarships 

The bottom line is that it is definitely worthwhile to perhaps write an extra essay if it means earning a  savings of $200,000 for your education. For many of the fellowships, all admitted applicants qualify.

For a list of more business schools that offer full-tuition fellowships, please refer to this insightful article in BusinessWeek.