[原创]MBA申请日记（2006-2007）（1、我使这样分析Essays的------） - ChaseDream

Ross Essay Questions

Respond to the three required essay questions, typed on separate sheets. Please limit yourself to the number of words noted, using a minimum of 11 point font with 1.5 line spacing.

Required Questions

You must answer all parts of the three questions below.

1. We believe one of the keys to effective leadership is the ability to transform ideas into action. Describe a time within the last three years in which you exercised such leadership. What did you learn about your leadership strengths and development needs?

2. What are your career goals? How will a Ross MBA help you achieve your goals? How might the action-based learning aspects of the Ross curriculum make a difference?

3. Describe the initiatives you have taken over the past two years to develop professionally and personally. What motivated you to take those initiatives?

Optional Question
Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (500-word maximum)

What are your career goals? How will a Ross MBA help you achieve your goals? How might the action-based learning aspects of the Ross curriculum make a difference? (500-word maximum)

以上中，特别注意：why MBA is clear? Your future goals are clear??? 毕竟admission officers是专家哦，他们一眼就能看出你是否真的需要一个ＭＢＡ？你的事业计划是否清晰！

3）How might the action-based learning aspects of the Ross curriculum make a difference?

Do homework about Ross. What do you want to take advantage of the action-based learning aspects of the Ross curriculum?

4) 与去年相比，这次Ross去掉了最后一问：How will you enhance the experience of other members of the Ross community?　但是字数还是限制在５００字。

难点:500字，需要写出一个unique story including career goals, why MBA, Why Now, why Ross, how to take advantage of the action-based learning aspects???

以下引用一专家观点：about career goal essay, the school will be looking for clearly and fully defined long- and short-term career goals, your reasons for pursuing an MBA and for opting to do so at this point in time, and your specific interest in School X and your plans to contribute to the campus community, if admitted.

分享一个Chicago Current MBA （i_will_make_it ）博客文章，部分节选：

So "Why B-school?" Everyone needs to discover this for oneself, because our answers will probably be different. For myself, I believe the following:

要体现Leadership方面。在事例中：initiate your ideas , put in practice , how to do(face problems, how analysis/realize ), how about the result , what do you learn from this process

体现你过去2年的成长经历；在这个过程中,每个阶段你的思考和动机,将这个过程要刻画的非常细致.

前三题可以看出Ross特别关注initiate精神,它希望你去了解它的课程的特点,真正了解它的program.

2. What personal value means the most to you and why? (Recommended 300 word limit)

3. In discussing Columbia Business
School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity. (recommended 500 word limit)

分享一个Ross Current MBA （Arwen - The Elven Princess ）博客文章，部分节选：

Grab Bag of Tips for Applicants

Here's something I put together for someone who is applying to B School this year. Hopefully, it will be useful to a few others as well.

Preliminary Research
Understand what an MBA can mean in terms of the input (commitment) and output (possibilities). Evaluate post MBA career options and determine if they meet your interests and long term plans. It is not about just getting into the right school - it is about getting into the right school to get on the right career track.

Pluck the low lying fruit
Get done with that GMAT test - it really is the easiest part of the application. Pick up GMAT books and brush up your math skills, you will soon find yourself scoring in a consistent band of +/- 20 points. You can increase the score by atleast 50 points if you can analyze your scores, identify your weak areas and put in some hard hard work. It is good to be visiting GMAT related forums at this point.

Detailed Research
Look through the various rankings. Think of schools to lie in the following categories - Super Elite, Elite, 15 to 25 bracket or the Tier II and 25 to 50 bracket or the Tier III.
- Pick a career path and then pick schools. If you are interested in a career in A, I think it is risky to do it in a school known the world over for careers in B. The company you are interested in may not recruit at the school. You may not find enough folks to help you with the networking.
- Make a list of all things that is important for you. For instance, the demographics of the location is important to me. I come from a country with a billion people and living in a town with just 10,000 folks would be traumatic !! I place a premium on the school's website and tech-savy nature. For me, that is a sign of how the school can connect me with the world. A collaborative environment is also important for me.
- The first thing that you should look for when evaluating schools is the employment statistics. You should know what % of class is employed at graduation, what % is employed through school activities, what % is placed in the industry/function of your choice, what companies recruit for the industry/function of your choice. It is important that the entire class is placed well - that is how you build a network. Next, look at the academics and the faculty. For me, more practical the training the better. Thirdly, look at the strength of the community feeling. Mail current students and counselors and see the response. Remember to look at the tuition and loan options.

It is good to start visiting the various B School forums at this point.

Put down your Story
First, make a two-page resume. Delete all the industry jargon and ensure the points are more action-result based. Next, put down one page responses to the following questions
- What are your career goals for 5 years from now and 20 years from now ?
- Why MBA? Why now ?
- Two career related accomplishments
- One instance of failure and what you learnt from that failure
- One non career related accomplishment
- An ethical dilemma.

Understand the application process
Your GMAT scores, acads, work experience and how you present yourself in your essays and interviews will determine if you get selected. There are rules to how a short coming in one aspect can be overcome in another aspect of your application. You could get away with slightly below average acads if you have exemplary work experience but the reverse is unlikely to be true. You could get away with a slightly below average GMAT score if you have some truly unique stories to tell - again the reverse may not be true.

Understand your strengths and weakness. Understand the pool in which you are applying. There will be more then one applicant with the same or higher GMAT score, work experience and acads, the only differentiating factor is your story. Nothing can compensate for weak essays.

Essay Writing
Shortlist the schools and estimate your chances at each of the schools. Applying to more then 4 schools is tough on you and the people who will write your recommendation letters. Look through resources available at sites such as ClearAdmit for tips on essay writing. Always remember that the adcom does not want to hear any one story - they want to hear a different story. Build on the stories you put down earlier - mould them to answer the question asked.

Planning and Applying
I would recommend starting your preparations atleast a year before you plan to apply. Spread your applications over round1 and round2. This gives you time to apply to your backup colleges - in case your college of first choice gave you the ding or puts you on the waitlist.

And hey, this is just my perspective. Good luck with the applications.

To:vanessav:我还没有开始看columbia的essay。如果开始写的话，一定与大家分享思路。

To sinocheetah：谢谢提醒，我第一轮申请3个学校：Ross，Duke，另外再找一所。

why mba,how mba to assistant your goal and how to help your career , why this school ,specific benefits， full of specific details about classes and clubs and activities

Value,什么对你个人最重要. 其实是让你和学校match的过程, 你的value正好也是学校的value.一次"fit in"机会.

侧重点在于entrepreneurship,这是哥大近来比较注重的方向,她的网站上好像提到了.

用例子来说明:开始有一个新想法和新点子，你是如何使之可行，如何为它要创造有利条件，不管结果怎样,要描述你的思考和决策过程.

第一眼看到题目就在琢磨(题目的目的是什么，要看出申请人的什么方面)

B 一个假设性题目，可以超越现实的障碍，你真正想干什么，预期要产生什么后果, 这里能够体现出你的interest,value,还有其它软技巧 .学校想知道的就是你的interest和value,如果能够"stand out"留下深刻印象,

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

6. (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.

why MBA, your career goal, why Tuck, specific benefit of the program, eg,activity,club,class

你对leadership的认识, 题目提示了如何激励人，有效，其它方面就留给你来扩展

要事例说明，你是如何激励别人来走出困境。在事例中描述遇到的问题是什么，困难是什么，如何作的，结果又如何。免不了要说些自己从这事得到什么体会.

从失败或挫折中成长的经历. 事例,遇到什么困境,如何去面对和思考，怎么作的，学到了什么,结果怎样(当然跨越啦).

contribute to culture,主要从你的成长经历，形成的价值观，生活体验,兴趣爱好来选择能对school的diverse有促进的一面.

Essay 1: Complete all parts below. (1500 word maximum)
Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?

Essay 2: Choose one of the following questions. (500 word maximum)
-If the admissions committee were to interview one of your closest colleagues, what aspect of your personal development would this person say is especially important for the admissions committee to know?

-You have been asked to write an editorial about the most pressing issue facing humanity. Please identify the issue and justify why you have selected it.

Essay 3: Complete each of the following questions. (100 word maximum for each)
-What is the one thing that most people do not know about you?

1 第一题
why mba ? your career path, your utmost goal , why this school, specific help

A 个人发展方面最大的进步，
是否体现你的成熟度？(不肯定)

在琢磨要体现你的哪方面,
想想是不是该用来balance整个package.

B 一本书，一部电影跟你的相关性，兴趣，个性, 经历，体验，价值观

Short Essays - Answer both short essay questions.

1) Please discuss your career path, your short and long-term goals.

Reapplicant Essay
In addition to the Applicant Essays listed above, please answer the following question. There is no restriction on the length of your response. Reapplicants typically use between 500 and 750 words for this essay.

Why this school? Specific help to you （club, activity, program, field trip）
, health sector management (what is HSM , what does it relate to your career )

个人成长经历,价值观的形成，个性，你的最不同于别人的特质; contribution,你的价值观，课外活动经历，生活理念… 对diverse的作用

A team中的leader, 事例，面临的问题，如何解决的，获得什么经验。

这类问题,对于选什么样的例子把握不住. 大家一定要给点建议.

F. Of Goizueta’s core values (courage, integrity, accountability, rigor, diversity, team,
community), which value resonates most with you and why?

3. What do you expect to accomplish in the Goizueta Business School MBA program? How will your participation in the MBA program fit in with your experiences and responsibilities as well as your short and long-term career goals? Please limit your response to two, double- spaced, typed pages.

Why MBA？
Past experience , future goals, designing path , why this school?, program specific help for my dream, and how to take up in the program, you can do what to contribute.

E: lesson，可以写失败的经历，如何面对，重新崛起。
可以反映(leadership, team,人文，价值观等多方面)，如何取舍看其它问题的注重点，考虑整体形象，突出学校的最焦点的注重点吧。

F: 你的价值观同学校价值观的认同，match,是fit in的机会。要用事例。

Ross Essay 3. Describe the initiatives you have taken over the past two years to develop professionally and personally. What motivated you to take those initiatives?

与去年的相比，今年增加了最后一句：What motivated you to take those initiatives? 而且去年说的是professionally，今年改为develop professionally and personally。

题目要求
Describe the initiatives，那么必须选择恰当的例子来说明，去年只能选择professionally，今年也可以考虑选择personally的例子，也就是可以选择工作外的各项活动等等。

因为每个商学院都强调leadership，所以构思时，要考虑这一点。同时别忘了写你take those initiatives（personal or professional growth.）的动机。

另外，这篇与第一篇essay，在写作时，需要考虑平衡问题，最好不要2篇都同时写Professional的内容或者Personal的内容。

Anyway..I am just a bit confused about the "What has been the greatest challenge to your value system that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?"

1. What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (recommended 750 word limit)

2. Leading in the global economy requires enabling high performance from a diverse set of employees, colleagues and partners. Tell us about a manager you’ve observed who enabled or inspired others to do their best work and analyze how this manager did it. (Recommended 500 word limit)

3. In discussing Columbia Business School, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard remarked, "We have established the mind-set that entrepreneurship is about everything you do." Please discuss a time in your own life when you have identified and captured an opportunity. (recommended 500 word limit)

4. Please select and answer one of the following essay questions.
a. Please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life.
b. If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do?

"What has been the greatest challenge to your value system that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?"是去年的，今年不用了，用No 2代替，但是他们解释说，如果你已经写了旧的，那么交那篇旧的也行。

要在国内单位找这么个人，对我来说不是特别容易。。。。sigh

像写作文。如果写顶头上司（推荐人），似乎不够power，呵呵如果写老总，对他了解不够深刻。

Leading in the global economy requires enabling high performance from a diverse set of employees, colleagues and partners. Tell us about a manager you’ve observed who enabled or inspired others to do their best work and analyze how this manager did it.

正在写题材，究竟admission officer想从中得到怎样的信息？关于人的品格，还是抱负，还是兴趣？

方向很重要，我觉得，第一个问题已经回答了你的职业设计和人生抱负，这个第四题出了这样一个问题，主要还是想问人的性格方面的吧？

平衡package,如果前面的essay没有提到你的personal life或interest，就写写这方面。