Ask Jon Frank- P69-Q&A:WHY MBA? 7 OVERLOOKED REASONS TO GET AN MBA

JonFrank

Looks like Duke had a recipe that worked last year, because they kept all of their essays… exactly the same. So start by digging into our analysis from last year, and then hop back over here for a fresh take.

Required Short Answer Questions: Answer all 3 questions. Respond in 250 characters only (the equivalent of about 50 words).

Folks, 50 words is just not that much. It’s one to three sentences, probably two. There is zero time to mess around, and by limiting you guys, that’s very much exactly what Fuqua wants. Clarity + assertiveness bespeaks focus. It says that you’re serious about an MBA. So, let em have it. Don’t overthink these. But don’t underestimate how hard it can be to be concise.

1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?

Don’t “clear your throat” and tee up an elaborate fluff setup. “My short-term goals after I receive my MBA are probably best stated by the following words, chosen carefully, and after much deliberation” … you get the idea. Cut out all that fat and go straight to what you’re gonna do. A good way to mentally FRAME this is to think of the ST goals as a means to an end (the LT goals). “In order to achieve LT goal X, first I will A, then B, then C. {Insert one sentence about why this makes sense.}” That GENERAL approach will get you a good ways toward your ultimate response.

2. What are your long-term goals?

As always, don’t just focus on the job title or position—by itself, it’s meaningless. Give us the context. Give us the intended RESULT of that position, the EFFECT it has on an industry, on a population, on society, on technology, on something even small, but in an impactful way. You don’t want to achieve the title of “CEO” … you wanna achieve XX and YY and ZZ THROUGH the position of CEO of ABC. See the difference?

3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?

A great gift. An opportunity to show how NIMBLE you are. ST goals don’t work out? No problem. Here’s another way I’m gonna get to where I need to go. Imagine for a second you’re a male, if you’re not. And that you have a pregnant wife, going into labor. She’s in the passenger seat of your car, and she’s screaming, and you are racing toward the nearest hospital. You have the route planned out way ahead of time, and the trip is going beautifully. Except, when you make a turn, you notice that there’s a three-car accident on the street you NEED. Cops block it off, street is off limits. What next. Do you turn to your wife and say “Oh well, honey, we tried. Good luck with that birth, if you need ideas for names I know a guy”? Not if you want to see the sun rise again.

In that situation, and really put yourself inside this mindset, you wouldn’t hesitate for a SECOND without figuring out an ALTERNATE WAY TO GET TO WHERE YOU NEEDED TO GO. There’s always another way. In fact, you wouldn’t even idle in the car, would you? You’d already KNOW that alternate route. That’s what doers do. That’s what guys who succeed do. They figure it out.

So here you go. Here’s your three-car accident—the ST goals don’t materialize. Keep the car in “Drive,” folks. Where do you go next? What are your alternate routes? The key here isn’t to nail the exact correct alternate route so much as demonstrate that you know “what needs to happen, in order for your goals to materialize.” You can convey that here by showing how alternate paths will also work (maybe they’re less efficient, more costly, etc. but they will get you there).

Required Essays: Answer both essay questions.

1.  The “Team Fuqua” spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions Team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of “25 Random Things About Yourself.” As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire’s professional and academic background, so learning these “25 Random Things” helps us get to know someone’s personality, background, special talents, and more. In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU.

Random, folks. The absolute worst way to play this is to “clearly not have fun with it.” If you take this too seriously, and look at it like an opportunity to impress them with more achievements, you’re going to bore them to tears, and potentially turn them off. To avoid having fun with it will almost GUARANTEE that they conclude that “this is the type of person who is incapable of having fun.” That person is going to be a net negative on campus. We’re looking for “wins.” People who ADD to the community. Those people have personalities. Charm. Wit. Playfulness. Spirit. If this isn’t in you… you’d better get it fast.

Random doesn’t mean “by itself.” It has to tell us something about you. Example:

“A hummingbird flaps its wings about 70 times in a second.”

Great. But… this tells us what about you?

The random thing must give us a key to your coolness, your quirkiness, your… self. Somehow.

“When I was nine years old, in charge of “snacks” for a class camp out, I brought croissants. That was the day I realized I was not only born on the wrong continent, but in the wrong century.”

See the difference? This is revealing. Endearing. Self-deprecating. Tells us something about the author. 25 things like that.

Also, don’t be afraid to get creative. Make up your own conceits to GET you to a place of 25 random things:

“If I had to pick five celebrities to start a brand new civilization, they would be: Person (witty reason), Person 2 (witty reason), etc etc.” Don’t steal that, cuz it’ll look suspicious when several people submit the same thing! But you see the IDEA here, that you can literally invent ANY NUMBER of cool premises to help you reveal something about yourself and your attitudes.

2.  When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.

If your answer here seems like something you wouldn’t say “in passing” to a family member, chances are you’ll seem disingenuous. The guy who “gets this one correct” … actually WANTS to go to Duke. That guy simply has the answer in his head and heart already. There’s a connection that he feels, a bunch of factors that sum to create a genuine WANT. If you don’t ACTUALLY want to go to Duke… it’s gonna be much harder. And good for Duke for asking it this way, because it’ll EXPOSE those of you who tee up an overly formal and “rehearsed” answer.

This one should be a little sloppy, folks. This one has to come from some place other than “if I don’t get into HBS and Stanford and MIT and Wharton and so and so on… and I do get into Duke, sure, why not.” It’s gotta be the opposite, in fact. “I don’t care if HBS and Stanford and MIT and Wharton come begging. I want Duke. Yes, those other programs are ranked higher. And yes, most would opt for those programs ahead of Duke, but not me. And here’s why.” Is there a satisfying answer that could go there? Hell yes. Duke is a dream program. So many reasons to fall in love with this place. What are yours?

It’s okay for some of these to seem… unimportant, frivolous, hard-to-quantify. Sometimes THESE are the most compelling. “I have visited several MBA programs, all within the same striking distance rank and reputation-wise. But something struck me about Duke that I can’t get out of my head. My experience in “Cafeteria X” or “on the main quad” {or whatever it is}. Here’s what happened: XX YY ZZ.” Whatever fills that in will likely be simply incontrovertible. Something emotional. “I can’t explain it but I felt the strongest magnetic pull here. Maybe it was because of THIS. Maybe that. Maybe this. Maybe that.” It could be one professor. It could be students you bumped into who left an incredibly favorable impression. Impressions form. And can be powerful. You can sell this. But it’s gotta be genuine. You gotta believe it somewhere deep down.

The best way to ensure that you nail this is to embrace the conceit and pretend that you’re talking to a friend or family member, in a comfortable environment. “When no one official is listening.” When your guard is down, what is it you say THEN? One thing you can do to really FORCE it is to generate the “formal” version first. Write up the version you want the ADCOM to read. Then, write the one entitled “But here’s why I really want to go.” You may not be able to use 100% of that stuff, but you MAY be able to lift a good chunk of it. And that stuff is gonna be pure gold, guaranteed.

Optional Essay: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them in an optional essay (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, or any significant weakness in your application).

If you’ve got something to say, do it this way.

Re-applicant Essay: It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year’s application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?

They may be phrasing it differently, but Duke’s looking for the same thing in a reapplicant as eeeeverybody else: progress. And here’s how you give it to ‘em.


@JonFrank
HBS 2005

JonFrank

Essay 1: What’s the greatest obstacle you’ve overcome (personally or professionally)?
How has overcoming this obstacle prepared you to achieve success now and in the future? (350 word limit)

And the winner for most unusual word limit goes to…

Nah, nah, it may be incredibly conscious. Kellogg is likely ensuring that you can’t possibly copy/paste another more typical 500-word essay into this slot without, well, rewriting it. And good for them, you shouldn’t be rehashing your essays anyway (rehashing stories and general concepts, of course—but the organization of the essays themselves less so).

It’s just so bold. Kellogg has clearly articulated (as much as a b-school can) the exact “hidden” purpose of an essay prompt… in the essay prompt itself. The first part of the question is the usual one. Tell about X, talk about Y, etc. But the second part explains what they’re ACTUALLY after. Another way they could have written it is this: “Are you prepared to achieve success now and in the future? Prove it. To help, we’ll give you a way forward. Articulate this in terms of an obstacle you’ve overcome.”

So, for now, forget the obstacle. It’ll twist you up to attack it from that angle—it’s the wrong angle. The better one is “what thing in your past suggests your ability succeed BEST”? Guess what, there simply may not be a version of this that DOESN’T involve the overcoming of an obstacle. Overcoming an obstacle and “achieving something” are attached at the hip.Succeeding WITHOUT overcoming an obstacle, in fact, may not even be an achievement. I just breathed in and out. Hooray! Well, for a normal healthy person, if you tap someone on the shoulder to brag about that, they may slap you. If, however, you ran into a burning building and saved the lives of three children, but suffered MASSIVE injuries to your lung and are now on a respirator and one day announced that you just breathed in and out, guess what, people will cheer. Why? Obstacle.

Convinced?

Identify the thing in your repertoire of greatest hits that would make someone curl their lips down and nod and say “Holy crap, THIS is the kind of guy that’s gonna DO something.” Whatever that thing is, we will guarantee it involved both an objective and a major obstacle that needed overcoming.

Good, now that you’ve identified it, we can build this sucker for Kellogg. For this particular essay, you’ll wanna dig into the particularities that made the challenge here particularly… er, challenging. With all of your achievements, as we established earlier, there were obstacles of course. But with this particular story, there was something about this obstacle that tested you in a unique way—or, if not unique then “significant” way. It will be worth your spending a little time talking about that. With that said, there are two (of probably several) ways to approach this essay.

Option 1: You can start by setting up YOU and your limits, and comfort zone, etc. and treat THAT as the status quo, and then introduce the situation that tested that “in the greatest way.”

Option 2: You can take a somewhat more standard approach (no less compelling, mind you) and drop us into the situation itself, and then lay out the objectives and layer on the challenges, and then explain why those challenges were the greatest ones you’ve needed to overcome.

After your setup, take us through the “overcoming” – what you did and what resulted. Be efficient here and surgical. You’re gonna want some space AFTER this to get into that extra meaty goodness.

With ample room left you will want to address both why this was such a unique challenge, or test of your skills, resolve, talents, tenacity, etc. But also, the other part of their question which is how did going through this make you STRONGER for the future? And they’re asking you to get even more specific (and practical) than that. Not just stronger, but in a way that leads to surer success. Gotta connect these.

Here’s a “thought exercise.”
(Damn, we need to come up with a clever name and trademark that sucker, no? “Thought exercise” is starting to bore us as much as it may be boring you).

Imagine a world where you never had this experience (the one that’s at the centerpiece of this essay). Never happened. What would your future look like? Ideally, less good somehow. In other words, ideally there was SOME learning curve element baked into this story that fundamentally shifted your ability to succeed. Try to look at it from inside-out to see if you can isolate what that thing was. This is where you need to describe what it was, how you learned it, and how it’s gonna “bring home the bacon” in the future. Whatever it is, it must be a long-lasting, resilient, adaptable skill. If it’s too specific and your circumstances should change, it’s gonna work against you. If it’s too broad, it’ll seem lame, casual, half-hearted. Gotta be “Goldilocksed.” Gotta be juuuust right. Specific enough to you, but broad enough to apply to many challenges that lay ahead.

To be continued.


@JonFrank
HBS 2005

JonFrank

Essay 2: What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely. (500 word limit)

Very standard. Notice how even here they wanna know about the challenges and how you overcame them. Overcoming challenges, remember, is one of the best windows into what your DNA is truly made of.

Now, the focus here is leadership. So, an achievement that doesn’t exhibit much leadership isn’t gonna do you much good. The example (or examples) you pick must allow us to PICTURE you… leading. That means actually leading. People. A team. Several teams. Cross-departmental groups. A massive project with tons of moving parts. Leading. Don’t lean on the numbers and the success, instead lean on the idea that pulling this off couldn’t have been done with someone with leadership TALENT. Imagine someone else trying to do this and FAILING, or succeeding LESS somehow. Now, pin that failure to a shortcoming in leadership. What aspects were key to getting this thing off the ground? Humming smoothly? Was it discipline? Was it pragmatism versus idealism? Was it the opposite? Was in big ideas and inspiration and a slap in the face to a more practical approach? Was it cultural sensitivity? Was it “managing up”? Whatever it was, we need to see it.

One great way to cut the core of it is to establish the goal, but then when framing the challenges, to frame them as LEADERSHIP challenges specifically. “The only way to solve this was to be X Y and Z as a leader. A B and C style wouldn’t have worked. Here’s what *I* did.”

Another way would be to focus on the way the experience tested you (similar to the first essay). Show how you rose to the occasion, wore a new hat, stretched yourself, whatever it was.

In either case, remember to talk about impact. The coolest accomplishments are the ones that have ripple effects. Now, if those ripple effects were purely accidental, it’s still cool, but not quite AS cool. Great leaders tend to be visionaries, and plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in. Great leaders often look just beyond the objective at hand while they’re solving the objective at hand. Show us those layers while you were leading. Walk us through the anticipation, the vision, and then the actual impact.

Thinking Bravely. At its core, this is all between the lines stuff. When has a great leader ever talked about how brave he was. If you need to talk about it, you don’t actually have it. Imagine eating at a fancy restaurant, and the head chef comes out and tells you “By the way, what you’re eating is delicious. I made it myself, and perhaps you didn’t realize it, but it’s really quite tasty. Bye now!” Guess what, you’ll know if the food is tasty if the food is tasty. No one needs to tell you. And if they tell you, chances are it isn’t tasty. Same is true here. Brave Thinking will read loud and clear through the circumstances and through your actions.

Essay 3: Part 1: What career/role are you looking to pursue and why? (250 word limit)

Don’t overthink this, folks. There are two ways to screw this up. Two magnificent ways to vomit all over this question:

• Leave your reader CONFUSED about what you wanna do.
• Make your reader SKEPTICAL that your goal is achievable.
  

The opposite is kinda true, by the way. There are two ways to CRUSH this thing:

• By being extremely CLEAR about your goals, you give your reader confidence that you have clarity and have thought it through.
• Make your reader believe that the goal not only makes sense, but sounds like something you are likely to achieve.
  

Clarity. Easy enough, right? A thousand times, NO. Being clear about what you want to do is so much harder than you think, you have no idea. Assume a few things for us. That your reader isn’t a reader of Forbes magazine. Doesn’t know what the DOW is, can’t balance a checkbook, doesn’t know what a hedge fund is, etc. Assume they don’t know ANYTHING. Assume you’re EDUCATING at the same time as you are explaining. 90% of folks have the impulse of trying to sound all Johnny Fast-track, using tricky jargon and insider lingo. This is the wrong impulse, folks. Talk slow, explain what it is you want to do as though the person reading this doesn’t know anything about your industry (they will likely not know anything about your industry—but that doesn’t mean they can’t spot TALENT when they see it).

Success. Show us that the plan makes SENSE, not just on its own, but with respect to YOU. Pretend the reader is going to grade this essay on “how likely is this person to achieve this thing he’s talking about?” Seriously, let THAT be your goal here. Your product will likely end up much more coherent and compelling.

Part 2: Why are Kellogg and the MBA essential to achieving these career goals? (250 word limit)
(Please answer Part 2 in terms of your program choice: One-Year, Two-Year, MMM, JD-MBA).

This seems to be the trend of b-schools these days. Splitting up questions into pieces to force your hand. To focus you.

Nothing new in the actual ask here. We’ve said it a million times, and if you’ve read more of our stuff, you’ll recognize this. The best way to attack this is to consider some ALTERNATIVE paths simultaneously. “Achieve your goals in your mind” … without an MBA at all. You’d best be able to, otherwise, what, you’re pinning your hopes and dreams on a degree/experience? Not good. There MUST be a path that doesn’t pass through an MBA that gets you SOME version of where you wanna go. Good, think it through. Let’s give that version a grade: B+.

Now think about another scenario. B-school! But, not Kellogg. Something… top 50, say. Congrats, you’ve earned your MBA. What did that do for your trajectory? Elevated it somehow, but how? Think through it. Get it sharp in your head. Let’s grade that scenario: A-.

Now, do it again, but take your path through Kellogg. The “A+” version. Why does this one get an A+ whereas the others fall short?

Couple ways to skin it, structurally. You could paint a “generic” picture of success to give us a sense of what’s possible. Then you can walk us through the ways in which Kellogg + MBA enhance that picture.

Another way is simply to show us where you’d hit a brick wall without an MBA. And then to identify unique attributes of Kellogg that snap into your plan BETTER than other programs. It all sounds simple, and is easier said than done of course.

The one element that folks miss, and the one that tends to leap off the page of successful cases is this: momentum. The sense that this kid is on his way toward achieving his goals. A sense of inevitability. NOT a sense of “please please please accept me, I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t!” We want smart arguments that show what you want and why, but also an indication that you’re already kinda barreling toward it. The sense should be, “This is gonna happen. If it happens at Kellogg, great. If not, no real harm. I’ll find another way. I’ve not only thought through my plan, I’m… executing on it as we speak.”

Re-Applicants Only: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit) Please note: re-applicants are required to answer this question in addition to #1-3.

The approach to a reapplication is always the same.

Additional Information (Optional): If needed, briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)

Yup, this is the same as every other application as well.

@JonFrank  
HBS 2005

atto

Hi Jon, would you please give us a little insight into the essay questions of Columbia this year? Thank you very much.

Essay 1
Given your individual background, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (500 words)

Essay 2
Columbia Business School is located in the heart of the world’s business capital - Manhattan. How do you anticipate that New York City will impact your experience at Columbia? (250 words)

Essay 3
What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (250 words)

Optional Essay
Is there any further information that you wish to provide the Admissions Committee? Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. (Maximum 500 words)

atto

Hi Jon, for the optional essay, i wanna talk about my personal history and how it shaped me into who i am today. it is about personal history as the question requires but it is not necessarily a concern in my personal history, do you think that would work?

JonFrank

atto 发表于 2013-9-13 17:47
Hi Jon, for the optional essay, i wanna talk about my personal history and how it shaped me into who ...

Hey there, sure thing!

I even wrote a whole post on our website, and I will post it on Chasedream later:

As for the optional essay, be careful that your answer is not too vague. What is really important is that you have a GOAL of something you want to get out of the answer.

I hope this helps,

JF

JonFrank

Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (100 characters maximum)

Significant change from last year, in the CHARACTERS allowance: 200 to 100. This is CBS’s way of saying “take a hint, please… and get to the point.” 100 characters isn’t dinner, a stroll around the park, a lovely nightcap against a backdrop of smooth jazz, into “who knows.” It’s more… the 1-hour motel model. Lay it on em.

Perhaps the most liberating way to approach this is to see this NOT as an opportunity to impress, but rather to inform. All they want is a RUDDER. To help frame the rest of your essays. That’s all. It’s the equivalent of “state your name and occupation” – a measure taken just so everyone has their bearings.

Ergo, don’t overthink it. The prize here is clarity, not intrigue. Don’t feel the pressure to wow. And don’t waste precious air-time writing stuff like “My immediate post-MBA professional goal is to…” because that would have been half your response. 1-hour motel, folks. Getterdone. Resume-like brevity, but… good-resume-like CLARITY.

One last thing—there’s a difference between “post/position” and “goal.” The best answer here nails both. Too often, we see candidates simply list the name of a position at a company, which is mostly meaningless. We need a touch of context to understand what the “aim” is, “why position X” within your 100-character response. So, roughly speaking, it may take on this structure: “position x in order to y.” Or, “achieve x at y (type) company.”

Essay 1: Given your individual background, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (Maximum 500 words)

Again, in the direction of more Spartan if you’re comparing this year’s to last year’s. Is this tweak significant? Isn’t is ultimately the same thing, just shuffled around a bit? Sorta. But not really.

Columbia is framing an argument here for you. A very simple one actually. They want you to make a crystal clear connection between your thirst for an MBA and your (career) trajectory thus far. The key idea here is that these aren’t two unconnected concepts—that you want/need an MBA, and that you have a career or background in X. According to CBS (and by the way, all other top MBA programs), these two things must be joined at the hip. Think of this as a DARE. Imagine sitting across from a CBS admissions dean, while he reviews your resume and your stated reasons for pursuing an MBA at Columbia. Now, imagine that he places the resume on the table, folds his arms, looks down the bridge of his nose at you and says, “I don’t believe that your background has anything to do with your desire to get an MBA. Prove it.”

That’s what this is. A mathematical proof. Your job is to CONVINCE A SKEPTIC that your trajectory thus far has you on a collision course with an MBA. Show us what it is you’ve done, what it is you “do,” and give us a taste for what it is you WANT to do, and therefore… why a COLUMBIA MBA is a necessary means to that end. It must be the case that Columbia is a necessary ingredient here—convince us why. Convince us that your vision must include certain things only (or BEST) attainable at CBS, in order for you to CONTINUE along the trajectory that’s already in motion. Forget everything else you’ve done with another school’s prompt, right now you only have eyes for Columbia.

Here’s another way to think about it:

Here’s what I’m really good at: XXX
Here’s the proof: Experience X, I did Y; Experience A, I did B
Here’s what I WANT to be doing: YYY
(and why this turns me on)
Here’s why I can’t just achieve all that today—I’m missing some stuff: ABC
Here’s why CBS helps deliver the BEST version of ABC to my arsenal
At the very least, the foundation of your essay contains all of these pieces. Now, how you PRESENT that is up to you. There isn’t one knock-out shape an essay must take in order to be convincing. But, underneath it, these elements must be bullet-proof and worked out in your head.

The sculpting part is easy, the flair, the polish, all that stuff is a breeze—the hardest part is developing an immutable argument that NO one can poke a hole in.

Essay 2: Columbia Business School is located in the heart of the world’s business capital – Manhattan. How do you anticipate that New York City will impact your experience at Columbia? (Maximum 250 words) (See videos on CBS website for inspiration)

Actionable, practical, real-life, believable, tangible arguments, folks. Not… “stuff everyone knows about New York already but doesn’t demonstrate a connection to you personally.” Don’t tell us that New York is the financial capital of the world. Show us—instead—how that might affect your experience. Walk us through a hypothetical. Or a way in which NYC has affected you already and how, therefore, it may affect you again once you’re at CBS. Don’t just tell us what the opportunities are—don’t LIST stuff. We know the list. Columbia knows the list. No one cares about the attributes.

In 250 words, there isn’t much room to faff. Walk us through one or two very tangible examples of what may happen, and why this is valuable. Challenge yourself and imagine that each of the world’s most amazing cities had comparable business schools. And let’s say you were accepted to each of them. Why New York over the rest?

Here’s another way to skin it. Congratulations, you’ve been accepted to Stanford, Wharton, and Harvard. But you’re gonna turn all three down because they all lack one thing: New York City. Convince us that you’re the kind of guy who might actually turn down H/S/W for this reason—it has to be specific as hell in order to pass the smell test.

Think back to chemistry. Think back to acids and bases. Think litmus paper. Ringing a bell? We know, it was a long time ago for us, too. Well, roughly speaking here’s how it works—if you have a MYSTERY substance, say a liquid, and we’re trying to determine whether it’s basic or acidic, we dip a piece of litmus paper into the liquid to … see how it reacts. If it turns BLUE it means the solution is basic; if it turns RED it means the solution is acidic. Same paper, different colors based on the X-factor of the mystery solutions.

To CBS, you guys are the mysterious clear solution. They have no idea what happens when you “mix with” New York City. This is a model you can consider. Something HAPPENS when you (clear liquid solution) MIXES WITH New York City (the Litmus paper).

What can we learn about you based on this chemical equation New York City + You = XXXX?

The absolute worst thing you can do is tell us about New York. Similarly, we don’t wanna know about YOU either (in isolation). We wanna know about the COLLISION of you and NYC. Our safety goggles are on. Let the mixing commence.


To be continued.

@JonFrank
HBS 2005

JonFrank

Essay 3: What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)

Another hack job from last year—last year’s prompt left it wide open for professional experiences to overtake the personal piece: (Describe a personal experience and how it has influenced who you are today. This essay should have a personal rather than a professional focus. 500 words maximum). This is CBS’s way of saying, “you’ve won me and my wife over—now win over our KIDS.” Your guard should be down here, your suit should be OFF.

Take some risks here, people. For someone else to reel you IN, not the other way around. This is not an iron shot on a 300-yard par 4. Think about this one for a second—what’s the WORST kind of surprise party? “The one you kinda already knew about.” The best ones, on the other hand, are the ones you never saw coming—it’s kind of a silly/circular thing to point out, that the best type of surprise is the one where you’re most surprised. But trust us, people shank this kind of thing all the time, out of timidity.

A good (but by no means the only) way to approach this is to think about your close circle (family, tight friends, etc.) and think about things that may surprise THEM. That can be a GREAT well to dip from. For the ideation process, mind you—there is a whole other art form to turning this into something that will CHARM an adcom and make them smile and desire you as an addition to their program, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First things first, the “thing.”

Another way to think of it—think about people with similar backgrounds as you. Similar education, similar career experiences, similar ethnicity, etc. etc. Now, figure out the coolest way in which you’re UNLIKE those guys. What do you have, what can you do, what have you experienced, what thing is… you… that NOT A SINGLE other guy in that group can lay claim to? (If your “thing” is somewhat common, guess what—we’re gonna roll our eyes.)

A third way to skin it is to shock us with something that runs contrary to what one might expect of your “type.” “Yes, I know, based on my resume and all my specs you may suspect that I… XXXXX. Well, in fact, you may pleasantly surprised to learn that I… YYYYYYYY.” That statement should be followed by the sounds of minds being blown.

Smart, successful “plusses” to a great business school all have one thing in common: they know how to socialize. And are likable. Can you really be great at business in pure isolation? Maybe, but it’s not the norm. Typically, you’re gonna need to interact with at least one person along the way. And probably many more. Charm and likability go a LONG way. Show us that you have a sense of humor. Some wit. The ability to poke fun at yourself. If it looks like you’re trying to show off here, you’re doing it wrong.

It’s not “people will be surprised to learn that I climbed Mount Everest.”

Instead it’s “people will be surprised to learn that I climbed Mount Everest given that I couldn’t do a single push-up in gym class throughout high school.”

See the difference?

Optional Essay: An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.

Another bump and set. This one may require some outside help in some shape or form (pro or otherwise) to assess balance in your overall application package. How’s the balance? What needs to be conveyed—absolutely MUST be conveyed—that hasn’t been given air-time yet? Are the red flags to overcome? Low GPA? Low GMAT? Gap in career? Unusually short stints at your jobs? Other degrees you’ve collected already? Anything at all that might make an adcom furrow his brow?

That’s gonna be the most likely candidate of what goes here.

Now, if there’s something unbelievably KILLER in your repertoire of “adcom must know X” that has not been conveyed elsewhere, you’ll wanna consider delivering it here. But, if it seems like it comes from a place of weakness, it may not be as successful as you’d hoped. Meaning, there needs to be a compelling reason you’re using this space, otherwise you may seem a touch desperate. This is a tonal note more than anything. As always in sections like this, be brief, assertive, and get out. “Zero residual presence.”

There may be versions of the rest of your essay set that may be perfect by the way. And yes, it is possible to upset that balance by including a good but not necessarily mind-blowing additional story. Be very careful here. Think about group dynamics—sometimes the crew around the dinner table is absolutely perfect, and the addition of ONE extra person can affect the whole thing. Sometimes improve it, sure. But sometimes, it can dilute the whole thing. Beware. Remember our take on “greatest hits.”  This is where one of your heavy hitters somehow didn’t make its way in (it should have, by the way, if it sits on top of your greatest hits list).

As a general rule of thumb though, zip in, zip out. Keep this one tidy, if you’re gonna go for it.


@JonFrank
HBS 2005

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JonFrank 发表于 2013-9-22 11:13
Essay 3: What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 2 ...

Hi John, these insights are very helpful, thank you.
But there's one little problem, the optional questions is very close to but not exactly the one you posted, it goes like this: Is there any further information that you wish to provide the Admissions Committee? Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. (Maximum 500 words)

上北下南

Hey Jon, sometimes the school asks for a leadership experience. What can I write if I don't have any experience in leading a team? Thanks.