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

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

atto

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.

deardee

Hi Jon Frank, thank you so much for your valuable advice here! I have a issue regarding my recommendation letter and would like to ask your opinion.

I was admitted last year by an Mba program however due to medical reason I have to give it up and reapply the same school since the school does not allow me to defer the enrollment. Last year My supervisor already submittedbmy recommendation letter.this year I am worried to let me employer knowing I am reapplying because applying b-school two years in a row would show my low commitment to the employer and if they know i am reapplying this year,they probably would not give me  promotion any more. Also my supervisor is kind of disappointed with me since last year I gave up the enrollment opportunity so it would be awkward to let him write a letter again this year. I plan to let my former coworker who currently working in the Us to write me a letter. How should I address this issue in the optional essay to the school? Really appreciate your help!

JonFrank

You got it dude,
For a question like that, basically it's an opportunity to tell them about wither something really important or something that went a bit wrong. Either one would be good. So if you have something like that, go for it!

Best,

@JonFrank
HBS 2005

JonFrank

Well the best is to look for SOME sort of leadership experience,
It could be leading people out of work (in a non-professional situation) or training and mentoring people. Hiring is leadership too. Or if you did any motivating. Basically my advice would be for you to DIG DEEPER! You probably have SOME leadership in your profile, even if now it doesn't seem like it.

@JonFrank
HBS 2005

striddick

Hi Jon,

Gentle Greetings. I am an undergraduate student who will graduate at June 2014 and I am now trying to select some appropriate programs. I found on the website that you have helped a lot of students in China,and I wish you can help me too. The following is my background.

Undegraduate Collge:985 211
College Rank : 17th general an 5th in engineering area.(Both in China)
Major: Electrical Engineering Top2 in China

GPA:   About 83.5/100
GMAT:  750+5
TOEFL: 109

Internship: one month in Bank of China

Full-time Work Experience: No

Special work experience: I have been working in a local nonprofit drama troupe sponsored by our college, and have been the chairman of this troupe for about 2 years. This troupe was established in 1998 and is quite famous in our city and province, and we even have fans around the whole country. The member mainly comprise current students and alumni of our college, and quite a few local volunteers. When I was the chairman I there were about 80 people working in this troupe. I did a lot to this troupe and the committee highly appreciated my contribution. The members usually consider me one of the greatest leader of this organization for the whole 15 years.

Others:
1.worked in student government
2.sold bicycles and clothes
3.gave lessons about drama in college or publicly
4.been selected as the college official magazine cover twice
5.the“Male student representatives” at in 110th anniversary of our college.

I am very sorry that I write so much. Thank you for your patience to read it. But I am really confused about selecting programs. Actually I am interested in management, but other master programs, even MBA will also be OK. I really wonder your suggestion about programs.

Thank you again for reading my message, and I will appreciate if I can receive your response soon.

Your Sincerely
Xiaochen Wu
Nanjing, China

上北下南

JonFrank 发表于 2013-9-25 16:04
Well the best is to look for SOME sort of leadership experience,
It could be leading people out of w ...

Thanks Jon. I have two further questions to bother you though.

First, does teaching language count as leadership experience?
Second, if I did a job alone, but the job involves considerable communication with different parities. Can this be leadership experience as well?

JonFrank

上北下南 发表于 2013-9-26 23:41
Thanks Jon. I have two further questions to bother you though.

First, does teaching language coun ...

You're welcome!
Teaching IS a kind of leadership experience. After all you are standing up in front of a group of people and leading them, educating them, and so on. Your second experience seems to be a good one, but is really more teamwork than leadership. so you can for sure use it in your essays, but probably it fits more in a teamwork essay than in a leadership one.

Best,

@JonFrank
HBS 2005