The University of Chicago MBA taking questions

skypacerzhou

以下是引用wwwzzz在2004-10-14 0:25:00的发言：

"Engineer-->Finance" This is a very common career path for students at the GSB, especially Indians and Chinese. But that also means you have a lot of competition from people with basically the same background and professional stories. How do you stand out? What makes you appealing to the people who read your application essays (admissions officers and students who work in the admissions office)? Can you offer them something different from other engineers and make them think, "Wow, this person looks interesting to have on my study team. S/he can offer some unique insights and add value to the GSB commuty..."?

Think about their needs. GSB adcom sees enough engineer applicants with stellar numbers and experience (high scores, good educational background, bigname companies...) Play down with those "hard" data and concentrate on the "softer" ones, so as to paint a vivid picture of yourself. Fight the sterotype on engineers (better with number/facts than people, follow the routine and uncreative, not many personal interests, etc.) This doesn't mean, however, that you should go out of your way to do something really special (or fabricate it) to stand out. No, just bring out what you are. Don't be afraid to reveal your true self. You ARE different, right?

Besides, you also want to show commitment. Research thoroughly about what the school can offer (cirriculum, student group activities, culture...), decide what fits your needs best (from an ADMITTED student's point of view), and talk about this in your essays. Don't just go by the common "oh yeah, GSB is great, good ranking, good finance program, and good teachers..." Everyone else will mention that. Get to the details--how a particular course/student activity can help you make the career transfer, why you will enjoy studying here more than at other schools, AND, most importantly, why you (not some other engineer) will be a valuable asset to the school and fellow students...

If you are in US, do consider coming to the Fall Preview (GSB's major on-campus admissions event)  this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 15-16). Tour around the campus (there's the big new building), audit a class (you'll love the professors), and talk to current students (hundreds of them volunteered to serve on the admissions committee. For more info, go check at the GSB website.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

One last suggestion (from a personal view): keep your essays fun to read and unique to GSB. No "ba gu" please...Just look at how much efforts GSB makes to change the wording of their essay questions every year (the essence is basically the same, hehe) Echo to that effort by tailor-making your essays. Don't just copy and paste from your Wharton essay...Think of the adcom as a girl to be wooed--she would want your eyes to focus ONLY on her as if she is the only woman in the world...

Totally agree. Admission decision is 99% based upon the experience of reading your whole package, which includes your essays, resume, academic record and reference. Make your essays fun to read and impact the reader both rationally and emotionally is crucial. Keep that in mind always when preparing the essays. Adcom feel it awful to readessays with tedious cliche and dry arguments.

lucre

......Don't just copy and paste from your Wharton essay...Think of the adcom as a girl to be wooed--she would want your eyes to focus ONLY on her as if she is the only woman in the world...

LOL, I like this one.

lucre

one more question to skypacerzhou & wwwzzz

I'm an independent consultant now, and one of my clients is in DeKalb, 1 hour away from Chicago. The project probably will last for 2 years from now on, and I can work for them as long as I want. Should I list that as one reason "why Chicago"?

Thank you very much.

[此贴子已经被作者于2004-10-14 3:19:56编辑过]

thelastloner

wwwzzz, thank you for your valuable suggestions. I am afraid I cannot make it to the Fall Preview. I didn't know about it until you told me.  I just started to do some resreach on schools.

I have a question on career-change. Some people say that specifying career-change in your essay will kill your application and that you'd better choose a concentration area that matches your background, while others believe it is OK to do so.  What is your opinion?

By the way, are you in GSB right now?

skypacerzhou

以下是引用lucre在2004-10-14 3:18:00的发言：

one more question to skypacerzhou & wwwzzz

I'm an independent consultant now, and one of my clients is in DeKalb, 1 hour away from Chicago. The project probably will last for 2 years from now on, and I can work for them as long as I want. Should I list that as one reason "why Chicago"?

Thank you very much.

You definitely want to let the admission committee know the fact that you are engaged in such a project, which they deem as a solid reason for accepting the GSB offer once they admit you.

But meanwhile, you definitely DON'T want to say you choose Chicago GSB because of that earthy consideration. There're thousands of reasons for choosing the program, like the awsome curriculum and faculty, and you probably want to mention the extremely cohesive Chinese community in GSB. There's an annual business conference organized by Chicago GSB Chinese Students Association, like the Harvard China Review by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Personally, I do see huge misconception about Chicago GSB as a place flooded with academic geeks. That's wrong. Nowadays, people there are amiable, communicative and proactive in extracurricular activities. It's a vibrant community. Think about the simple fact that LEAD (Leadership Experience Assessment and Development) is the only compulsory course out there in the business school. You may get a glimpse at how hard GSB is working to promote leadership and teamwork among us.

Finally let's go back to your specific questions. You may want to express it in that way, like during your frequent business travels to your client site, you would take any chances available to audit a class at GSB and found the class interaction fantastic and was exactly what you are expecting of an MBA education. IThe carefully pitched balance of GSB's teaching method between fundamental theories and case analysis, fit your specific demands, etc...

By that way, you successfully conveyed your intended information while making the adcom extremely happy with your committment and insight about GSB.

thelastloner

shypacerzhou, I have a question on career-change. Some people say that specifying career-change in your essay will kill your application and that you'd better choose a concentration area that matches your background and change it after getting admitted, while others believe it is OK to do so.  What is your opinion?

skypacerzhou

以下是引用thelastloner在2004-10-14 11:50:00的发言：
shypacerzhou, I have a question on career-change. Some people say that specifying career-change in your essay will kill your application and that you'd better choose a concentration area that matches your background and change it after getting admitted, while others believe it is OK to do so.  What is your opinion?

Since your question is quite typical for many applicants, I'll take the chance to elaborate a little bit on that issue.

1) First of all, most admissions staffs are familiar with career changes, and they accept it so long as you have sufficient reason and resource to make it. MBA is designed to allow its graduates to achieve something different from what they've achieved, and it IS career change, at least to some extent. Schools will feel proud that they make a financial analyst out of a previous engineer, and I think it's particulary the case for Chicago GSB.

2)However, a career change as big as is in your proposed senario, requires lots of efforts, individual capability and at many times, luck. The adcom knows that. So if you don't show compelling evidence of qualifications, they will be seriously concerned.

The analysis above is purely job-placement oriented. Let's now take a look at the admission process.

1) The adcom like to read essays with simple and clear logic. Let's be honest here. Usually a committee member will only use less than 5 minutes to finish reading your essays. The simpler, the clearer, the better. So you don't want to complicate your case by introducing pre-mature career change intention that's not solidly grouded. Doing so will make your essay hard to understand and raise confusion to the reader.

2)However, the adcom is also looking for essays with uniqueness and insights. So if every applicants refrain from being astray from the commonplace, that would be terrible to the committee. So, if you believe you have good stories that allow you decide a career change, then frankly communicate with the adcom. Of course, I am assuming your English writing is good enough to make your reason simple, clear but persusive.

Having talked about those general rules, let's get down to your case.

Your are a software engineer at Oracle, which is quite typical of many indian applicants, and you are planning on switching into finance area, which is also quite popular here. So your case is by no means strange to the adcom at GSB. But what really matters is: why are you making such a change? Are you simply getting bored with your current work? Is there any spcific life stories that underlying your decision? What kind of qualities you possess that make you a successful finance professional? Do you have any specific stories or cases to support that? Do you have any personal emotional affliation to the finance industry? Have you already been making preliminary preparations for your upcoming career changes? By saying finance, do you have more specific plan as to what sub-area of finance are you interested in? Fixed incom? Equity research, venture capital or investment banking?

To conclude, I think your decision as to whether to read aloud your decision of career change in the admission essays is a game between risk and return. If you have good reason and can execute it well, then do it, otherwise, try a safer way, but also a way that usually leads to lower yields.

Finally, let me clarify a couple of things here.

1) Concentration is a very weak concern for MBAs in most schools. Recruiters don't care about your concentration, schools don't care about that, and neigther do you. Don't take MBA as something like economics department or computer science. People here have only one major: master of business administration.

2) Your future career choices don't need to be consistent with what you stated in your essays. Once you are admitted, career office staffs will help you reposition your strengths and career track, and your application material will be no more than garbage then.

Finally, best of luck, man!

thelastloner

skypacerzhou, I really appreciate your wonderful and insightful inputs. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

vaporization200

Hi skypacerzhou,

you are such a nice person who is willing to share your knowledge with others.

I just finished my AT test , and got 700. I have 5 years working experience in dealing room (Deutsche bank and SMBC). When I studied the school information from businessweek, I found that GSB has a wide range of GMAT score, unlike NYU, whose range is only 30~40 points. Does that mean GSB will consider more other than GMAT?

And another question, I notice there are 2 essays which I felt a little confuse...

2. Chicago GSB is seeking a mascot to represent our new facility, The Hyde Park Center, what would your choice be and how will it represent the attributes of Chicago GSB? (500 words maximum):

3. If you could step into any celebrities shoes for a day, who would it be and why

Can you share your opinion about these 2 questions? GSB is one of several B school who have such kind of creative essays. Dose school try to found some specific charactoristics from those essays?

many thanks in advance~

thelastloner

Hi skypacerzhou, if some b-school offers information system as one of the concentration areas which matches my background better, do you think I will have a better chance if I state in my applcation that I want to choose information system as my primary specialization area? You know I can change it after getting admitted, right? Thanks!