1. What is your proudest achievement outside the workplace, and how has it impacted you? (700 words)
   
   This question is new this year, and it replaces a question that asked, “What events or people have had the greatest influence in shaping your character and why?” One thing hasn’t changed thought: this question’s emphasis on you, and the admissions committee’s desire for you to write about something other than what it can plainly read on your resume. Many applicants may read this question and immediately think, “Okay, they want something about my extracurricular activities and community involvement,” but that’s not necessarily the case. The real key is to tell a story about personal growth (note the “how has it impacted you?” part of the question). If you have a story that does that and also happens to demonstrate your ability to make a positive impact on those around you, then great, but here Anderson really means it when its asks about the impact the achievement had on you. How did you grow as a result? Did it change your outlook? Did it boost your confidecne in tackling later challenges? This is what Anderson wants to erad about here!
2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from UCLA Anderson specifically help you achieve these goals? (700 words)
   
   This question carries over unchanged from last year, and so our advice mostly remains the same. You should approach this question the same as you would most other “Career Goals” / “Why an MBA?” essays. Note that the “Why an MBA?” component is very important, but you absolutely MUST demonstrate in this essay a knowledge of and a passion for UCLA Anderson. One way any school protects its admissions yield is by ferreting out those who don’t show enough enthusiasm for the program. Failing to answer the second part part of the question — how will UCLA Anderson help you to achieve your goals? — is a sure way to get ferreted out by the admissions committee.
3. (Optional Essay) Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words)
   
   As we always advise our clients when it comes to optional essays, only use this essay if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background. No need to harp on a minor weakness and sound like you’re making excuses when you don’t need any. If you don’t have anything else you need to tell the admissions office, it is entirely okay to skip this essay!

For more advice on getting into Anderson, download our Essential Guide to UCLA Anderson, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Anderson and other top MBA programs, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

By Scott Shrum

This year at Duke, we are stretching the definition of “essay” in an effort to harness the sort of insight that we’re looking for from applicants. The Daytime MBA application now includes three very straightforward short answer questions about the applicant’s goals. Here, we’re just looking for the facts, with minimal embellishment.

Without further ado, here are Fuqua’s deadlines and essays for the coming year, followed by our comments in italics:

Duke (Fuqua) Admissions Deadlines
Early Action: September 19, 2012
Round 1: October 24, 2012
Round 2: January 4, 2013
Round 3: March 21, 2013

Fuqua has actually moved its Early Action round forward by ten days and moved back its Round 1 deadline by about a week. If you’re thinking about applying early to Fuqua, the deadline is now less than a month away! But before you start rushing to start that application, note that, Fuqua considers it to be binding. So, we only recommend applying in this round if you’re 100% certain that you want to attend Fuqua. If you’re anything less than 100% sure, then save your application for Round 1. Looking at the other rounds, Fuqua’s Round 2 deadline hasn’t changed, while its Round 3 deadline has been pushed back by about two weeks.

Duke (Fuqua) Admissions Essays

Required Short Answer Questions (Just 250 Characters Each)

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

Business schools are really into counting characters (rather than words) these days, huh? The three above short answers should add up to only about 150 words, if it’s easier for you to think about them that way. Re-read that blog post by the Fuqua admissions team… For these short answers, they really are just looking for the facts. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t put any thought into these responses, but rather that they’re looking for less hand-waving and “big picture”-speak and for more headlines to help them quickly get a read on why you’re even applying to Fuqua in the first place. Think of this as your chance to make the admissions team’s job a little easier… Rather than having to sort through your application essays to figure out why you’re applying, you’re spelling it out in three bold “can’t miss” headlines. One more thought: Many applicants consider the third question to be a curve ball, but this sort of adaptability is important to show. No one knows how exactly their career will unfold, and with this question Fuqua wants to see if you “get” that idea and have at least thought through some alternatives.

Required Essays

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.
   
   Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
   
   This is one of the most unique “essay” prompts we have seen come along in years! We suspect that many applicants may not like this new prompt since it’s so far “out there” and different from what else is out there. While this shouldn’t be a completely frivolous list, it also should not simply rehash what else is in your application. Seemingly random facts such as “I once roadtripped with a friend and visited two dozen baseball stadiums” are interesting and reveal something about you, whether you realize it or not. We have seem some advice out there that tells applicants that all 25 items must be “unique” and “ownable,” but it would be a mistake to apply that rule to all 25 items. If the favorite part of your week is spending a couple of hours on Sunday morning reading the paper, then it would be crazy for that not to make it into this list, whether or not other applicants might possibly say the same thing. For us, a good rule of thumb is that approximately half of this list should reinforce your application themes (which you should have nailed down long before drafting this list), and the other half can be more “fun”… Don’t run the risk of putting the admissions committee to sleep with your list. Finally, take a look at the examples that Fuqua admissions officers have posted about themselves!
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.
   
   Your response to this essay question should be no more than 2 pages in length. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.
   
   While the “25 things” question will generate more buzz, we actually think this is the response the Duke admissions team may pay more attention to. The purpose of this question is really to assess your fit with the school. Last year the school simply asked, “Why Duke?” in an essay, and this year the admissions committee will try a new approach, but it’s still about fit: This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you have really researched the program, understand its culture, and really want to spend the rest of your life as a member of the Fuqua community. Some pragmatic components to your response are totally fine — it has strong ties to the health care industry, or has a specific research center that interests you, for instance. That’s a completely real, honest response. But the school wants you to go beyond rattling off lists of professor and course names from its website and convince them that you will be eager to attend Fuqua if you’re admitted.

For more advice on getting into Fuqua, download our Essential Guide to Fuqua, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Fuqua and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

By Scott Shrum

1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less.
   
   This question carries over unchanged from last year, and so our advice remains pretty much the same. Think of this essay as your “elevator pitch” to the Ross admissions team. You have just four to six sentences to highlight what the admissions committee absolutely must know about you. This is not an exercise is seeing how much information you can cram into 100 words. Instead, your challenge is to distill down your candidacy to no more than a couple of key points that 1) demonstrate your fit with Ross and 2) help you stand out vs. the competition. Note that, although the new wording this year changes the audience from the Ross admissions committee to your future classmates, your goal remains the same here. This essay will be a super-summary of the rest of your application, so don’t be bothered if some of the content here overlaps a bit with what’s in your other essays.
2. Describe your career goals. How will an MBA from Ross help you to achieve those goals? (300 words)
   
   This question is sort of a repeat from last year, but Ross made two big changes: First, it dropped half of the question (“What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community?”). This is interesting since that dropped question was introduced last year, but apparently it wasn’t doing its job for the Ross admissions committee. And, the word count has dropped from 500 to 300 words. For the part that’s left, you need to keep your response realistic and to demonstrate that you understand what a Ross MBA will and won’t do for you as a young professional. Note that many similar questions start with “Describe your career progress to date,” but this essay is only forward-looking. Still, any discussion of your career goals will likely include at least some background on what you’ve learned and accomplished, although you will need to do it succinctly. You shouldn’t dwell on your past, but you should plan on succinctly discussing what you’ve done until now as a way to “set the stage” for your career plans.
3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What advice would you give to a colleague who was dealing with a similar situation? (500 words)
   
   This is another case of a question that carries over from last year, but with a notable change. In this case, Ross changed the second sentence from “What did you learn from that experience?” to what you see here. While it’s actually not a substantial change, we actually like this version a little better. While this isn’t explicitly a “failure” essay, an example of a time when you failed is fair game here. Other possibilities are a time when you had to deal with a difficult co-worker or a time when you had a hard time winning others over to your way of thinking. These would all make for good demonstrations of how you have dealt with adversity. And remember that the second half of this question is the most critical: How would you impart this knowledge to others? This sort of maturity and emotional intelligence is what admissions officers look for. yes, you may be young, but you’re already far enough along in your career that you can help others… Show the Ross admissions team how you would do that using these life experiences.
4. What are you most passionate about and why? How will this passion positively impact Ross? (300 words)
   
   This question is an evolution of an optional one that Ross offered last year. The entire second part is new, which suggests to us that, while the school was getting interesting answers from applicants, the admissions team wanted to see these passions tied back to Ross a little more explicitly. This question requires an honest response about something that truly moves you. You can be passionate about anything, but what really makes great responses stand out is when the “Why” part is memorable, believable, and contains specifics about how you have acted on that passion. Are you passionate about bicycling? Great. Now explain why, using specific examples. Now, convince the admissions team that your passion is something that you’ll share with your classmates… That doesn’t mean you will start a cycling club, but maybe the endurance you have built up in your cycling training will make you a valuable study team member when the clock strikes midnight. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative here!
5. Optional question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (500 words)
   
   As always, only use this essay if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background. No need to harp on a minor weakness and sound like you’re making excuses when you don’t need any. More generally, if you don’t have anything else you need to tell the admissions office, it’s okay to skip this essay!

For more advice on getting into Ross, download our Essential Guide to Ross, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Ross and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

1. What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will an MBA from Chicago Booth help you reach them? (500 words)
   
   This question is essentially the same as last year’s first question, aside from a very slight wording tweak and a reduction in word count from 600 to 500 words. This is the fairly standard “Why an MBA? Why this school?” question that most business school ask. Note that, as important is it is to make a convincing case about your career goals and your reasons for wanting an MBA, you also really need to take the Booth part of the question seriously… What about Booth attracts you to the school? This is where you need to show that you’ve done your homework, and convince the school that you’re not only applying because Booth is highly ranked. Chicago Booth looks for a specific kind of applicant — one who’s intellectually curious and is not afraid of rigor. Does that appeal to you? If so, show it here!
2. a. What has been your biggest challenge, and what have you learned from it? (200 words maximum)
   
   This question is new this year. Yes, with a limit of 200 words, this essay doesn’t give you much to work with. With these types of questions, particularly when a school explicitly asks what you learned from a situation, we encourage applicants to use the “SAR” (Situation-Action-Result) method, with a lot of emphasis on the “Result” part. In this case, the result addresses the second and third questions in the essay prompt: What happened? What did you learn as a result? You only have 200 words here, so you must describe the situation VERY briefly (think no more than two or three sentences) and then move on to the rest. This makes choosing a work situation ideal, since admissions officers will already have a basic understanding of where you work and what you do for a living. Also plan on keeping the “Action” part relatively tidy; the real key is devoting enough words to what you learned. Ideally, you can then describe how you took what you learned and put it into action in another, later situation. This is the very definition of growth.
3. b. Tell us about something that has fundamentally transformed the way you think. (200 words maximum)
   
   This question is also new this year. It replaces one that Booth tried for just one year, which asked, “How has your family, culture, and/or environment influenced you as a leader?” Clearly the school didn’t love the answers it got from that question, and now wants to try a different approach to better understanding what makes its applicants tick. With an essay like this, many applicants are tempted to “talk fancy” and tell stories along the lines of “My three months of inoculating mountain goats in Machu Picchu changed my life,” when the thing that truly influenced them on a profound level was something much closer to home. Even if something sounds mundane, if it really meant something to you and transformed the way you think, then we advise choosing that story over one that sounds impressive. The story could be about a professor that you had (as long as that story is not too far in the past), a terrific boss you worked with, or something outside of the workplace. But choose something real over something that sounds flashy. And be sure to adequately describe the transformation that resulted from the experience!
4. The Chicago experience will take you deeper into issues, force you to challenge assumptions, and broaden your perspective. In a four-slide presentation or an essay of no more than 600 words, broaden our perspective about who you are. Understanding what we currently know about you from the application, what else would you like us to know?
   
   We have set forth the following guidelines:
   * The content is completely up to you. There is no right, or even preferred, approach to this presentation.
   * There is a strict maximum of four pages (presentation) or 600 words (essay), though you can provide fewer if you choose.
   * Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or * The document will be viewed electronically, but we cannot support embedded videos, music, or motion images. Additionally, all content MUST be included in the four pages; hyperlinks will not be
   * The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
   
   Ahh, Chicago Booth’s “PowerPoint question” is still here, although it’s been reworded again this year. The new wording puts emphasis on broadening perspectives… Both having your own perspective broadened at Booth, and you working to broaden the admissions team’s perspective of you. Last year the school more explicitly asked applicants to consider “what you’ve already included in the application,” and while this is worded differently, they’re mostly getting at the same thing: “Tell us something new and different about you.” You therefore really must ensure that these pages add something new to your application — don’t use it to just show off professional achievements that you already cover elsewhere in your application. Be creative! The reason Booth kept this question is because, while it hasn’t worked perfectly for the school so far, it really is the admissions committee’s best chance to tease some personality out of your application. So don’t be afraid to give them some!
5. (Re-applicants only) Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)
   
   This re-applicant question is the same as it was last year, so our advice carries over mostly unchanged. This question gets at the heart of what MBA admissions officers ask when they see a re-applicant: “What has changed since last time?” While we don’t believe the Booth admissions committee did it deliberately, we do think that the phrasing here can be a bit misleading. The way it’s written, this question may lead some applicants to believe that they didn’t get in before because of something wrong in the way they answered the “Why an MBA? Why Booth?” question, but that may not at all be why they were rejected last time. Imagine you’re an applicant who had all the right reasons for applying to Booth last year, but you had some other big weakness that kept you out, such as a low GMAT score or not enough meaningful work experience. Now you’re back, and you’ve worked hard to plug those holes, and now you need to manufacture a reason why your thinking is now different, although that thinking wasn’t the problem the first time around.
   
   So, our advice here is to answer the question (ALWAYS answer the question asked!), but keep in mind that the phrasing may mislead you a bit. If you’re certain that it was something else that kept you out, be sure to work that into this essay, particularly if it’s something that won’t immediately jump out at admissions officers when they review your application data sheets.

For more advice on getting into Booth, download our Essential Guide to Booth, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Booth and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

In each of the essays, please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.

1. Please describe a time when you had to convince a person or a group of your idea. (500 words)
   
   This question carries over from last year with just some very subtle tweaking. Last year, Sloan’s questions (including for its cover letter) put a great deal of emphasis on the traits that demonstrate leadership. Sloan has toned it down a bit this year, but you can be certain that Sloan admissions officers are still looking for leaders in the applicant pool. If you just read that last sentence and thought, “Uh oh, I’ve never managed anyone or been a team lead,” don’t despair. That’s not how Sloan (or any top MBA program) defines leadership. One practical definition of leadership is the ability to positively influence others, and Sloan directly asks for an example of that ability with this question. Even if your example feels fairly mundane (such as an engineer convincing other engineers to pursue a certain technical solution), you will be successful if you can show real skill maturity in HOW you go it done. That’s what MIT Sloan is looking for.
2. Please describe a time when you overcame a personal setback. (500 words)
   
   This question is new this year, and it also addresses some of the traits that admissions officers look for in emerging leaders: the ability to objectively take a challenge and setback and turn it into something positive, coming out better in the end. Many applicants see “setback” and think, “Oh no, a failure essay,” but you shouldn’t be afraid to write about a failure or shortcoming. (You also don’t need to write about one of these… a setback could also be something that happens to you, such as a devastating sports injury.) In fact, writing a response about overcoming a failure or weakness will usually more powerful than answering with “My biggest challenge was completing a marathon.” While that may sound impressive, it’s far less revealing than a story about a time when you had to make a more fundamental change to who you are as a person and as a leader.

For more advice on getting into Sloan, download our Essential Guide to MIT Sloan, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Sloan and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

1. Professional Aspirations: (750 words)
   
   (a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
   (b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
   (c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
   
   This question has been substantially reworded since last year, although at its core it has not changed too much. The biggest change is that Stern removed a part that asked about the decisions you have made that have led to your current position, replacing it with the part (b) that you see here. Be sure to answer that part of the question — Stern clearly wants to see that you have done your homework and are applying to the school for reasons that go beyond the obvious. Besides looking at the rankings or seeing that Stern places a lot of graduates in investment banks every year, what have you done to be sure that Stern is a good fit for you, and vice versa?
2. Your Two Paths (500 words)
   
   The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today’s ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact.
   
   (a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
   (b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
   (c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
   
   This question is entirely new this year, and we really like it. It’s a good way to Stern to try to get past applicants’ well rehearsed answers and try to get a better sense of what makes them tick professionally. Yes, you should have at least a pretty good idea of what you want to do after earning your MBA, but the admissions committee knows that you probably don’t know for certain what you want to do. And, even if you do, circumstances change, new trends emerge, life events happen, etc. While there’s no one “right” way to approach this essay, one thing we recommend trying is laying out a fairly standard path (the one that you’ve probably already been telling people) and one pretty creative one — perhaps one career path could be as an investment analyst and one could be as a manager of a charter school system. The more different the two paths are, the more interesting your story will be, and the more it will help admissions officers get a read in who you are.
   
   Resist the temptation to make your “other” path an altruistic-sounding one simply for the sake of sounding like a model citizen! But, if there’s a career path you’ve been toying with but have been reluctant to share because it might make you sound aimless or unrealistic, don’t be afraid to describe it here.
3. Personal Expression
   
   Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.
   
   Stern has used this question for years, meaning that the admissions committee must feel that it’s doing its job in terms of helping them get to know candidates. Similar to how Booth has used its “PowerPoint question” in recent years, Stern seeks new ways to learn about what makes you unique. The admissions office really does want to get to know the real you. Stern’s admissions officers are almost begging you to stand out here, which is a reminder about how you can make their job easier by helping them remember the real you.
   
   One other note: Just because this question allows you to use any medium, that doesn’t mean that you need to submit something other than the written word. If that’s your best medium, use it. “Being memorable” means more than just sending them something outrageous; the most effective submissions really are the ones that leave admissions officers feeling like they know you better. Finally, while this essay prompt truly is wide open in terms of what you can submit, note that there are a few parameters (e.g., nothing perishable!) that you nee to observe.
4. Additional Information (optional)
   
   Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.
   
   As we always advise our clients when it comes to optional essays, only use this essay if you need to explain a low undergraduate GPA or other potential blemish in your background. No need to harp on a minor weakness and sound like you’re making excuses when you don’t need any. If you don’t have anything else you need to tell the admissions office, it is entirely okay to skip this essay!

For more advice on getting into Stern, download our Essential Guide to NYU Stern, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Stern and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

1. What prompted your decision to get an MBA? When did you realize that this was a step you wanted –- or needed -– to take? (150 words)
   
   This may be the most specific example of the “Why an MBA?” question we’ve ever seen. (Last year, a similar question read, “Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now?”) It still is definitely the “Why an MBA?” question, but the emphasis on “When did you realize you needed an MBA?” is an interesting wrinkle that we haven’t seen much before. Obviously, this is a very short essay. They’re not looking for a novel, but rather a brief headline as to why you’re taking this potentially huge step now. There’s no right answer here… You don’t need to start with, “Ever since I was 15 I knew I wanted a Yale MBA.” (No one would believe it!) The admissions committee just wants to understand where you’re coming from, make sure that you’re being realistic, and know that this is more than a snap decision on your part. (Bye the way, this paragraph is exactly 150 words, not including this sentence!)
2. Describe a difficult professional decision you had to make. What were the consequences, and what, if anything, did you learn? Would you make the same decision again? (300 words)
   
   This question is entirely new this year, and it provides a great opportunity for you to demonstrate maturity and depth in your application. For essays like this, we encourage applicants to use the “SAR” (Situation-Action-Result) method, with a lot of emphasis on the “Result” part. In this case, the result addresses the second and third questions in the essay prompt: What happened? How did it change your view of the world and how to work with others? How did you take what you learned and put it into action in another, later situation? You only have 300 words here, so don’t get too bogged in describing the situation. Tell admissions officers what they need to know to understand the situation you were facing, and then move on to the real meat of the story.
3. The Yale School of Management provides a leadership education characterized by broad-minded and intellectually curious students with diverse backgrounds, a distinctive integrated curriculum, connections to one of the great research universities in the world, and the broad reach of an innovative and expanding global network of top business schools. What will you contribute to the Yale SOM community, and how will being part of it help you extend your professional vision? (300 words)
   
   This question is an evolution of one that Yale asked last year. At its core, it’s a “Why Yale?” question that asks you to demonstrate that you have done your homework on Yale and are passionate about the program. They have a particular vision for Yale SOM and its student body… Help them see that you share that vision and will fit in at Yale.
4. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment? Why? (300 words)
   
   Ideally the story you choose will demonstrate at least one or two of the key themes in your application. Is it your leadership abilities, your analytical skills? Be sure to work in those themes here, especially since Yale’s essays give you very few other places to do that this year. All things being equal, a story from your professional life will serve you best, but don’t feel that your significant accomplishment MUST be from the workplace.

For more advice on getting into Yale, download our Essential Guide to Yale SOM, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Yale and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

1. Select a Wharton MBA course, co-curricular opportunity or extra-curricular engagement that you are interested in. Tell us why you chose this activity and how it connects to your interests. (500 words)
   
   Ahh, Wharton has taken out some words here. These optional essays each had a limit of 600 words last year. And we’re sensing a theme… This question is new this year, and note that it also puts the spotlight on Wharton. (Last year’s question was entirely different.) We tend not to love this kind of question since we see many applicants simply find a course or student club on a the school’s website and write about it, giving admissions officers what applicants think they want to see. If there is something that truly excites you about Wharton — especially something that very few other top MBA programs can offer, such as one of Wharton’s well known research centers — then this essay may be a great opportunity for your to truly demonstrate your fit with the school. Otherwise, resist the temptation to invent interest in a class or club just for the sake of completing this essay.
2. Imagine your work obligations for the afternoon were cancelled and you found yourself “work free” for three hours, what would you do? (500 words)
   
   This question is also new this year, and it replaces a “deeper” question about dealing with a challenging interpersonal experience. While we liked that essay prompt, we also like this one. In the above two questions Wharton shows that this year’s it’s looking for more “Why Wharton?”-type insights in your essays, but don’t forget that they also need to get to know you as a person. Don’t feel that you need to reveal something amazing here — will the admissions committee really believe that you would use those three hours to work in a soup kitchen or build a house with Habitat for Humanity? What do you enjoy doing? What do you wish you could do more, or know that you should do more? Going for a run, fishing off of a pier, and reading a book on a hammock all make for good answers. The key is to not only say what you would do, but why you would do it. That’s what the admissions committee really looks for here.
3. “Knowledge for Action draws upon the great qualities that have always been evident at Wharton: rigorous research, dynamic thinking, and thoughtful leadership.” – Thomas S. Robertson, Dean, The Wharton School
   
   Tell us about a time when you put knowledge into action. (500 words)
   
   This question is also new, although it replaces a similar prompt from last year. Putting “knowledge in to action” can be interpreted in multiple ways, and if no example from your past immediately springs to mind, then think about the words “creativity” and “insight.” How did you creatively solve a problem at work or in your life? How did you go beyond your normal job description or come up with a solution that had never been tried before, using the information that was right in front of you? More than anything, here the Wharton admissions committee looks for signs that you’re not content to just follow your job description, you do more than simply work on assignments as they’re handed to you (but do no more than that), and you’re not afraid to dream big now and then. “Knowledge” is nice, but “action” is how people make a positive impact on those around them. Wharton is looking for those people.

For more advice on getting into Wharton, download our Essential Guide to Wharton, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Wharton and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

• Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, and how do you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals? (500 words)
  
  This question has evolved a bit since last year. First of all, Columbia broke it into two parts, with Columbia moving the “Why Columbia?” question to the second part. Despite the changes, we’d still categorize it as the typical “Why an MBA?” question that many top MBA programs ask. Yes, you are right to point out that this question is a tad redundant given the Short Answer Question, but think of that as the headline that partly sums up this essay. Like every other school, Columbia asks this question to get a sense of where you’re going with your career, whether your goals are realistic, and whether you “get” what an MBA can (and can’t) do for you.
• Please view this video, entitled Community at Columbia. Diverse, tight-knit clusters and carefully selected learning teams are defining features of the first year at Columbia Business School. Along with more than 100 student organizations and countless events each semester, the cluster system helps to create a supportive and devoted lifelong community. Describe why you are interested in becoming a part of the Columbia community. (Maximum 250 words)
  
  This is where those other 250 words went. As we have said before, many applicants fail to adequately to explain why Columbia is the best place for them to earn their MBA, given the school’s culture, academic strengths, ties to certain industries, etc. Yes, Columbia has a big name and proximity to Wall Street. Those strengths are obvious. What else does Columbia offer that you can’t find anywhere else? This is what the school is looking for when it asks about “fit.” Also, pay attention to how many times the phrase “Despite being in NYC…” (or something similar) comes up in the video. We’ve noted before that Columbia doesn’t want to be viewed as a commuter school in the middle of a huge city… Keep this in mind as you spell out how you will fit in at Columbia.
• 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)
  
  This question has been reworded, but the thrust of it is the same as it was last year, when Columbia introduced it to its application. Therefore, our advice mostly remains the same. We still like the more direct nature of this question, which asks for a specific life experience, rather than simply asking about your personal interests, which Columbia’s application used to do. Remember that, when a school tweaks an essay prompt from year year to the next, that usually means that the admissions committee wasn’t quite getting what it wanted. Our guess is that Columbia is trying even harder now t put the focus on your personal side, not the professional you. Don’t be afraid to reveal something that seems a little more personal than what you thought you would share going into this process… They clearly want to see how you have grown and evolved in your relatively young life.

Columbia also provides space for an optional fourth essay. Our advice here is always the same: If you really do feel the need to explain something, then address it and move on. In other words, don’t dwell on it or provide that weakness with more stage time than it deserves!

Every year we help many applicants get into Columbia Business School. For more advice on getting into Columbia, download our Essential Guide to Columbia Business School, one of our 15 guides to the world’s top business schools. If you’re ready to start building your own application for Columbia and other top business schools, call us at 1-800-925-7737 and speak with an MBA admissions expert today. And, as always, be sure to find us on Facebook and Google+, and follow us on Twitter!

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