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programme. Convey in your essay what you are good at, what your values are, what you are passionate about, what is unique about you and how it can benefit your peers, professors and the learning environment.
LBS ask the question in this way: “What specific areas of London Business School life are you most excited about getting involved in and where will you add value? (300 words)”. However, such questions do not limit your response to extracurricular activities.
• Leadership aspirations
MBA programmes cultivate business leaders. You often come across essay questions about a notable person or a leader whom you would like to meet or whom you admire.
HEC Paris Full-time MBA application asks: “What figure do you most admire
and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc.).” Questions of this type give you the opportunity to elaborate on the difference you would like to make in the world, the leadership style you aspire to, the values you share.
• Failure, achievement, values
Achievement seems easy to talk about, but failure – not so much. However, analysing mistakes and learning from failure is a valuable experience that admissions officers want to hear about. IMD requests: “Describe a time in your life where you faced a significant failure. How did it affect you and what were your greatest lessons? (Maximum 300 words)” and “Describe a situation when your personal values where challenged.“
• Present yourself
Business schools often simply require
you to give a presentation of yourself. This is certainly not an easy task. It helps to think about what makes you unique in comparison to others of your academic and professional background, gender, nationality, etc.
Duke Fuqua says: “Share with us 25 random things about yourself. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer.” IMD: “Describe yourself in two hundred words or fewer.” In the end, it all boils down to helping admissions committees get to know you better as a person and a professional; inspiring them to support you in whatever difference you would like to make in the world; convincing them that you are an indispensable asset for the next MBA class that they are putting together. The admissions essays are your best opportunity to talk to the MBA admission decision makers. □ I.B.
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ome business schooladmissions committee members have revealed that they consider the letters of recommendation in the MBA application incredibly important to their decision-making process— possibly the most important aspect. This surprises many applicants who don’t take the recommendation letters seriously because they do not personally complete them. These applicants fail to see one of the key reasons why recommendations are extremely important. Recommendations can provide a glimpse into your management skills. If you cannot ensure that your letter of recommendation is appropriate, professional and on time, what does that say about your managerial potential?
Selecting the right people to draft your letters of recommendation is essential. The admissions committee can learn a lot about you just by observing who you select to write a letter on your behalf. When selecting someone to write your letter, choose people with whom you work closely and who know you well. The person’s job title is not as important as how well they know you, and the single best person to ask for your initial letter of recommendation is the manager to whom you report directly.
In fact, many schools actually require you to ask your direct supervisor to write your primary letter of recommendation. Choose people who like you, and who think you are good at what you do. If
a potential reference seems less than enthusiastic in any way, keep looking. That person’s ambivalence is likely to come through in the letter.
In some cases, however, choosing your current supervisor is not possible. Go back to the pool of options and select the next best person. You may choose someone from a prior job, or someone with whom you have worked closely but do not report to. If you select two references from the same company, make sure that they can provide different perspectives on you. For example, one can be your manager, and the other can be someone with whom you worked cross functionally.
I often hear questions regarding the benefit of selecting MBAs to write your letters or, even better, alumni of your target schools. All things being equal, it is helpful if your recommender has an MBA. It means that they understand the process and it may also validate them in the eyes of your target school. Consider this a “nice to have” but don’t select an MBA at the expense of the number-one rule: selecting someone who knows you well.
A note specifically for those applying directly from college: You may think that your former Economics professor is a great person to write a letter because they think highly of your academic ability. However, a professor usually cannot answer questions about interacting with peers, leadership abilities, career goals, areas needing improvement, and more. It’s truly essential that the people writing your reference have clear insight into the information that the business schools