MBA SPECIAL Alert: changes in
MBA apps cycle
Applicants to
top MBA programmes abroad are already scrambling to get their material
organised. This year, the process starts earlier and involves a slightly
different set of components than in years past. So, what’s changed?
Candidates
will be sending in applications a full month earlier than usual, and need to
accelerate their preparation.
DEADLINES
Each year,
first-round deadlines seem to creep earlier and earlier. Historically,
deadlines for Round 1 applications started on October 1 and extended for the
rest of the month. This year, Harvard Business School (HBS) has set its Round 1
deadline as September 9; in 2013 it was September 16, in 2012 it was September
24, and in 2011 it was October 3. The change in date by HBS has prompted other
top programmes to set their deadlines earlier as well. While Wharton and
Stanford still require materials by October 1, Chicago Booth, MIT Sloane and
Yale SOM have deadlines of September 25, 23 and 18 respectively. All of this
preponing means that candidates must have their application components lined up
over the summer and monsoon months so that they are ready to hit ‘send’ a full
month before their seniors did in prior application cycles. Awareness,
preparation and organisation are paramount to success — anyone snoozing will
definitely lose out if they don’t stay on top of this trend.
As of now, the
second round deadlines remain more or less the same — early to mid January for
most programmes.
ESSAYS
Accompanying
this timing shift is a change in the number of application essays required and
the prescribed length.
For the second
year in a row, HBS requires a single, optional essay with no word limit: You’re
applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, academic
transcripts, extracurricular activities, awards, post-MBA career intentions,
test scores, and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would
you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? This type of open,
unstructured essay question can seem easy on the surface. Many candidates think
they can just modify and send an essay they have written for another programme.
The reality is, that
to be a competitive applicant at HBS, an applicant needs to carefully review
all his application components. Craft an essay that truly outlines part of his
story that cannot be learned through any other source, including
recommendations. This can often be a tough task that requires hours of
self-reflection, superior writing skills and many, many drafts.
Similarly, other
top programmes have cut the number of essays as well as the word counts.
Wharton has a
single required essay of 500 words: What do you hope to gain both personally
and professionally from the Wharton MBA? And Stanford has only two essays this
year versus last year’s three. They have retained their signature question:
What matters most to you, and why? ( with a word limit of 650 to 850 words) but
have shortened the second question to simply: Why Stanford? (with a word limit
of 250 to 450 words). This year, Chicago Booth has a single question with no
set word limit and the option of answering in essay or presentation format:
Chicago Booth values adventurous inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a
collaborative exchange of ideas. This is us. Who are you? This is in contrast
to last year, when Booth applicants had to submit three questions citing
specific examples and experiences that highlight important MBA skill sets and
thought processes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For the first
time, many top programs including Harvard, Darden, Yale, Stanford, Columbia and
Wharton have come together to make the recommendation process a bit more
streamlined and rational for recommenders. Instead of having to draft
responses to three, four or five different prompts across programmes, this
year, recommenders to these programmes have to answer only the following two
questions:
■ How do the
candidate’s performance, potential, or personal qualities compare to those of
other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific
examples.
■ Please
describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the
applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response.
While the
recommendation forms and processes are still unique to each programme, at least
recommenders don’t have to come up with a seemingly endless array of responses
to unique questions by programme.
True to their
nature of adapting to changing market forces by testing new strategies, global
MBA programmes are constantly re-inventing their own processes for maximum
efficiency and to meet their enrolment objectives.
Applicants who
are nimble and open to new ways of doing things will certainly benefit from all
the changes in this application cycle.
HT140813
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