MBA Application Questions

Five Questions You Must
Answer in Your MBA
Application
© 2010 Prep School Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction: Tyler Cormney

 AIGAC Certified Admissions Consultant
 Author of five MBA essay guides
 Harvard MBA
 USC Master of Professional Writing
 UT Austin Business Undergraduate

© 2010 Prep School Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1

Five Questions You Must Answer in Your MBA
Application

Leadership Are you a leader?

Career Goals What are your career goals?

Career Progress What have you achieved professionally?

Why Our School Why are you applying to our school?

Potential Contributions How can you enrich our community?


How to Prepare for the 5 Questions

 Learn to recognize the five fundamental questions
 Internalize the Criteria for Top Marks
 Assemble Your Content Building Blocks
 Outline Your Answers


Application

# 1: Are You a
Leader?


Are You a Leader?

Example Questions
• Discuss a defining experience in your leadership
development.
• Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your
organization.
• What impact do you hope to have as a leader of
consequence?

Top Marks For …
An extensive Leadership Portfolio: Concrete examples of your
ability to rally others and motivate them to work together to
achieve an important shared vision or goal


Are You a Leader?
Content Building Blocks

 Leadership Stories
 Leadership Actions
 Leadership Capabilities


Are You a Leader?
Building Block Questions:
 Leadership Stories
When have I…
 Leadership Actions …harnessed the energy of other
 Leadership Capabilities people to achieve a goal
…made an impact and permanently
upgraded an organization’s
capabilities
…spotted a problem and coordinated
efforts to solve it

Example:
Susan led a software team and built
security software for a weapons
system.


Are You a Leader?

 Leadership Stories Building Block Question:
What steps did I take as the groups
 Leadership Actions leader to overcome challenges and keep
 Leadership Capabilities people focused and motivated?

Example:
•Set high expectations for the team
•Learned about each team member
personally and their career development
goals
•Showed my teammates that we weren’t
just software coders -- our work would
save lives


Are You a Leader?

 Leadership Stories Building Block Question:
What leadership capabilities did I draw
 Leadership Actions upon in this story/example?
 Leadership Capabilities
Example:
•Adapting to New Situations
•Mentoring & Developing People
•Inspiring Others with Words


Are You A Leader?:
Example Building Blocks
Building Block Example Building Blocks
Leadership Story Led a software team and built security software for a
weapons
Leadership Action •Learned about each team member personally and their
career development goals
•Showed my teammates that we weren’t just software
coders -- our work would save lives
Leadership •Adapting to New Situations
Capabilities •Mentoring & Developing People
•Inspiring Others with Words


Application

# 2: What Are Your
Career Goals?


What Are Your Career Goals?

Example Questions
• What are your professional objectives?
• What is your career vision?
• Where do you want to be 10 years from now?

Top Marks For …
Clearly defined post-MBA career goals which reveal a sense of
passion and purpose


What Are Your Career Goals?:

 Career Purpose
 Career Meaning
 Long-term Career Goal
 Career Action Plan



 Career Purpose Building Block Question:
What is the purpose of your
 Career Meaning career -- who will it serve and how
 Long-term Career Goal will it benefit others?
Example:
Spur economic development in the
former Soviet Union/Ukraine.



Why is this career you envision
 Career Meaning meaningful to you?
Example:
Talk about my visit to Kiev two
years ago.



What is your long-term career
 Career Meaning goal?
Example:
To found and lead a private equity
fund and serve as an economic
adviser to the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS).



What is the career path to this
 Career Meaning long-term goal?
Example:
Short-term/Post MBA: Work for an
established private equity group in the
Common Wealth of Independent
States (CIS) such as Baring Vostok.
Middle-Term: Start a fund.
Long-Term: To serve as an economic
advisor to CIS countries


Career Purpose Spur economic development in the former Soviet
Union/Ukraine.
Career Meaning Talk about my visit to Kiev two years ago.
Long-Term Career To found and lead a private equity fund and serve as an
Goal economic adviser to the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS).
Career Action Plan • Short-term/Post MBA: Work for an established
private equity group in the CIS such as Baring Vostok.
• Middle-Term: Start a fund.
• Long-Term: To serve as an economic advisor to CIS
countries


Application

# 3: What Have
You Achieved
Professionally?


What Have You Achieved Professionally?

Example Questions
• Briefly summarize your career progress
• What decisions have you made that led to your current role?
• Walk me through your resume.

Top Marks For …
Distinguished academic and career performance to date and
demonstrated potential for future advancement


What Have You Achieved Professionally?:

 Career Phases

 For each Career Phase:
– Career Decisions
– Challenges/Achievements
– Career Growth



 Career Phases Building Block Question:
What are the major milestones in
your career so far?
Example:
– Career Growth
• Graduated from Michigan
• Analyst job at Deutsche Bank;
offered 3rd Year Analyst job
• Analyst at Astrix Partners for
1.5 yrs



Why did you leave the old job and
take the new one?
Example:
– Career Growth
Decided to join Astrix because I
wanted to be an investor not an
advisor.



What was the most significant
challenge you faced? What did
 For each Career Phase: you achieve that you are most
– Career Decisions proud of?
– Career Growth Example:
Sourced optical drive
manufacturer deal and presented
to the investment committee



How did you grow and what did
you learn in this phase of your
 For each Career Phase: career? How did you progress?
– Career Growth Example:
Acquired fundamental private
equity skills and discovered
passion for investing


Career Phase Leaving Deutsche Bank (DB) to join Astrix
Partners Private Equity
Career Decision Offered 3rd year analyst role at DB but decided
to join Astrix Partners to work in Private Equity
Achievements/Challenges Sourced optical drive manufacturer deal and
presented to the investment committee
Career Growth Passion for investing and fundamental private
equity skills


Application

# 4: Why Are You
Applying to Our
School?


Why Are You Applying to Our School?

Example Questions
• Why do you need an MBA?
• Why is now the best time for an MBA?
• How will our school prepare you for your career goals?

Top Marks For …
Convincing motivations for pursuing an MBA … specifically from
this program


Why Are You Applying to Our School? :

 Academic Programs
 Professors
 Student Organizations
 Alumni Network
 Leadership and Management Growth


Why Are You Applying to Our School? :
Example Content Building Blocks
Generic Personal and Specific (Columbia)

Courses Courses
• I want to study marketing • Design and Marketing of Luxury
Products

Class Professors Class Professors
• The Marketing Faculty is top- • Retail Marketing Prof. John
notch Smith

Student Organizations Student Organizations
• 80 different student • Retail and Luxury Goods Club
organizations to choose from


Application

# 5: How Can You
Enrich Our
Community?


How Can You Enrich Our Community?

Example Questions
• What can you contribute to our program?
• How can you enrich next year’s class?
• Why should we accept you?

Top Marks For …
Concrete answers about what you can contribute to the
program and the overall MBA community


How Can You Enrich Our Community?:

What are your unique life
Unique Features
experiences, knowledge, strengths/talents?

How can those unique things about you benefit your
Benefits
classmates?

Concrete In what concrete ways can you deliver those benefits if
Contributions you’re accepted by the school you’re applying to for?


How Can You Enrich Our Community?:
Translate into Benefits and Contributions

Unique Features Army brat; moved to a new city every three years

Developed an ability to break the ice and I can help
Benefits
new classmates to start connecting

Entering-student member of the orientation
Concrete
committee in first-year and lead the committee in
Contributions
second year


Key Takeaways

 Are you a leader? You can’t simply claim that you are. You
must present a leadership portfolio that proves you are
 What are your career goals? Admissions officers aren’t asking
how you’ll make a living but how you’ll make a difference
 What have you achieved professionally? Tell them your
career story
 Why are you applying to our school? Answers must be
personal and specific
 How can you enrich our community? Answer in terms of
benefits not features


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