The admissions cycle for the Class of 2011 is in full swing and I am delighted to meet with prospective students at Sage Hall. It is very gratifying to hear that students, i.e. you are reading my blogs using them to decide if the Johnson School is right for you. Use all the resources at your disposal, including a school visit if possible to make an informed decision. Several students I have met have asked me about the essays and their content. I will spend some time in this blog outlining what the Johnson Admissions group is looking for in potential candidates.
1. Coherent believable story: I cannot stress on this enough !!. Your story has to make sense. The AMBA program is a one year intense program, which means that you have to be focused. If you are looking to make a career switch, i.e. from engineering to investment banking or what is left of it, then the AMBA program is not for you. You will be better served with the 2-year program that allows for an internship which is critical to make the switch into investment banking. This is a great program for corporate finance, general management and consulting. Tailor your essays specifically for the AMBA program. Talk about what makes the AMBA program (strong analytical skills, management practicum, advanced degree requirement) and the Johnson School (small class sizes, innovative curriculum, Ivy League) unique and how you can contribute to and benefit from the program.
2. Recommendations: Ensure that your recommendations highlight the key strengths that you mention in your essays. Once again, a specific example that speaks to these strengths is more desirable than a general recommendation letter. This shows that the recommender is genuine in his / her recommendation and the time that he / she has taken to write the letter. So make sure that you talk to your recommenders well ahead of time so that they can think of a story that best highlights your strengths. This naturally implies that the recommender should have known you for a reasonable period of time. Trust me when I say that admissions folks can see through fluff immediately.
3. Resume: ONE PAGE RESUME ONLY. For all international students applying to the program, the Johnson School requires a one page business resume as part of the application process. A business resume is different from a technical resume. Firstly, it is bulleted, no paragraphs please. Secondly eliminate core technical terms and highlight your achievements, i.e. “improved process efficiency by 10% leading to $1-Million in annual savings”. Do not write “designed the UltraFLEX BBAC instrument and co-developed the signal delivery architecture (this is what I did prior to my MBA)”. You can see what I mean. Once again, one page only.
4. Addressing weaknesses (GMAT / GPA): Let’s face it, we are not perfect and the Johnson school recognizes that. However, a successful leader always acknowledges his / her mistakes and most importantly takes steps to address these mistakes. There is no shame in having a low GPA or GMAT score. If you are having this problem, use the additional essay to acknowledge that you have a problem and what you are doing to address this issue. This could mean that you might have re-take the GMAT or take business courses in a community college and build an “alternate transcript”. The fact that you are mature enough to take corrective action is a positive step. But tread carefully; do so only if you feel you have a genuine weakness. A 710 GMAT score is not a weakness!!
For all you ranking junkies out there, the Johnson School is ranked 11th in the latest 2008 Businessweek MBA rankings. This is testament to the changes that the school management has taken over the past few years to make the MBA program even more relevant. This is the tip of the iceberg and I am confident that the school will grow from strength to strength. GO BIG RED !!!!!!
Finally, to all prospective students, these are tough times, both for you and for us in the Johnson School. This is a perfect opportunity to do some soul searching and to build on our strengths and what makes us unique. Make sure that your strengths come out in your essays, stay confident and focused, and you will be just fine.
Till next time, this is the K-man signing out.
