2019–2020 MBA Essay Analysis: Cambridge Judge, Michigan Ross, USC Marshall
How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With these thorough essay analyses, our friends at mbaMission help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute so that your experiences truly stand out.
This week, we round up essay analyses for Cambridge Judge Business School, the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, and the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business.
CAMBRIDGE JUDGE ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
Once again, the MBA application essay questions for the Cambridge Judge Business School remain unchanged. Candidates must provide a basic—and somewhat brief—personal statement, share a significant failure they have learned from, and discuss a past teamwork situation and its subsequent takeaways. In total, applicants have just 900 words with which to work, but the school’s combination of essay prompts covers a good balance of the professional and the personal, so candidates should be able to effectively create a well-rounded impression of themselves for the admissions committee. Click here for our full essay analysis, with our tips on how to approach each question and create your best possible essays for your Judge application this year.
Download: Before you apply, be sure to check out the following free resource from mbaMission…
International Program Primer
Business schools outside the United States are increasingly popular among MBA hopefuls, and we at mbaMission are proud to offer our latest publications: Program Guides for international b-schools. In these snapshots we discuss core curriculums, elective courses, locations, school facilities, rankings, and more.
Cambridge Judge Business School Program Primer
MICHIGAN ROSS ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
In announcing the school’s application essay prompts for this season, Soojin Kwon, the director of full-time admissions at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, acknowledges that the questions posed last season were effective in coaxing information from applicants that proved useful in the evaluation process. Understandably, then, the prompts remain almost exactly the same, except for a slight tweak in one of the short-answer options. Rather than the intro phrase, “I find it challenging when people,” candidates can now choose “I was challenged when,” which would indeed change the potential content and angle of their responses. Discussing a personal experience with difficulty or setback is very different from pinpointing an aspect of others’ behavior that is troublesome to deal with. Ross’ longer, “official” essay again asks applicants to share and explain their short-term professional aspirations, thereby showing that they have a plan in mind and have given serious thought to why they need an MBA to achieve their goal. Our full analysis of Ross’s 2019–2020 essay prompts is available here.
Watch: mbaMission’s Jeremy Shinewald helps you tackle Harvard Business School’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
Download: Before you apply, be sure to check out the following free resources from mbaMission…
Insider’s Guide:
For a thorough exploration of each business school’s academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics and resources, we recommend downloading a complimentary copy of our school-specific Insider’s Guides. Informed by firsthand insight from students, alumni, program representatives, and admissions officers, our Insider’s Guides offer a detailed look at each business school’s most defining characteristics. According to Poets & Quants, “A more thorough analysis of a school will not be found elsewhere on the web.”
Insider’s Guide to the Stephen M. Ross School of Business
Interview Guide:
Take the next step towards mastering your business school interview by downloading mbaMission’s free Interview Guides. Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along.
USC MARSHALL ANALYSIS 2019-2020
After a brief foray last year into creative territory with its application essay prompts, the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business has embraced a much more traditional approach this season. For the first required essay, applicants must detail their immediate short-term career goal—without much elaboration, given the 100-word limit. For the second required essay, which now can be as long as 600 words (up from 500), candidates are asked to write a letter to the Marshall admissions committee, though no specific requests are made beyond that, leaving applicants significant latitude. An optional essay gives candidates who feel they have an issue to explain or a particularly significant story to share the opportunity to (succinctly) do so. Click here for our analysis of all USC Marshall’s 2019–2020 essay questions.
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