2019–2020 MBA Essay Analysis: Duke Fuqua, MIT Sloan, Northwestern Kellogg
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 Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
DUKE FUQUA ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
Although Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has not yet officially released its MBA application for 2019–2020, Assistant Dean of Admissions Allison Jamison recently announced some modifications it has made to the essay portion. Fortunately (in our opinion), the school has elected to maintain its distinctive “25 random things” prompt, which we love for the freedom it gives applicants to get creative and paint a well-rounded picture of themselves for the admissions committee. And the program’s community engagement essay likewise remains the same. Rather than three short-answer essay questions, however, applicants must respond to just two, though the heart of the information requested really has not changed much at all. In our full essay analysis, we offer our best guidance on how to make the most of all the school’s prompts for this season.
Watch: mbaMission’s Rachel Beck helps you tackle Duke Fuqua’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
MIT SLOAN ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
The MIT Sloan School of Management has made only the mildest of changes to its application essay prompts for this season, so candidates will still need to contend with the school’s interesting “cover letter” essay and its self-introduction video. However, the school has slipped an important qualification into its directions for the video portion that was not there last year—one that asks applicants to include some information about their background and about their fit with the Sloan program. We suspect that many previous candidates had skipped these topics, especially considering the brevity of the video, and the admissions committee wanted to ensure that the next wave of applicants would fill in these important blanks. As we have noted in the past, while unorthodox, the school’s prompts allow candidates to offer the school a balanced view of their professional and personal profiles, with a good amount of leeway for creativity. Read our full MBA essay analysis for MIT Sloan.
Watch: mbaMission’s Liza Weale helps you tackle MIT Sloan’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
NORTHWESTERN KELLOGG ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
For this application season, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has kept is first essay question largely the same but updated the second to focus on applicants’ guiding principles rather than (past and future) growth. Interestingly, both of Kellogg’s essays now center on “value(s),” but in very different ways, according to two separate definitions of the term. In this way, Kellogg’s questions seem to address two key aspects of business today, and candidates will need to demonstrate their awareness of both and potential to fulfill them. For more guidance on how to interpret and approach Kellogg’s essay prompts for 2019–2020, click here.
Watch: mbaMission’s Jeremy Shinewald helps you tackle Northwestern Kellogg’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
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Insider’s Guides:
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 Duke Fuqua School of Business
- Insider’s Guide to MIT Sloan School of Management
- Insider’s Guide to Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management
Interview Guides:
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