mbaMission 2012 Essay Analyses: Sloan, Johnson, Haas, Tuck, Booth
Our good friends at mbaMission have released their 2012 Essay Analyses for MIT’s Sloan School of Business, the Johnson School of Management at Cornell, the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We’ve compiled these five analyses into one handy 2012 Essay Analysis Resource for you. Enjoy!
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) Essay Analysis, 2012“2013
The MIT Sloan School of Management has tweaked all of its essay questions this year and has dropped one question entirely, going with what appears to be a trend this application season toward giving business school candidates less opportunity to provide qualitative information about themselves. Many applicants will be disappointed to see that Sloan’s quirky cover letter essay prompt remains. We will start our analysis there
Cornell University (Johnson) Essay Analysis, 2012“2013
Johnson at Cornell University has made some changes to its application essay questions this year, most notably making its unique and often befuddling table of contents essay prompt one of three options rather than a required, standalone one. Cornell is actually bucking the trend set by other programs this season and has increased its total word count from 1,000 to 1,100. Still, 1,100 words for three essays is not a lot, so you will need to think quite carefully about what you want to say to the admissions committee before you start typing.
UC-Berkeley Haas Essay Analysis, 2012“2013
The Haas School of Business at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, always marches to its own beat with its application essay prompts. The admissions committee has stuck with its format of short essays of 250 words each this year, though the total number of these essays has dropped from five to four, and the first one has a particularly quirky prompt. In addition, the school’s longer, two-part final essay has a reduced maximum word count this year (from 1,000 words to 750). As you prepare to write your Berkeley-Haas essays, recognize that despite the brevity of these pieces, they offer a lot of opportunity to discuss your life experiences. Take the time to brainstorm thoroughly and develop a full understanding of what you want to say”and in which essay you want to say it”before you start writing. Attempt to provide new information and/or a new experience in each essay, and this will help keep the reader engaged and learning about you.
Dartmouth College (Tuck) Essay Analysis, 2012“2013
The trend toward fewer application essays this season continues with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, which has dropped one full essay from last year and is now down to three required, and very straightforward, essay questions: one about career goals and Tuck, one about leadership and one about failure. As always, take the time to brainstorm thoroughly before beginning to write, and be sure that you keep your reader learning throughout your essays. These essays provide three opportunities to reveal yourself, so make sure that you are offering three distinct statements about your skills”and indeed about yourself.
University of Chicago (Booth) Essay Analysis, 2012“2013
Chicago Booth continues to stand out thanks to its quirks”and we write that affectionately. So many applications are boring to construct, but never Chicago Booth’s, with its PowerPoint slides and its short, 200-word essays. In breaking the mold, Chicago Booth truly gives applicants the chance to make an impression. Use the school’s prompts wisely