...A Former Harvard Business School Admissions Board Member Reveals the Insider Keys to Getting In • Prepare your resume and professional record • Discover the differences between business schools • Top essay and interview strategies • Behind the scenes of the admissions process • Qualitative factors that can make you stand out • Application insights from insiders Chioma isiadinso, M.ed. former Admissions Board Member of Harvard Business School The Best Business Schools’ Admissions Secrets A Former Harvard Business School Admissions Board Member Reveals the Insider Keys to Getting In Chioma Isiadinso, M.ED. © 2008 by Chioma Isiadinso Cover and internal design © 2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc. Cover photo © Punchstock Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. —From...
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...for pursuing an MBA. This may be the most important essay question you tackle. You must convince the admissions committee that you deserve one of their few, cherished spots. Reference your background, skills and career aspirations, demonstrating how this degree is a bridge to the next step in your professional life. Be sure to speak to how this particular program will help you realize your potential. It's okay to present modest goals. Deepening your expertise and broadening your perspective are solid reasons for pursuing this degree. If you aspire to lofty goals, like becoming a CEO or starting your own company, be careful to detail a sensible, pragmatic plan. Don't be unrealistic. Question 2: What are your principal interests outside of work or school? What leisure and/or community activities do you particularly enjoy? There's more to b-school than the library. The best programs buzz with the energy of a student body that is talented and creative and bursting with personality. They're not just about case studies and careers. Describe how you will be a unique addition to the b-school community. B-school is also a very social experience. Much of the work is done in groups. Weekends are full of social gatherings, and the networking you do here will impact the rest of your career. Communicate that people, not just your job, are an important part of your life. Question 3: Who do you most admire? The admissions committee wants to know the qualities, attributes and...
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...experiences, and values will enhance and diversify Kellogg. How? (1-2 double-spaced pages) The Darden School seeks a diverse and unique entering class of future managers. How will your distinctiveness enrich our learning environment and enhance your prospects for success as a manager? Every essay question on the admissions application is geared toward the same thing. Committee members want to find out who you are, what makes you different from everyone else, and how you will contribute to the school if accepted. This question asks these things outright. Because it asks so directly what the admissions committee wants to know, this is one of the most common questions you will find. The question has a structure similar to the Why M.B.A.? question. It asks both Why us? and Why you? However, the nature of this question lends itself to a more personal response. Whereas the Why M.B.A.? question asks what you have done, what you want to do, and how that relates to the school, this question asks about who you are and how it relates to the school. The Why M.B.A.? question asks about your experiences, and this question asks about your qualities. Just as you brainstormed about your experiences, actions, and goals for the first question, brainstorm about your qualities and characteristics for this one. What sets you apart from everyone else? What words do friends and family use to describe you? For some people, the focus of this question will come easily. A minority can choose...
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...MBA Admissions Essay Powerful Tips for Improving Your Odds of Gaining Admission to the MBA Program of Your Choice Admissions essays are easily the most challenging part of the MBA application process, and it’s no wonder. Most people don’t like to write, and even those of us who do enjoy writing can come up blank when called upon to write about ourselves, especially when so much is at stake. The fact remains: If you want to go to business school, you have to be able to generate one or two thousand carefully chosen words that sum up your background and experience, your career goals, your reasons for seeking the MBA, and why you’ve chosen the program to which you’re applying. Step one: Relax. Writing admissions essays is stressful—it’s supposed to be stressful— but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Everyone who has ever applied to business school has written admissions essays, and so can you. All you have to do is submit essays that are a little bit better than most of the others, and if you follow the advice we’ll cover in the following pages, it will be a lot less painful. How to Write a Successful Most MBA essays are mediocre The good news is that most MBA admissions essays are mediocre at best. If you can at least come up with a marginally compelling narrative, and if you can spell and punctuate everything correctly—or know someone who can—you’ll automatically have an advantage over much of the competition. This guide is designed to help you get started (the hardest...
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...1. Why are you applying? • For example why you want to study at higher education level. • Why that subject interests you. • What your ambitions are when you finish your course. 2. What makes you suitable? • Skills, knowledge, achievements and experience you have that will help you do well. • These could be from education, employment or work experience, or from hobbies, interests and social activities. • Take a look at the activities on the Planning your future page to see some of the things it could be useful to mention. • Explore your options • Undergraduate • When to apply • Filling in your application • Personal statement • Reference, pay and send • Tracking your application • Results • Student number controls • Fraud and similarity • Performing arts • Postgraduate • Teacher training • Flexible and part-time • International • Starting your studies • Student finance • Mature students • Parents and guardians • Advisers and referees Your personal statement Write a personal statement that shows you'd be a great student – to persuade unis and colleges to accept you on their course. • Course tutors use personal statements to compare applicants, so try to make yours stand out. • Remember it's the same personal statement for all courses you apply to – so avoid mentioning universities or colleges by name, and ideally choose similar subjects. If they're varied then write about common themes – like problem solving or creativity. Personal...
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...Informative and Persuasive Essay Western Governors University LAE1 Informative and Persuasive Essay “What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul” (Addison, 1839, p. 76). The pull to become a masterpiece was both exhilarating and unnerving. I knew it was time to continue furthering my education, but the fact that I had a full time job and a busy schedule gave me an excuse to keep putting it off. Year after year, I churned out more and more excuses; the truth was, the factors to consider when choosing an online university were many and overwhelming, and I was afraid to start. I finally launched into research mode and began searching in earnest for “the perfect fit.” After much courting and wooing by several universities offering online programs, three major factors influenced my decision to become a Western Governors University (WGU) student. These are an excellent online support system, a unique competence based approach to learning, and affordability. I urge you to carefully consider these factors; you too will be convinced that WGU is the choice to make. WGU offers an excellent and unique support system to students. The availability of online education promises the ease and flexibility of independent learning. In addition, this is coupled with the availability of qualified human resources to help you stay on track. Truthfully, not many of us are disciplined enough to...
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...HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS Lauren Starkey ® NEW YORK Copyright © 2004 LearningExpress All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Learning Express, LLC, New York. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Starkey, Lauren B., 1962– How to write great essays / Lauren Starkey. —1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 1-57685-521-X 1. English language—Rhetoric—Problems, exercises, etc. 2. Essay—Authorship—Problems, exercises, etc. 3. Report writing—Problems, exercises, etc. I. Title. PE1471.S83 2004 808'.042—dc22 2004003384 Printed in the United States of America 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition ISBN 1-57685-521-X For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at: 55 Broadway 8th Floor New York, NY 10006 Or visit us at: www.learnatest.com Contents Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 vii Organization 1 Clarity 11 Word Choice 21 Mechanics 39 Revising, Editing, and Proofreading 55 Untimed Essay Writing Strategies 67 Timed Essay Writing Strategies 85 Sample Essay Prompts and Essays 97 Resources 111 CONTENTS HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS v Introduction n your preparations for college, you may find yourself facing a handful of high-stakes essays. Your college application requires at least one, and the SAT requires another. Depending upon the high...
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...Hotchkiss volunteers had already left, off to enjoy some Texas BBQ, leaving me behind with the college kids to clean up. Not until we were stranded did we realize we were locked out of the van. Someone picked a coat hanger out of the dumpster, handed it to me, and took a few steps back. “Can you do that thing with a coat hanger to unlock it?” “Why me?” I thought. More out of amusement than optimism, I gave it a try. I slid the hanger into the window’s seal like I’d seen on crime shows, and spent a few minutes jiggling the apparatus around the inside of the frame. Suddenly, two things simultaneously clicked. One was the lock on the door. (I actually succeeded in springing it.) The other was the realization that I’d been in this type of situation before. In fact, I’d been born into this type of situation. My upbringing has numbed me to unpredictability and chaos. With a family of seven, my home was loud, messy, and spottily supervised. My siblings arguing, the dog barking, the phone ringing—all meant my house was functioning normally. My Dad, a retired Navy pilot, was away half the time. When he was home, he had a parenting style something like a drill sergeant. At the age of nine, I learned how to clear burning oil from the surface of water. My Dad considered this a critical life skill—you know, in case my aircraft carrier should ever get torpedoed. “The water’s on fire! Clear a hole!” he shouted, tossing me in the lake without warning. While I’m still unconvinced about that particular...
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...BUSINESS SCHOOL HARVARD SUCCESSFUL 65 APPLICATION SECOND EDITION E S S AY S APPLICATION BUSINESS SCHOOL HARVARD SUCCESSFUL 65 ECSNS A IYI O N S SE O D ED T With Analysis by the Staff of The Harbus, the Harvard Business School Newspaper ST. MARTIN’S GRIFFIN NEW YORK 65 SUCCESSFUL HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL APPLICATION ESSAYS, SECOND EDITION. Copyright © 2009 byThe Harbus News Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For-information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. www.stmartins.com Library of Congress Cataloging...in..Publication Data 65 successful Harvard Business -School application essays : with analysis by the staff of The Harbus, the Harvard Business School newspaper / Lauren Sullivan and the staff of The Harbus.-2nd ed. p.em. ISBN 978...0..312...55007...3 1. Business schools-United States-Admission. 2. Exposition (Rhetoric) 3. Essay-Authorship. 4. Business writing. 5. Harvard Business School. 1. Sullivan, Lauren. II. Harbus. III. Title: Sixty...five successful Harvard Business School application essays. HF1131.A1352009 808'.06665-dc22 2009012531 First Edition: August 2009 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS Acknowledgments Introduction ix xi I. Defining Moment Stacie Hogya Anonymous Anonymous David La Fiura Anonymous Avin Bansal Anonymous Brad Finkbeiner Anonymous 4 7 10 13 17 20 23 26 29 ii. UndergradUate experience John Coleman Maxwell Anderson...
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...说明 1. 本资料来源于英文版《How to get into the top MBA programs》,作者为Don Martin. 2. 第一部分为115份真实的ESSAY, 分别来自于17个不同背景的申请人. 3. 第二部分为对21个常见ESSAY问题的分析，包括问题的关键，常见错误，正确的回答方式. 个人认为这一部分比真实的ESSAY更重要. 4. 由于文件采用扫描和文字识别方法输入, 可能存在一些错误. 5. 此文件仅供CHASEDREAM网友参考使用, 请尊重原书版权, 切勿用于商业用途. Xiearmyxiearmy 零四岁末于美国穷乡僻壤 Chapter I Application Essay Examples INTRODUCTION This appendix contains 115 actual essays written, by 17 different applicants, for leading MBA programs. They address dozens of different essay topics. The applicants and their essays have been selected to give you the widest possible range of materials from which to profit. The first four applicants all applied to the University of Chicago. They were chosen by Chicago’s admissions director, Don Martin, according to my desire that they be from four very different people and of average quality for those admitted. In other words, these essays will show you exactly what you are competing against. They are of perfectly acceptable quality, but they should not discourage you. If you follow the lessons of this book you should be able to surpass each of these efforts. The second set of three applicants—Melissa, Doreen, and Carol—is taken from Columbia University’s files. Columbia’s admissions director, Linda Meehan, was asked to supply several applications, again from people of widely differing backgrounds, but this time of superior quality. I think that this group’s applications...
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...Writing Your Graduate School Application Essay Generally speaking, there are two types of application essays for graduate school: the statement of purpose (SOP) and the personal statement. (Refer to FAQs to find out how the two types are different.) Both types let you convince the admissions committee that you are a good fit for the program and can contribute to the department. Although different graduate schools may ask you to answer different prompts, most ask that you write no more than a two-page application essay. The application essay is difficult to write because you must pitch your candidacy to a few department faculty members who read through hundreds – or sometimes thousands – of other essays. In this handout, you will learn how to show these busy readers that you will contribute meaningfully to the university and their department. 1. Relate your past and present experiences to the future. In their application essays, many applicants make the mistake of underemphasizing the future. But it’s important that you show how your past experiences have informed your present work, and how your present work can be extended to the future or raise new research questions. Admissions committees assess many qualified applicants based on whether their research will reflect positively on the university and their department. Committees will think your past and present work is relevant only if it relates directly to your plans for the future. If you don’t know exactly where your current...
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...Case Western Reserve University By applying to the Pre-Professional Scholars Program, you are applying to gain admission to professional school earlier than students who apply in the traditional way. Please indicate why you’re interested in your chosen profession. How do you see yourself being particularly suited to this field? What events and/or experiences have led you to your choice? This essay should be between 250 and 500 words in length. The summer before my senior year, I participated in Mechanisms of Human Health and Disease through Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which exposed me to various aspects of medicine. It gave me the opportunity to learn about subjects related to medicine, such as microbiology and the hallmarks of cancer,...
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...I am unique, and uniquely fortunate, to have a diverse background both academically and professionally which has exposed me to different continents, peoples, cultures, and languages. As a native of Asia, I am familiar with the increasingly important markets of this region, and as such I am thoroughly prepared for the demands and challenges presented by undertaking study in the MBA program at your institution. From a young age, I set goals beyond those of my peers. I decided to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in International Hotel Management, but in recognition of the limitation of programs in this field in my native country, I decided to pursue my undergraduate degree in Europe. The international hotel management course I joined was run by Goodwell University in the UK, and due to the experience of the instructors and the overall sophistication of the program, I received an incredibly valuable learning experience, beyond that which I could have received elsewhere. My undergraduate coursework at Goodwell University focused on management marketing, accounting, and various aspects of tourism. I received broad business-based education while immersing myself in European culture and language on a daily basis. As a result, I am confident in my ability to adapt to your environment and join your MBA program. After graduation from Goodwell University, I returned to my native country, but the limitations of the rapidly growing domestic hotel industry quickly became apparent to me. I therefore...
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...Ivy League Admission: 180 Successful Business School (MBA) Essays Nancy L. Nolan, Ph.D. Ivy League Admission: 180 Successful Business School (MBA) Essays Nancy L. Nolan, Ph.D. First Edition Magnificent Milestones, Inc., Florida Copyright 2006. Nancy L. Nolan, Ph.D. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Electronic and CD-ROM versions published by: Magnificent Milestones, Inc. Post Office Box 100582 Palm Bay, Florida 32910 www.ivyleagueadmission.com CD ROM Edition 10-digit ISBN 0977376443 13-digit ISBN 9780977376445 PDF Version 10-digit ISBN 0977376494 13-digit ISBN 9780977376490 Printed in the United States of America Disclaimers: (1) This book is a compilation of successful admission essays; it does not claim to be the definitive word on the subject of MBA admission. The opinions expressed are the personal observations of the author based on her own experiences. They are not intended to prejudice any party. Accordingly, the author and publisher do not accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage that have been caused, or alleged to have been caused, through the use of information in this book. (2) Admission to business school depends on several factors in...
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...This past December, I graduated from Tidewater Community College with an associate degree in general studies and was promoted to Petty Officer Second Class in the United States Navy. I never expected to become a community college graduate. I never imagined I would join the military, either. Up to this point, my educational and career journey has been thoroughly non-traditional—marked by twists and turns, changes of heart, and changes of plans. Going forward, however, the path is much clearer. I have spent the last three years executing a plan I made at the lowest point in my life. Hopefully, the next step of this plan will lead me to the Columbia University School of General Studies. For most of my life, I scoffed at the idea of attending...
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