Essay Question I: How do you expect to be changed by your experience at IESE and what impact you would like to make after your MBA? (word limit 300 max)

Another way to ask you why you are choosing IESE. Because most IESE applicants are also applying to LBS and INSEAD…along with other European schools. For purposes of yield, they do want to know that you have a special interest in their school and this is a sly way of getting that information (one idea might to be to show why Barcelona is a must for you.)

“How do you expect to be changed” this is another way of asking you how you expect to be transformed by your experience at their school; it’s kind of like why MBA + why IESE specifically.

Pretty clever question because in one go they are learning about why you need THEIR program (what’s in it for YOU? how do you need them to help transform you?) and how you will be more successful as a result of it (what’s in it for THEM? will you be an alumni who will make them proud and attract foundation dollars?)

Essay Question II: What are your short and medium term post MBA career goals and how will IESE help you achieve them? (word limit 300 max)

A bit tricky because unless you navigate this carefully, potential for overlap between the 2 questions.

My recommendation would be to focus the first essay question around personal qualities and a personal transformation and then the long-term legacy you hope to have. Using process of deduction here long-term is the only term missing in the second essay question.

For essay two, just stick to the post-MBA job and make sure it is something they can help you with.

If you are looking to become the next cleantech entrepreneur IESE might not be the right school, so take a look at their employment statistics and make sure your goal is obtainable via IESE. Medium term; the path you would take to achieve the long term legacy goal mentioned in the first essay.

Hope this helps!
Farrell

Selection

Hello everyone! First, please review my letter of recommendation tips below. When considering the “stories” you have to share, some are best shared by your recommenders and others, by you. In general, my clients craft outlines of anecdotes for their recommenders. These anecdotes should demonstrate how you model qualities such as teamwork, leadership and problem-solving.

Essays vs. Recommendations

​​When it comes to the essays, with most applications, you want to give them a PERSONAL dimension. NO WORKIE. NO. Work is for the rest of the application. 

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see: wasting an opportunity for the adcom to get to know you as a person by plugging yet another work story. Even worse, one that might already be in another area of your application.

 

Let me let you in on a little secret. You want the reader to feel an EMOTIONAL CONNECTION to the person on this piece of paper. EMOTIONAL. And this is best done by tapping into the universal-type stuff.

Take the adcom to the movie of your life for a moment.

Do this now

Even if certain application essay topics are not out yet, it will undoubtedly be a good use of your time to map out your Why MBA response in tandem with your short-term and long-term goals.

Research your career goals through networking online and offline. Research each school the same way. and then write out how their offerings and your goals fit LOCK AND KEY.

Essay Checklist

• The essays use anecdotes and examples that are written in chronological order. The reader can mentally see the story unfold.

• The story is told in brief sentences in universal non-jargony language.

• Each essay shows a different side of you, yet all of them feel authentic, sincere, and accessible.

• They demonstrate self-awareness, personal growth, leadership and results-orientation.

• You reach the reader on both an analytical and emotional level.

If you are seeking a coach to guide you on the journey, the first step is to fill out my prospective client form.

Cheers To Your Continued Success!

 

​​Hello! Some of you might be busy working R3 applications for INSEAD and others, gearing up for round 1. Either way, the time to act is now! Implement, implement, implement.

Even if certain recommendation forms are not out yet, now is the time to start reflecting on the questions common to all forms: areas of strength as compared to your peers, and a story about receiving constructive criticism. 

Figure out the stories you want to share and outline them; then add other anecdotes/outlines later for any remaining questions. It is very unusual for schools to make major changes in this area of the application, aside from the fact that more and more schools are gravitating towards the Common Letter of Recommendation. 

If you are seeking a coach to guide you on the journey, the first step is to fill out my prospective client form. 

SELECTION TIPS 

1) You want a recommender who has witnessed you demonstrate the attributes business schools care about: teamwork, leadership and problem solving, among others. This is far more important than their status at the company. 

2) Speak with a few select people you have in mind regarding your plans to attend business school and gauge their reaction. If they elicit enthusiasm, keep the conversation going. If you decide someone is right for the job – make sure to ask them about work travel and vacation plans. It’s best to be in close contact around the application due date. 

3) Do not work with recommenders who are unwilling to work openly. You have invested a lot of time and money into this process and need to stay in control of the content. I’ve seen disasterious results from this. 

4.) Business schools pressure you for that manager recommendation, but it is not required and I have worked with clients who got into elite MBA programs with scholarships – and never shared their MBA plans with their managers. 

EXECUTION TIPS: SHOW, DON’T TELL

1.) Each question narrates a SPECIFIC incident or moment in time.

2.) Stories are narrated in STAR format or, if that doesn’t fit, at least have a beginning, middle and end. 

3.) These stories show how you MODEL teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, innovation, persuasion, strategic thinking; things b-schools care about. 

4.) Each recommender really champions you; they see the uniqueness of you – and articulate that artfully in whatever language they speak (you can translate.)

5.) The reader is moved by the content and wants to champion you to other members of the adcom. 

For more tips like these, follow me on social media. I post daily. 
_________________

If I can brag a bit – MBA Career Services love my résumés.  “Don’t you dare change a single word!” were the words spoken to my client who started at Stanford GSB last fall. It went into the resume book as-is. Most of his colleagues started almost from scratch.

The mantra: succinct, but complete

• Every single word has a purpose (pare it down – hence the image!)
• It uses universal language instead of industry jargon, to the extent possible.
• One page only, but maximize space horizontally.
• Give context: provide a one-line company description if needed.
• Give context: provide a job scope statement under your role.
• Each bullet is an accomplishment that states a result and an action.
• Results: ideally, making money, saving money or saving time.
• Anyone from any industry would be able to step into your resume, and comprehend the value of what you have done.
• There is space to breathe on the page. It has white space, and the reader feels good when they look at it. It looks inviting.
• It includes “fun facts” about you and demonstrates community leadership.

For more tips like these, follow me on LinkedIn. 

https://mbaessaycoaching.com/2018/05/24/2952/

Q: I botched my video interviews. Out of the four questions, I only nailed one of them. I really struggled in one of them and gave an incoherent, rambling response. And the other two, I wasn’t as fluent as I could have been and struggled to find the right words. 

How true is it that they don’t disqualify people based on the video essays?

A: I listened to an interview last year between a key member of the Adcom and a large admissions consulting firm. Adcom person did indeed say that it was only a means of fishing out applicants who they might have otherwise turned down. 

It was criteria that would give them a reason to say yes; not a reason to say no. This might be a lie, but that is their story on paper.

Rather than pacing and ringing your hands, channel that anxiety towards amping up your profile. This way, if you end up getting wait-listed you have a viable reason for submitting an update letter where I can help you make your case over again.

This means: amp up previous or current community service, retake the TOEFL, get a high-profile or international work project, get on the board of something, or if possible, get a promotion.

Getting a promotion at work is the best but the last person I helped get off the INSEAD waitlist…1 month before enrollment…only got promoted to Organizer for the local Soccer Club. So think broadly about leadership.

And of course if it doesn’t end up working out you have more juicy stuff to report for round one US/UK apps if you choose to do that.