MBA Schools Branch Out from Traditional Admission Essays

Jennifer Hoops • Sep 2, 2011

When it comes to business school admission essays, uninspiring questions yield uninspiring answers. That's why MBA programs are expanding the way they ask students to submit essay responses, according to writer Melissa Korn in her piece "Tweets, Plays Well w/Others: A Perfect MBA Candidate" posted on the The Wall Street Journal website. What's behind this new burst of creativity in the business school admission process?

"The hope is that these new components to the application process will help steer prospective students away from trying to anticipate what they think business schools want to hear, and will force those students out of their comfort zone," Korn said.

Here's how a few of the top MBA programs are asking students to respond, according to Korn:

  • The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is asking "What else should we know about you?", which should be answered in no more than four slides of texts or pictures.
  • The University of Iowa's Henry B. Tippie School of Management asked students this summer, "What makes you an exceptional Tippie full-time M.B.A. candidate and future M.B.A. hire?" The catch - the response had to be provided via Twitter. A $37,240 scholarship was awarded to the winner.
  • The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School will begin inviting students to on-campus group discussions with other applicants, giving them a chance to demonstrate how they interact with one another in discussing business topics.

These types of questions and discussions can help admissions officer receive more authentic and honest responses from MBA applicants, according to Korn.

 

Jennifer Hoops works as a project manager within the IT organization of a global manufacturing company. Her previous experience includes IT consulting and software sales. Prior to earning an MBA and becoming an IT professional, Jennifer earned a Bachelors degree in Economics and Music and spent several years as an independent music teacher.