Describe in a brief essay (do not exceed 250 words per section – 750 words maximum):
a) your post-MBA short-term goals (immediately after graduation)
Your short term goals should be a transition to your long term goals.
b) your post-MBA long-term goals (3-5 years after graduation)
c) how your professional experience, when combined with an MBA degree, will enable you to achieve these goals

This is a fairly brief essay. So be concrete, specific, and concise. At the same time, leave room for the purpose and meaning behind your goals. Though you should try to stick with 250 words per section, focus on answering all three questions within the overall word limit.

The short-term goals section is usually the shortest part of the essay. You could have a few paths that would lead you to your long term goals. Just explain why these options will help you transition from your MBA to your long term goals.

For the long-term goals, expand on beyond the simple statement of what you want to do. Explain the meaning behind these goals. Think broadly about yourself as a leader – what do you hope to change; how do you hope to impact the world. This could mean sharing a bit on how you came to these goals. Schools want to understand the WHY behind your decisions (past and future), so explain why these goals result in your making the impact that you are seeking to make on the world.

Finally, in articulating how your professional experience combined with MBA will prepare you, do not just give an extended version of the resume. Instead, try to draw out the skills and characteristics you’ve built. Keep the focus on your qualities that have developed and then discuss what you still need from business school to fill in the gaps, take you to the next level of leadership, etc.

2) Complete one of the following three statements. Do not exceed 250 words.
a) “My most significant accomplishment to date is…”
This is an excellent opportunity to present your values. This does not need to be a work accomplishment. Try to think about what is truly important to you in life. Be succinct but focus less on the details of the accomplishment and more on WHY you view this as an accomplishment.

b) “People may be surprised to learn that I…”
Here you have the opportunity to round out your application by discussing a surprising aspect of your background or mitigating a red flag. This essay can be humorous or poignant, just be real. Show USC your self-awareness, resiliency, and passion for living a well-rounded life.

c) “I am considered a leader because…”
Self-awareness is a hallmark of maturity. Give a genuine assessment of yourself and how others see you in a leadership context. Certainly you should articulate your strengths but don’t shy away from reflection on areas in which you hope to develop your skills.

3) Answer two of the following questions. Do not exceed 500 words per question.
a) The Marshall MBA Prime Program prepares students for doing business in a global economy. Describe a cross-cultural experience that challenged you. How did you meet this challenge and what did you learn from this experience?
With this essay you can show your critical thinking, sensitivity, and self-awareness. You want to provide a surprising experience when you found yourself out of your element and learned something about your assumptions. Show how you changed as a person by learning from others.

b) USC has garnered national acclaim for its emphasis on community outreach and service. How have you impacted your community?
Quality of service is more important than quantity in answering this. They are not looking for a list of your activities but rather a thoughtful reflection on the impact you have made on others.

c) We all experience significant events or milestones that influence the course of our lives. Briefly describe such an event and how it affected you.
This is obviously a great chance to address an aspect of your personal background that may distinguish you. Remember to remain positive. Briefly state the event, then focus on your actions and the lessons learned.

According to the WhartonMBABlog, current Wharton MBA students will be hosting coffee chats when they return home for the winter break. As we have written before, speaking with current students will help you with choosing schools and personalizing your essays.

The Wharton Coffee Chats will be hosted in a variety of cities outside of the United States. It’s a great opportunity for international applicants. Here are some of the upcoming dates and locations:
21 December 07: Paris, France
23 December 07: Caracas, Venezuela
27 December 07: Athens, Greece
27 December 07: Mumbai, India
27 December 07: Manila, Philippines
22 December 07: London, United Kingdom
27 December 07: Lagos, Nigeria
27 December 07: Hyderabad, India
29 December 07: New Delhi, India
30 December 07: Tel Aviv, Israel
03 January 08: Medellin, Colombia

Check the WhartonMBABlog for details on how to register.

A GMAT question on prime numbers from PrepForTests to test your math.

How many prime numbers are there which are greater than 40 and less than 60?

1. 4
2. 5
3. 6
4. 7
5. 8

Check your answer.

If you are in Chicago next week, this is a reminder that Stacy Blackman Consulting will be a part of Manhattan’s GMAT’s panel discussion with other admissions consultants and admissions representatives from Chicago Graduate School of Business and Kellogg School of Management.

No matter where you are in the process, this event is for you. We will be discussing strategies for 2nd round deadlines as well as next year’s admissions cycle. Following the panelists’ presentations, you’ll have a chance get your own questions answered.

Walk out with clear direction on how to move forward – and a $100 discount off of complete ManhattanGMAT test preparation programs, plus a free access pass to one of ManhattanGMAT’s computer adaptive practice exams.

Business School Panel Discussion at Chicago Center
222 West Ontario Street, 4th Floor, Chicago IL , 60610
Thursday, Dec 6, 2007
7:00 – 9:00PM

If you have questions about this, please call Student Services at 800-576-4628 or email StudentServices@manhattangmat.com

The notion of pairing student-run investment funds with socially responsible business practices is a fairly new concept for b-schools: more and more schools are looking beyond simply teaching students how to make money to teaching how to create value in a socially conscious way. Students and faculty at Columbia Business School and the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business launched funds this fall directed at socially responsible investing. These funds are an extension of a flurry of new electives, specialized research institutes, student clubs, and internships focused on social and environmental issues.

This new breed of student-run funds has taken a variety of forms, from funds that invest in mainstream index funds to nonprofit arrangements aimed at helping “micro” entrepreneurs, and students can’t wait to apply what they’ve learned to the financial markets.

The Haas Socially Responsible Investment Fund, launched just this fall with a seed gift of $250,000 from Haas alumnus Charlie Michaels, has since managed to raise a total of $1.3 million for the fund, which will be managed by four MBA students and two master’s in financial engineering students. Most of the students running the fund were required to take a class in socially responsible investment techniques, offered by the school for the first time this semester. They spent the past few months developing their investment criteria and plan to evaluate firms on their social, environmental, and financial performance. By January, they expect to start investing in companies.

At Columbia, students are hoping to make a dent in global poverty by creating a nonprofit investment fund dubbed the Microlumbia Fund. The students will make two to three low-interest “micro” loans a year to small, entry-level microfinance programs or banks in developing areas. These groups will then assist would-be small business owners in their communities. The idea developed last year, when a group of first-year students took a class in social entrepreneurship. Since then, about 20 students have gotten involved with the group and have raised $10,000 for the venture. They hope to raise $100,000 and make two to three investments of approximately $25,000 each by the end of the year. The mission, says Columbia MBA student and blogger Laura Bogomolny, is to make investments that benefit those in desperate poverty around the globe.

Social investing can play a significant role in a business school curriculum; students say it’s one thing to read about it in the classroom, but quite another to see if it actually works out in practice. Something to think about when you head off to b-school.

For more on this topic, visit BusinessWeek.com

This week’s GMAT challenge question from PrepForTests is a data sufficiency question. In this type of GMAT question you need to work out which of the statements 1 and 2 are required to answer the question.

If k is not equal to 0, 1, or -1, is 1/k > 0?

1. 1/(1 – k) > 0
2. 1/(1 + k) > 0

1. Statement (1) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (2) alone is not sufficient
2. Statement (2) ALONE is sufficient, but statement (1) alone is not sufficient
3. BOTH statements TOGETHER are sufficient, but NEITHER statement ALONE is sufficient
4. EACH statement ALONE is sufficient
5. Statements (1) and (2) TOGETHER are NOT sufficient

Once you have tried to answer the question review your answer.