The full-time MBA program at USC Marshall School of Business has released its essays and deadlines for the 2010-2011 admissions season. The deadlines and notification dates are as follows:

Round 1

Application deadline: November 1, 2010

Notification: February 1, 2011

Round 2

Application deadline: January 15, 2011

Notification: April 1, 2011

Round 3

Application deadline: March 15, 2011
Notification: May 15, 2011

Essay Questions

1) What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will USC Marshall help you
achieve these goals? (750 words) If interested in a dual-degree program, please address in this
essay.

2) How will other USC Marshall MBA students benefit from your background, experience,
leadership and teamwork skills? (500 words)

3) Select three from the following and describe: (250 words each)

a) A challenging international experience
b) A personal or professional setback
c) An entrepreneur you admire
d) Your family, including any ties to USC
e) Your most significant accomplishment
f) A situation where your professional ethics were challenged

4) Optional Essay: Please add any additional information that you would like the Admissions
Committee to consider in evaluating your application. (250 words)

All materials must be submitted to the admissions committee by 11:59pm PST for consideration during the round.  Please note: If you are an international student, or want to be considered for a fellowship, the recommended application deadline is January 15, 2011.

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Graduate programs in business saw mixed trends in applications in the last year, according to a global B-school survey released Wednesday by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

Only 44% of full-time MBA programs saw applications increase this year, compared to 66% reporting such an increase last year and 77% the year before that. A similar percentage of part-time programs reported an increase, relatively level compared to results a year ago.

Executive MBA programs may be a key growth area for business schools. Of those surveyed, 59% reported gains in applications this year, compared to only 37% a year ago.

“The findings from this survey underscore the importance of flexibility and creativity in delivering management education,” said Dave Wilson, president and chief executive officer  of GMAC.

“People can always derive great value from going to business school; our surveys attest to this fact. But many changing factors affect the kinds of programs that best meet their needs. Applicants need to find the very best fit for their own game plan.”

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Soojin Kwon Koh, admissions director at the Ross School of Business, has issued the first installment of her application tips in hopes of demystifying the process for prospective applicants.

The University of Michigan is still in the final testing stages before rolling out a new online application system campus-wide, and Soojin expects the full-time MBA application to go live by Sept. 1

And now, for Soojin’s first application tip:

The first essay question asks you to briefly introduce yourself, and the director acknowledges that the short word count may leave some applicants wondering, “What can/should I say about myself in 100 words?”

“While I can’t tell you what a ‘successful’ response might look like, since this is the first time we’re using this question,” says Soojin, “I can share a couple things we’re not looking for in Essay 1:

1. A summary of your resume or your stats (e.g., where you went to school, your GMAT score, etc.). We’ll already have reviewed those before we get to your essays, so no need to repeat.
2. A preview of your responses to the other essay questions (e.g., your goals, why Ross, your passions, etc.).

You may wonder how you can introduce yourself without referencing your career to date. It’s okay to weave it into your essay, but don’t let that be the sum total of what you write.”

As an exercise, Soojin asks applicants to imagine what they would say to the director if they met at an event and had only one minute to make a positive, lasting impression.

“Don’t feel like you have to approach it in a particular way or talk about a particular aspect of yourself,” she urges.

In addition to working on your essays, Soojin suggests applicants use this time to give your recommenders their questions so they can begin drafting their responses.

To learn more about Ross, check out dean Robert Dolan‘s recently published statement to prospective applicants explaining what sets Ross apart from other MBA programs.

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Three professors from Yale School of Management generated a lot of buzz and commentary in the B-school universe earlier this week with their piece on teaching ethics to MBAs, published Monday by the Wall Street Journal.

Dr. Rodrigo Canales and Dr. Cade Massey are assistant professors, and Dr. Amy Wrzesniewski is an associate professor, of organizational behavior at Yale SOM. Their article Promises Aren’t Enough: Business Schools Need to Do a Better Job Teaching Students Values, addresses the continued hot topic of an MBA Oath.

While the professors laud the notion of future business leaders acting ethically and keeping greed at bay, they believe “such oaths sound much like chastity vows taken by thousands of teens every year. The problem in both cases is not a lack of sincerity, but a failure to adequately prepare for the moment of truth.”

The danger with such oaths, they say, is that they create a false sense of moral inoculation, and MBAs who take an ethics oath without enough supporting leadership education are likely more vulnerable to ethical breaches.

The professors discuss how situational forces drive behavior to a surprising extent, what business schools need to do to effectively teach leadership and ethics, and why experiential learning is the best way to prepare students for the difficult decisions they will face—often under enormous pressure.

To read more from the Yale SOM community regarding the MBA ethics pledge, see our piece from May which explores the areas of concern that Yale SOM students and faculty have with a business oath.

Deans Judy Olian of UCLA Anderson School of Management and Rich Lyons of Berkeley Haas School of Business tweeted their recommendation of the article and are in agreement with much of what Canales, Massey and Wrzesniewski  put forth. Check out the full article and leave us a comment letting us know your thoughts below.

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Here are the deadlines and essay topics for the the full-time MBA program at Oxford University’s Saїd Business School.

The two essay topics are as follows:

1) Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? Maximum 1,000 words.

2) Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? Maximum 2,000 words.

Stage One Deadline

Application deadline: October 8, 2010

Interview decision: October 29, 2010

Final decision: December 10, 2010

Stage Two Deadline

Application deadline: January 14, 2011

Interview decision: February 4,m 2011

Final decision: March 11, 2011

Stage Three Deadline

Application deadline: April 1, 2011

Interview decision: April 29, 2011

Final decision: May 27, 2011

For more information on the admissions process at Saїd Business School, visit the school website.

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The INSEAD MBA program has released the essay prompts required for the September 2011 and January 2012 intakes. These questions can be found within the online application, which can be accessed here.

Job-Related Essays

1. Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)

2. Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)

Essays

1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or
b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

Here are the key dates and deadlines for application submission, interview decision and final decision notification at INSEAD.

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