*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

As you think about every possible way to strengthen your MBA application, you might be considering asking an influential person in your life to submit a supplemental recommendation. A supplemental recommendation is typically an informal letter, email or call from a mentor of yours who is associated with your target school. This strategy rarely hurts, and it may help. In our experience, however, a supplemental recommendation will never improve a marginal application.

Jerry was a Stacy Blackman Consulting client applying to a highly competitive selection of schools – HBS, Wharton and Stanford. With an impressive resume and significant career progression at an energy firm, Jerry had several influential mentors. In fact, Jerry had a mentor who had attended each of his target MBA schools.

As we formulated Jerry’s overall application strategy and discussed his recommender selection, he raised the idea of having his mentors write supplemental recommendations for him. We discussed each situation and decided on a course of action.

Jerry’s three mentors had the following circumstances:

1. Lisa – A Harvard MBA with ten years of post MBA experience at Jerry’s firm, Lisa was his former supervisor and knew his work extremely well. Lisa was a volunteer with her local HBS alumni group and retained some relationships at the school.
2. Seth – The SVP of Jerry’s department was a Stanford grad with sixteen years of post-MBA experience. He donated a significant amount of money to the school and his daughter was currently a freshman at the university.
3. Vipul – A graduate of the Wharton EMBA program, Vipul had gotten to know the director of admissions at Wharton fairly well, and had close ties to professors and the local alumni group.

We knew that Wharton was the most receptive to community endorsements of the three schools, and decided to ask Vipul to write a letter and submit it through those official channels. Seth’s deep connections to Stanford could be an asset to Jerry’s application, but we decided to ask him to call a former professor and talk to him about Jerry. Finally, because HBS requires three recommendations and Lisa wasn’t sure how to put in an informal endorsement, Jerry asked her to write his third HBS reference letter.

Jerry was ultimately admitted to Wharton and HBS. Though we couldn’t determine whether the supplemental recommendation made a significant difference in his application, Jerry approached the idea strategically and was ultimately successful.

*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

In this tough global economy promotions can be hard to come by. To show leadership without clear career progression, look to your extracurricular activities. If you have been involved in an activity as a member, think about taking on a leadership role. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that you can run a project and motivate a team.

Our client George was concerned that he had no demonstrated title changes through his four years at a defense contracting company. Because he worked in an engineering function increase in responsibility was marked by a raise instead of a title increase. George was concerned that though he was well respected at work and had demonstrated increasing skills over time, there was nothing he could indicate on his resume. To address this deficit in proof of his leadership, we took a look at what George did outside of work to see if there was an opportunity for greater leadership.

George had been involved in an annual charity bike ride for the past five years. He was dedicated to the mission of the organization, which raised money to provide medical care for autistic children. George had a personal connection to the organization because his younger brother had autism. It seemed like the right fit for George to become more involved. We suggested that he volunteer to lead the coordination of the next ride. George stepped up to manage the next event. His responsibilities included the recruitment of volunteers to assist the day of and coordination of the vendors and collection of funds. George’s leadership of the team ultimately helped to increase the amount raised in the ride by 14%.

With this experience George was able to write a strong leadership essay for each of his target schools. Along with his strong academics, career skills, and recommendations this demonstration of leadership helped him gain admission to MIT Sloan.

Maybe you think you’re too old, or too young for an MBA. Maybe you need more extracurricular activities or to increase your quant skills. Or maybe the stars are aligned and you are ready to apply this year for entry in Fall 2012. Regardless of your situation, if you’re starting your application now one of your first decisions is whether to try for Round 1 deadlines or aim for Round 2.

Michael was working with one of our experienced consultants on his Stanford and HBS applications, and I was asked to take a look at his essays and provide a second opinion with approximately two weeks left before his Round One deadlines (learn more about the SBC process). Michael had several great stories about his achievements at work, his unique family background, and his extensive volunteer activities. He had a lot of great raw material in his essays, but needed a bit more work on polish. After conferring with Michael’s primary consultant we decided that though Michael strongly preferred to apply in Round 1, our professional advice was to apply in Round 2.

If you can apply in Round 1 there are definitely advantages for you personally. You have more time to prepare for school. You have less uncertainty around winter vacation time. And you can start networking with your classmates early. If you have a solid application ready to submit in October it’s an excellent time to do so. One advantage we don’t necessarily see is an increase in your chances of admission. It’s true that less people are ready to apply in Round 1. At the same time, the most prepared applicants are applying in Round 1. These are the people who beat the GMAT months ago and have been prepping their recommenders all summer. Or, they might be reapplicants who have already been through the process once. In our experience these factors tend to balance themselves out, and so we advise that our clients apply in the round that allows them to put together their best possible application.

Michael took our advice and spent another three weeks polishing his essays and preparing his recommenders to write great letters for him. The extra preparation paid off when he was admitted to HBS in Round 2.

*Please note that no client details are ever shared in SBC Scoop or otherwise without complete sign off from client.

To read more SBC Case Studies, click HERE.

Essay questions and deadlines are posted for the Johnson MBA program at Cornell. According to the Cornell MBA admissions committee they are seeking “individuals who demonstrate academic achievements, high-quality experience, leadership potential, decision-making abilities, and outstanding interpersonal and communication skills.”

Cornell MBA’s relatively short essay set is a strong opportunity to focus your application strategy and demonstrate your personal qualities, goals and fit with the Johnson School. Career goals, a creative essay and an essay focused on your fit with Cornell allow you to show many aspects of your background and personality.

1) What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why?
This standard career goals essay requires you to demonstrate that your Cornell MBA will be the right next step to achieve your career goals. While short- and long-term goals are not explicitly requested, you may want to describe how you view your career unfolding from graduation to achievement of your ultimate goal.

Since your past experiences are likely indicators of where you are headed in the future, you may briefly outline key aspects of your career history. The question does not specifically require career history, so you have the flexibility to choose key inflection points rather than an entire resume review. When considering what aspects of your past career to focus on, think about the situations that led you to realize what you really want to do, that built skills that will be important to your goals, or introduced you to people who were crucial to your development.

Make sure to spend enough time on your interest in the Cornell MBA to demonstrate why Cornell is the right place to spend the next two years of your life. Academics are going to be a crucial part of your career goals, yet classmates and activities will also be important.

2) You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please write the table of contents for the book. Note: Approach this essay with your unique style. We value creativity and authenticity.
This essay is an opportunity to show the admissions committee who you are on a personal level. Think about highlighting areas you may not have been able to touch in the first essay, which was focused on your professional life. You can use this opportunity to demonstrate your unique personal attributes or community involvement. If you have a consistent theme of involvement in a charity or activity this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate why you became involved and what you have done over the years.

When structuring the story, think of this essay as a way to communicate a narrative theme of your life to the admissions committee. What are the key moments that are meaningful to you? Were there key stories involving your friends, family, hobbies or interests that impacted the person you are now?

Though the essay specifically asks for the Table of Contents, you can certainly illuminate each chapter through brief descriptions. Describe the major milestones and be sure to share your essay with friends and family to make sure you are communicating effectively though the creative exercise.

3) What legacy would you hope to leave as a Johnson graduate?
Essay three is all about fit. As elaborated upon in the Cornell Admissions blog, “’Fit’ is different for everyone, so we want to see how authentic and purposeful you are about applying.”

This essay requires you to research Johnson thoroughly. You should be aware of the major academic, extracurricular and social components of the MBA program and think seriously about what you want to leave behind when you graduate. Perhaps you want to start a club or a conference. Maybe you aspire to help a professor with her research. Or you will return to the school to be a panelist or mentor. Think both about what you have to offer, and what Cornell needs.

Research on your own is a great first step, but the personal approach may pay more dividends in this essay. Think about networking with current students or alumni, visiting campus, and attending information sessions. If you are able to talk to a current student or alum about your essay topic you might gain valuable feedback on the direction you will take with your legacy.

The concise set of Duke MBA essays for the 2011-2012 application season will require solid focus and a presentation of your best application material. With two questions on the Duke Fuqua MBA program, it will be very important to demonstrate that you know the school and are a strong fit. Starting your research and personal networking now will put you in a solid position to prepare the most specific and effective essays. Duke’s word limit is a flexible 2-pages per question, which gives you enough space to offer solid evidence to support your admission.

A clear application strategy is crucial to approaching these essays. Duke’s mission is to “identify, engage, and foster the development of future leaders of consequence,” and you will want to demonstrate you are the kind of leader the admissions committee is looking for. Don’t forget the personal, as Duke says on the website, “the Admissions Committee would like to get to know our applicants in a more holistic manner.”

Essay 1: Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.
This career goals essay asks for your vision and inspiration, not just a recap of your resume. As a starting point, you may want to think about the choices that have led you to your current career path. Focus on the inflection points that have inspired you – whether coursework in college, early exposure to running your own business, or watching a family member pursue their dreams – and clearly outline why you have made the choices in your life thus far. You are not required to follow a sequential path in this essay, and you can choose the important moments in your career to highlight.

Career visions can be either long-term or a combination of long-term and short-term goals. Think big picture and focus on the overall story, not just the job you hope to land immediately after school. When you look back at your career later in life, what do you want to have accomplished? What will make you proud, engaged and satisfied after twenty years in your career?

Essay 2: How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?
Being an active part of the Fuqua community is paramount to your application, and you will need to strongly make the case for your place in the class through this set of essays. While you should be personal in this essay, make sure you are strategic about what aspects of your application strategy cannot be covered in the other essays. In some ways this essay is very open ended – topics can be background, values or extracurricular. If you have a particularly interesting story in any of those three areas, this is the place to tell that story.

While you should not forget that you are applying to an MBA program and that leadership, teamwork and management potential are always important to adcomm, this essay may be an opportunity to follow the admissions committee’s advice to share “what makes you a dynamic, multi-dimensional person.”

Tie everything together into a case for your contribution to the Duke MBA program. While many candidates will have the grades, GMAT and work experience required for admission, great numbers are not enough. You want to show how you are unique and will contribute to Duke to present the best case for admission.

Essay 3: Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)
This essay is entirely focused on why the Duke MBA program is the right place for you specifically. This may be another opportunity to demonstrate your multi-dimensional personality as you explain which classes, clubs and community activities most resonate with you.

The best essays will be both specific and personal. While everyone benefits from a diverse alumni network, what specifically do you want to give and receive from your classmates? If you describe clubs and classes you are attracted to, also offer specific examples from your past experiences to show your consistent personal or professional passions.

When researching schools it is ideal to seek personal touchpoints. Speak with current students, alumni, and other members of the community to see a wide range of perspectives on the program. When you speak to those affiliated with the Duke MBA program ask them to tell you what most surprised them about the program, or what they like the best and dislike the most. Asking probing questions with surprising angles can help you unearth what is truly special about the program.

While the focus of the essay is the Duke MBA program, you are also being asked to talk about yourself. Your fit with the program is crucial, and therefore you must exhibit the qualities Duke is seeking as well. The Duke MBA program is especially interested in your role within the community, and will place significant weight on this factor. If you research thoroughly and are specific, you should be able to clearly demonstrate why you are going to be strong contributor and teammate.

Especially because the career essay does not ask specifically how the Duke MBA fits into your career goals, it’s important to clearly outline the role of your Duke MBA in your plans. What do you know now that will be enhanced through your MBA education? And what crucial aspects of the skill set required for your future career will be augmented by attending Duke?

Optional Essay: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application)
As with most optional essays, the Duke MBA asks that you only use this space to explain extenuating circumstances. If you have a low GPA, a non-typical recommender or gaps in work history this is the correct place to address those issues.

When approaching any concerns about your background in the optional essay it’s important to focus on recent performance, whether academic or professional, and what such performance demonstrates about your ability. Your goal is to remove questions from your application and to address in a factual manner any information the admissions committee needs to know to fairly evaluate your application.

Re-applicant Essay: All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.
If you have a better GMAT score or a promotion since last year, you will want to highlight that tangible evidence of your improved candidacy. If nothing measurable has changed in your life since you last applied, it’s still crucial to demonstrate that you are now a stronger candidate.

Rethinking your career goals, refining your vision, or researching Duke more completely this year can all be aspects to improve your candidacy. Perhaps you visited the school and have a stronger attachment to Duke this year, or you took on a new project at work that improved your skills. Think about everything you have done to work towards your MBA plans this year, and highlight any actions that you believe will enhance your ability to contribute to Duke as an MBA student.

Many clients we work with at Stacy Blackman Consulting believe that they do not have any diversity in their background to share with the admissions committee. The truth is that even the most typical MBA candidate can find an aspect of his or her background that brings a new element to the school and fellow classmates.

Jim was a second generation Chinese-American applicant with a stellar academic background and several years of graduate school in Engineering. When we met to discuss Jim’s application strategy for Kellogg, Michigan and MIT he was convinced that he was a boring, typical candidate who was competing against every other academically oriented Chinese-American male. He was highly focused on improving his GMAT score (already a respectable 710) to make his candidacy more competitive.

Instead I suggested we think more about how Jim was different from his fellow applicants who looked the same on paper. We discussed Jim’s upbringing in Texas and the summers he spent working in the family food manufacturing business. As we discussed Jim’s summer jobs, he mentioned that he went to Hong Kong every summer during college and worked for his grandfather’s exporting business. While working he became fluent in Cantonese and built friendships with locals and expats in the city. At work he took on greater responsibility, including designing a more efficient packing system that saved the family business several thousand dollars per shipment.

Jim was surprised that I was interested in these college experiences because he dismissed them as “just helping the family business out.” I pointed out that most applicants would neither be fluent in Cantonese and English nor would have spent summers in college optimizing an international exporting business. Seen in that light, Jim agreed his experiences were worth writing about in an essay.

After exploring his own unique background along with communicating his additional post-college achievements, Jim gained admission to MIT.

To read more SBC Case Studies, click HERE.