Since our 2/18 post on the Wharton Business Plan competition (see “Develop Your Inner Entrepreneur“) several other BPCs have proceeded to conclusion. Here are the results to date:

HBS 12th Annual BPC - First Prize ($10K cash + $10K in-kind services) went to teams EyeViewDigital.com and Diagnostics-For-All. EyeViewDigital “enables communication between businesses and customers through cutting-edge video technology,” while Diagnostics-For-All “provides health care agencies and commercial organizations with a new generation of point-of-care tools to address the diagnostic and clinical management needs of the global medical community.”

NYU Stern 9th Annual BPC - Traditional track first prize ($50K cash + $10K in-kind services) went to team Social Bomb, “a game development company which taps into the large amounts of existing social networking data to provide entertainment and reveal unexpected value for players and advertisers.” The social entrepreneurship track first prize ($100K + 10K in-kind support) went to team Naya Jeevan For Kids, “dedicated to providing socioeconomically disadvantaged children in the developing world with affordable access to catastrophic health care,” and The Red Island, which imports and manufactures specialty food products from Madagascar, focusing on importing finished versus raw materials.

Rice BPC - Grand prize valued at over $325K (!!) was awarded to qcue, “a dynamic pricing solution for concert promoters, sports teams, and venues. Its software application transforms existing box offices into electronic markets by implementing elements of airline pricing and NASDAQ trading to provide dynamic pricing based on market conditions, while hosting a secondary market which is seamlessly integrated with the primary market.”

Duke Start-Up Challenge - First place overall and healthtrack winner ($30K) went to Cerene Biomedics, dedicated to developing an “implantable device which delivers localized cooling to the surface of the brain to prevent epileptic seizures.”

Wharton BPC - Grand prize ($20K + $10K in-kind services) was awarded to Solixia, “an early stage radiopharmaceutial company developing products that allow doctors to target radiation specifically to solid tumors.”

Keep an eye out for the results of the MIT 100K Entrepreneurship Competition, which is scheduled to conclude on May 14th.

A survey discussed in the latest QS Top MBA newsletter reveals that controversial industries such as tobacco, oil and defense are a far lower priority for MBA aspirants than service industries, even though salaries are competitive. So what’s keeping MBAs away? According to survey findings, employers in controversial industries are up against a largely unfavorable public perception. “I looked at careers in the defense and oil industries, though I didn’t consider tobacco for personal reasons,” says one MBA. “There was one negative news story after another, especially about the arms industry. I thought the lifestyle may be problematic, even though salaries were competitive and the offers enticing.”

Elsewhere, a study of more than 500 MBA students by consultancy Hill & Knowlton has concluded that, for three quarters of them, a company’s corporate reputation would play a critical role in helping them to decide whether or not to take up a job offer. Nearly six out of 10 said they were not interested in working in Russia, and more than half would spurn job opportunities in Eastern Europe, with a similar percentage dismissing the thought of working in the Middle East.

When it came to sector, the graduates, who came from business schools in Europe, the United States and Asia, said they much preferred industries such as banking, finance, IT, technology and energy over more traditional (yet still multi-million dollar) sectors such alcohol, chemicals and tobacco. What this showed, argued Hill & Knowlton, was that, for some industries and locations, their tainted reputations would make them losers in the global war for the talent.

But by demonstrating a commitment to a responsibility strategy, even companies with serious image problems can change the face of their industry. As a result, the QS International Recruiter Survey 2007 finds, many big business schools are embracing the movement towards corporate social responsibility and to the social network they operate in by adding courses and specialized departments to keep their MBA students happy. Thomas Cooley, Dean of New York University’s Stern School of Business, tells The Economist that “demand for CSR activities has just soared in the past three years.”

The website Beyond Grey Pinstripes – Preparing MBAs for Social and Environmental Stewardship — provides a ranking of courses featuring social and environmental content. Rich Leimsider, Director of the Center for Business Education at the Aspen Institute, says: “We know there are thoughtful people in the controversial industries such as defense and energy. These are people thinking about the impact their organizations have on communities and on the environment. Our hope is that people from the schools we review, with a strong social and environmental awareness, continue to go into those kinds of industries.”

Interestingly, the Hill & Knowlton study also found that MBA candidates were, by and large, more attracted to publicly listed companies or venture-funded institutions than to family or government-owned entities. Whether it was the location of a job, type of industry or the ownership structure of the company, the one thing that was clear about the current crop of elite MBA candidates was that they wanted to work for organizations where reputation played a huge role.

The third-round application period looms for many prospective MBA students, and there’s no better time to incorporate the advice of MBA admissions directors on ways to make—or break—your chances of getting in at the school of your dreams. But how can anyone stand out amid a sea of applicants? Admissions directors are looking beyond work experience and the GMAT to evaluate candidates. A recent piece in the Financial Times discusses some ways to manage the details of your application to ensure you follow the rules, take advantage of all opportunities and market yourself beyond your resume.

The article notes that New York University’s Stern School of Business has made a request of their potential MBA students this year: to limit the size of objects submitted with their applications. Stern appreciates creativity in potential students, and has encouraged the submission of unconventional materials that reveal something of their character and interests. Past applicants have sent in stories, poems, and paintings—one even included a mock cereal box decorated with photos and an ingredient list which included “a charismatic social individual.” But leave the personalized guitars, skis and snowboards at home, please. “We tell people we want them to think outside the box - it just needs to fit inside a box,” says Isser Gallogly, Stern’s Executive Director of MBA Admissions.

Creativity is fantastic, but admissions directors also look for integrity. “In the essays, we want people to sell themselves to us, but we also want them to be honest,” says David Simpson, acting Associate Dean of the MBA program at London Business School. “Candidates often talk about extra-curricular work even though we’re not specifically asking about this. That’s great. But if they write it down, we’re going to ask about it, so they should have a good story.”

Schools stress that applicants shouldn’t regard the interview as another opportunity to list accomplishments. It’s where the school finds out who the person really is and interviewers may have strong views on the type of person they believe will fit into their program.

A major pet peeve reported by admissions directors: overkill in all its forms. Long-winded essays and a barrage of recommendation letters, for example, will not endear applicants to admission staff who have thousands of applications to review. Several admission directors cite the tendency of applicants to send long or multiple e-mails in the hope that they will get the attention of one of the recipients. “Long e-mails are very irritating,” says Rod Garcia, director of MBA Admissions at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Applicants can certainly damage their chances by failing to display courtesy and respect to all the staff members—including administrators and customer service staff—with whom they interact during the applications process. “People don’t necessarily understand that every interaction is an opportunity to show their qualities,” says Gallogly.

Time is of the essence, and synthesizing these tips into your overall application strategy will go a long way toward ensuring you receive that all-important phone call or e-mail this spring.

Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Answer the following:
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
Instead of simply asking for your career history as many schools do, NYU asks for the “why” behind your career history. NYU is trying to help you avoid the pitfall of just listing out your resume bullets in essay form. Follow their instructions and explain the motivation behind each career move. Emphasize the positive from each experience and demonstrate that you apply lessons learned in the choices you make. If you have had a few random twists and turns, this is a great opportunity to explain your reasoning for making changes.

(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
This is similar to Wharton’s “why now” in their career question. Explain what is motivating you to apply to school - move up in current career, change careers, etc. Feel free to expand beyond the professional and cite personal or extra-curricular experiences that are inspiring you to change courses in your career. Just be sure to articulate your reasoning and give the why behind your actions.

(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Most schools ask for your short and long term career goals (Wharton, Stanford, Chicago) As we have said with those schools, take this essay a step further than simply laying out your short and long term goals. Articulate why those goals are meangingful to you. Your career goals should in some way reflect what is important to you (this does not mean they are one and the same, but that there is some correlation). Articulate a concrete plan to create a career that reflects your values.

Essay 2. Fit with Stern:
The NYU Stern community is one of our strongest assets. Please answer the following questions about our community:

(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? What actions have you taken to learn more about us?
Haas has a similar question. If you don’t have time to visit NYU, then try to find ways to speak with students or alums. Maybe there’s an information session in your area. You can search your undergraduate school database for Stern alums and contact them via email to hear about their experiences. Be sure to go beyond the actions you have taken to learn more to articulate how you were affected by what students or alums said or what you read. Relate your own value system to what NYU values in explaining your personal experience with the Stern community.

(b) How would you contribute to our community as a student?
Be specific. Research Stern’s classes and clubs and articulate how you will add to them. Show how you will make a difference. Take note of what’s unique about NYU such as its size, culture, and NYC location and how those factors will inform you contributions.

(c) How will you benefit personally and professionally from the Stern community?
Similar to the prior portion of this question, be specific. Discuss which classes and clubs will help you grow. You can mention classes and clubs that build on expertise or interests you already have as well as classes and clubs that will push you in new ways. Also what about the community or location will help you develop. Spend time on their website and talk to students and alums if possible to show that you are ready to hit the ground running and take advantage of Stern.

Essay 3. Personal Expression:
Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative.

All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. Please do not submit anything that must be viewed or played electronically (e.g. CDs, DVDs, MP3s, online links), that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Obviously this is an opportunity to get creative. Though many applicants submit written work. Others may submit artwork, graphic presentations, or some other object that represents who they will be to their MBA classmates. Consider your background broadly (times, events, travel, experiences, and people who have been important to you) and see if you can find a theme. Don’t be afraid to show your feelings, creativity, and humor. They want to see who you will be in their class and how you will stand out.

Essay 4. Additional Information: (optional)
Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.
Be concise. In addition to the situations described in the question, NYU indicates that this essay can be used to explain:
*why you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor
*if you are a re-applicant from last year, how your candidacy has improved
*if you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree