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

When Linda started working with us she was nervous about crafting compelling career goals and a case for her MBA. Linda was a CPA with four years of experience at a Big 4 accounting firm. She knew that accounting experience was generally less common in the business school application pool, and that while Big 4 public accounting experience was in high demand from employers, it was considered less compelling than some of the investment banking, private equity or hedge fund experience of her competition.

Linda was a high performer at work, and had been promoted to manager early. She started managing teams during her second year, and had extensive experience working directly with high profile clients. All of this experience created a strong story to sell her leadership ability, communication skills and work ethic. Incidentally, Linda was a graduate of Penn State with a solid 3.6 GPA, and had a 710 GMAT score.

Career switching is a common reason for a Big 4 CPA to seek an MBA. Most employees of public accounting firms are set up extremely well for positions within corporate finance, and Linda wanted a different career path. She enjoyed working with clients and being part of a team, but she was interested in solving a variety of problems and wanted to work in strategy. At the same time her passion was fashion and luxury goods. Ideally she wanted to be in a business development or strategy position within a large retailer. Linda’s plan post MBA was to work in management consulting and then transition to industry.

We worked with Linda to craft her career goals essay into a solid story. She would leverage her client and team leadership experience effectively in management consulting. To demonstrate that Linda was a creative and innovative thinker who would be well suited to management consulting and and strategy we pulled from her college experience as the leader of a club that put on fashion shows at Penn State. Linda highlighted the entrepreneurial nature of that activity. Linda’s passion for fashion and luxury was communicated in several places throughout the application, and set her up to make a convincing case for her long-term career goals.

Overall we highlighted where Linda stood out from her peers (creative college activities and long-term career goals) while also leveraging the assets of a prestigious firm and well-regarded work experience. As a result Linda was offered a spot at UVA Darden and NYU Stern, and decided to attend NYU to be closer to the fashion scene in New York City.

To read more SBC Case Studies, click HERE.

If you are applying to NYU Stern keep in mind the admissions criteria that will be used to consider your application. As the website states, “we seek students with strong intellectual ability and superior interpersonal skills (IQ + EQ)” The individual components of your application will be academic ability, professional achievements and career aspirations, and personal characteristics. While your academis will be evaluated mainly through your GMAT and GPA, the essays are a crucial tool to communicate who you are to NYU Stern.

NYU Stern’s set of MBA admissions essays has remained consistent for the past several years. The admissions committee has provided significant guidance on the essays that is worth reviewing before you approach this set of essays.

Make sure to review the admissions committee tips on these essays, and check your deadlines, before you get started.

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?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
While many MBA career goals essays imply these questions, NYU Stern specifically requires an understanding of your career path thus far, why MBA, and both short- and long-term career goals.

Choices are often the moments that change your path or your approach to your career. Think about the pivotal moments in your life that led you to the career you have and your future goals. Perhaps it was a class you had in college, an activity that sparked your interest, or even a childhood passion. The key to answering this section of the question is to demonstrate both how you make choices and what motivates you.

Why MBA is an important question to answer. While many people seek the degree, NYU wants to invest in those who can use it most effectively. Perhaps you’re seeking an MBA for networking or professional credibility, or maybe you want an MBA to learn specific skills to change careers. Whatever your own personal reasons may be, make sure you can point to specific aspects of the MBA education both generally and specifically at Stern that are necessary to achieve your goals.

Your short and long term goals should be both achievable and aspirational. An MBA from NYU Stern will open professional doors for you, and you should demonstrate that you are ready to take advantage of those opportunities. Think about your past work experience, MBA education, and future career goals as a trajectory that flows logically in order.

Essay 2. Your Stern Experience
We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions:
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
This essay is your opportunity to tell the admissions committee a bit about yourself. As the admissions committee requests, “be genuine in your essays – tell us about the real you.” When you are discussing the NYU Stern community, you are also discussing you and your interests and personality.

This essay is the place to demonstrate your fit with NYU Stern and describe why NYU Stern is the right place for you to spend the next two years of your life. Certainly personal experience of the campus through visits or student touch points would be ideal, but even if you are halfway around the world you can illustrate the many ways in which you learned about the NYU Stern experience. The activities that most excite you academically should be logically related to your career goals explained in essay 1. The activities you are involved with might be professional, or could be personal hobbies or interests. This essay is your opportunity to describe who you are outside of work, and discussing the hobbies and extracurricular interests you have pursued thus far will be an important data point.

Making your mark on the NYU Stern community it is an opportunity to write about what you will bring to the school personally and to recount some of your past community experiences. Explain what you are involved with today, and how you anticipate bringing that interest and passion to the NYU Stern community.

For all three questions in this essay, be specific and provide specific examples that show who you are, how you think, and what you will uniquely bring to NYU 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.

While you have likely hit professional experiences in essay 1, and community experiences in essay 2, essay 3 seeks to understand who you are as a person. Open-ended essays like this one can be intimidating. You are allowed any method to introduce yourself to your classmates, and you’re probably wondering what the best medium for your message is.

However, your content is king in this essay. As advised for a similar essay, the Chicago powerpoint question, the best first step is to brainstorm the information you want to convey. Reflect upon your unique personal qualities and what is valued most by your friends and family. How would you want your classmates to see you? What are some of the personal stories you would share with a new friend?

Once you have established the content you want to use for the NYU Stern essay 3, it’s time to consider the medium. If you are a visual person you may chose a drawing, painting or photo series. If you are a creative writer perhaps it’s a poem or short story. If none of the “creative” approaches feel right to you, feel free to write a standard essay where you explain who you are and introduce yourself to your classmates. The medium is not the most important aspect of this essay, rather the message and content of your composition will demonstrate who you are to the admissions committee.

NYU Stern 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, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.
If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4.
If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application.
If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
NYU Stern is quite clear about who should use the optional essay and who should not. Like many other schools, NYU Stern provides this opportunity for you to explain a low GPA, GMAT or TOEFL. If you are in that situation, avoid excuses. Focus on the facts, and explain why this performance is not indicative of your future performance at NYU Stern.

If you are a re-applicant it will be important to establish what has changed from last year. Have you earned a promotion? Improved your GMAT score? Whatever you have been able to develop since last year, highlight why you are a stronger candidate now.

If you are not submitting a recommendation from your current employer, this is the place to explain the situation. A few valid reasons may include a brief tenure working for your current boss, that you are not sharing your MBA plans with your supervisor, or that you work more closely with other members of the team.

NYU’s Stern School of Business has posted the deadlines and essay topics for the 2011-2012 MBA application season.

Round 1
Deadline: November 15, 2011
Notification: February 15, 2012

Round 2
Deadline: January 15, 2012
Notification: April 1, 2012

Round 3
Deadline: March 15, 2012
Notification: June 1, 2012

International applicants are encouraged, though not required, to apply by the November 15 Round 1 deadline to facilitate visa arrangements and to have priority consideration for off-site interviews, if desired.

Essay 1. Professional Aspirations
(750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

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?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?

Essay 2. Your Stern Experience
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions:

(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.

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.

If you submit a non-written piece for Essay 3 (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit Essay 3 via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application.

Please note the following guidelines and restrictions:

• Your submission becomes the property of NYU Stern and cannot be returned for any reason.
• If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
• If you prepare a multimedia submission, you may mail a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to the Admissions Office. These are the only acceptable methods of submission. Please do not submit an internet link to any websites or to a video hosting service such as YouTube.
• The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an alternate Essay 3 if we are unable to view your submission
• Do not submit anything perishable (e.g. food) or any item that has been worn (e.g. clothing).
• Mailed materials must be postmarked by the deadline date. To submit Essay 3 by mail, please follow the mail and labeling instructions.

For more information, visit the admissions website at NYU Stern.

The initial questions we tackle with clients are how many schools and which schools – to apply to.  I am a big believer in the portfolio theory when it comes to MBA applications:  Apply to a reasonable number of schools (somewhere around 4) and make sure they vary in competitiveness.  Of course, they should all be schools you would be excited to attend, but you may include some super reach, dream schools as well as some that are a safer fit.  At the end of the day, all you need is one admit, so spread some risk around.  You never know what a given application pool looks like in a given year at a given school.  There are factors outside of your control, and you need to plan.

This week’s case study focuses on Cynthia, whose experience highlights the importance of appropriate school selection as a first step in your process.   Cynthia was a solid, if not outstanding, candidate and we felt confident that she should be able to secure admission at one or more schools.  She had a 3.2 GPA, 700 GMAT and three years of experience in marketing at a large technology company.  Her extra-curriculars were weak and we spent a lot of time brainstorming areas of passion to highlight for her, so that she could really come alive and stand out.

Cynthia desperately wanted to end up in New York or California, and she was determined to attend a top 15 school.  When she came to us, she had her heart set on Stern at NYU, as she felt it was a good fit for her credentials and the location was obviously right for her.  In fact, she wanted to apply to Stern and only one other west coast school (either UCLA Anderson or UC Berkeley Haas).  We encouraged her to apply to more than two schools.  Many people found her results surprising:

Stern – deny
Columbia – admit
Haas – waitlist/admit
Anderson – waitlist/deny
HBS – waitlist/deny
Stanford – deny
Tuck – waitlist (removed from waitlist)

Cynthia’s first decision was from Stern and that obviously left her very discouraged.  It did, however, encourage her to add additional schools to her list, some even more competitive than Stern.  Ultimately, Cynthia’s results were phenomenal, and things turned out even better than she had hoped.  However, it was a long and rocky, emotional road, spanning a full 12 months.  Her journey highlighted the fact that “all you need is one”, but casting your net a bit wider can help you to get that one (or two) admits.

To read more SBC Case Studies, click HERE.

Every time I read the B-school Buzz blogs, I’m struck by our bloggers’ diversity of perspective and experiences. Some write from the trenches of top programs, and others tell us about the joys and frustrations of the application process. It’s always exciting to add even more perspectives to the mix, so this week we’re welcoming two new bloggers to the crew.

Open Book – First up, we have Vishal Goel’s Open Book blog. Vishal is a University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA who has been blogging on and off since 2006. Reading the blog is often like peeking over Vishal’s shoulder to see what he’s reading (hence the blog title), and he shares articles on MBA-friendly topics like leadership and entrepreneurship. Occasionally, he writes about wine – which, come to think of it, is also pretty MBA friendly.

Miles to MBA – Also new this week is Miles to MBA, which began in June 2008. Recently, this blog has tackled many aspects of the b-school application process, such as deciding to take the GRE versus the GMAT, as well b-school news. The author also shares a lot of personal stories about his own application process, such as this great post about his recent visit to the Indian School of Business.

In other news – It’s also been a busy week for some of our long-time bloggers. Military to Business wrote about participating in Harvard Business School‘s first Military Prospective Student Day. Random Wok shared his latest strategy for surviving the b-school admissions decision wait: Complete the P90 X workouts. And Ellipsing My Way… to Business School received a rejection from NYU Stern, so he will definitely be attending Cornell’s Johnson School of Management in the fall.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Ellipsing that all of you recent b-school admits can surely relate to:

“So I finally have closure and all that jazz… now I’m moving on to another portion of this process.  Financial Aid = #notfun.”

Do you have a b-school-centric blog? Want it featured on B-School Buzz? Email me at [email protected].

Good news for b-school applicants dreading the GMAT: The Stern School of Business at New York University has announced that, effective immediately, it will no longer require GMAT or GRE scores from candidates applying to its executive MBA program.

According to a Stern press release, the school decided to drop the requirement based on the credentials of its executive MBA students:

The NYU Stern Executive MBA program provides a world-class MBA to a carefully selected, intimate class of no more than 60 highly experienced professionals each term. The average age of the enrolling classes is 38, with an average of 14 years of work experience, a more senior cohort than other peer EMBA and part-time MBA programs. Additionally, 40 percent of the typical enrolling class has already earned an advanced degree. By removing the standardized test requirement, Stern is making it easier for experienced managers and executives to consider its Executive MBA program. The program’s academic rigor, course requirements and schedule remain unchanged.

But don’t throw out those GMAT prep books yet. Applicants to NYU Stern’s full-time MBA program are still required to submit test scores. Also, because executive MBA candidates usually submit applications to multiple programs, many who apply to Stern will still end up taking the test anyway. (Stern will still accept GMAT and GRE scores from candidates who wish to submit them.)

Still, dropping GMAT and GRE requirements for executive MBAs is gaining popularity and has already been implemented at top programs including Northwestern University‘s Kellogg School of Management, the University of Southern California‘s Marshall School of Business and the University of Chicago‘s Booth School of Business.