Trend of Admission Essays...

I think I wanna close the night by commenting on the recent trend of admission essays by top US business schools and reflecting a bit what my gameplan is moving forward with the application season this year...

Last year when I applied to HBS, I had to wreck my brain to answer 4 questions:

• Essay 1: Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)
• Essay 2: Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)
• Essay 3: Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)
• Essay 4: Answer a question you wish we had asked. (400 words)

Essentially, HBS asked each applicant to share with them 6 short stories about themselves, through their accomplishments and setbacks, their short, mid and long term goals for pursuing an MBA degree and a really wildcard question that they hope the applicant could reveal more about their unique traits and why these traits are relevant for their business career... total word counts for the applicant to capture the admission committee's short attention span is 2000 words.

HBS 2012/13 application essays:

• Essay 1: Tell us about something you did well. (400 words)
• Essay 2: Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words)

This year however, HBS dramatically cut their essay requirement to TWO with total word counts of not more than 800 words! Thats a 60% reduction in word counts!!! Of course they include the post-interview memo-style reflection but given than HBS only interviews about 20% of its total applicants... not a lot of people will get the chance to have their "final say"

And as a testament to HBS' leadership in MBA branding, most other top business schools follow suit with their own changes to either their essay word count, no of essay, or the application components itself.

Stanford reduced one essay required from 4 to only 3 and reflected the change in their word counts as well.

Last year Stanford GSB asked:

• Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
• Essay 2: What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?
• Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
• Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
• Option C: Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.
• Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined or established.

...and the word limit was 1800 words total, 200 less than HBS'.

This year Stanford GSB asks:

• Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
• Essay 2: What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?
• Essay 3: Answer one of the three questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
• Option A: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Option B: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.
• Option C: Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.

...and the maximum word counts for all of the essays combined is 1600 words. That's double HBS'! This year it looks like they combine last year's Option B and C to create Option B. Logically, if you generated support for your brilliant ideas to make a lasting impact on your organisation, of course you'd have pursued an opportunity to improve your organisation... I guess a lot of applicants in the past answer both question in ONE single essay and this could well trigger the admission to reword their Option B!

And Kellogg also completely revamped their essay for this year...

Last year, Kellog asked:

• Essay 1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA.
• Essay 2: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences.
• Essay 3: Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community?
• Essay 4: Complete one of the following:
• Describe a time you had to inspire a reluctant individual or group
• People may be surprised to learn that I…..
• The riskiest personal or professional decision I ever made was….

This year, Kellog asks:

• Essay 1: Discuss moments or influences in your personal life that have defined who you are today. (500 word limit)
• Essay 2: What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely (personally and/or professionally). (500-word limit)
• Essay 3: Imagine yourself at your Kellogg graduation. What career will you be preparing to enter, and how have the MBA and Kellogg helped you get there? (Please answer in terms of your program choice: One-Year, Two-Year, MMM, JD-MBA) (500-word limit)
• Essay 4: (For MMM applicants only): How have you redefined yourself, your business environment and community through the pursuit of design and innovation? (400-word limit)

...and owh, they have this really cute tweet-like essay that you have to answer in 25 words or less:

“What one interesting or fun fact would you want your future Kellogg classmates to know about you?”

I won't be surprise if next year these schools adcom asks applicants to just tweet their "essay"...