To manage your data-mining effort, create a spreadsheet or log divided into sections, say, Career, Academics, Extracurriculars,

Community/Volunteering, and Personal/Family. Within each section create three columns: one for describing the event, one for noting its
"external" significance or impact, and a third for logging its "internal" significance to you. External significance will include the
experience's impact on your career progress (earned promotion, raise, etc.), on your organization (won new client contract), or on others
(helped student you tutored raise math grade to B). Internal significance will include how the experience changed you, enhanced your
skills, deepened your perspective, strengthened your sense of your potential, and so on.

Analysis
extract the juice and write what this means to you. What does any experience or event or preference or attribute or quality or goal really say about you?
How do your stories elaborate who you are? How might attributes and events you have surfaced come together in an overarching insight? What are the
implications of this?

1. What makes the person interesting or stand out
2. Show fit and sufficient enthusiasm for the MBA program

Leadership: Candidates who successfully demonstrate leadership in their
applications exhibit how they have provided others with direction, shown
initiative, and managed difficult situations in their professional, personal, and
academic careers. And, above all, they need to show how they have made a
positive impact on the organization and community around them.

It is not enough to merely state that you are a leader; you must provide examples of
demonstrated leadership. Ultimately, the admissions committee should identify you as
a high potential leader because of supporting details rather than overt statements. A
good rule of thumb is Show, dont tell.

Teamwork: A team-oriented attitude is now a baseline expectation of every applicant.
This includes basic social skills and a willingness to share successes and take
accountability for failures.

Grid: Page 24

If you were consistently poor or did worse as time went on, however, your challenge
will be to convince the admissions committee that youre serious about academics
and have the brainpower to succeed in business school. The former can be
accomplished in your essays, where you will discuss what it is that you expect to get
out of an MBA curriculum. The latter can be made up for by the GMAT or, if that is
also weak, by earning strong grades in part-time courses at a local school.

Your transcript(s) may also be weak because you were simply too involved in
extracurricular activities as an undergrad. Use this opportunity to turn a weakness into
a strength by demonstrating your commitment and initiative at your undergraduate
school, and making the case for why you will be equally involved in business school.
You must balance that out, however, with a demonstrated understanding of the
importance of academics in business school. In other words, you should try and
convince the admissions counselors that you will get the school/ activities mix right
this time around.

Diversity in thinking: This is important, because we expect that each student will bring
a slightly different perspective to the table. If an applicant sounds like hundreds of
others, there isnt much of a reason to bring him in, even if his scores are off the chart.
We know that diversity of thought can have a powerful impact on the ability to learn,
so we are very careful to evaluate that and its critical that applicants consider how
theyre different and what they will bring, as unique individuals, to the table.


Engineers: You can craft a strong story about how youve mastered one discipline,
and now you want to move on to achieve a broader view of how a business is run.
Admissions officers will appreciate any evidence that you can provide that shows you
understand the importance of the functions in a company outside of its research and
development department.

An admissions committee will look critically for evidence that you can reach goals that
require you to work with others. Any teamwork examples that you can provide will
help you a great deal here, particularly stories that demonstrate your ability to
understand others motivations and to deal with them constructively. These examples
of empathy will go a long way toward showing your ability to grow into the role of a
leader.

Entrepreneurs: Saying that you led your fledgling team to launch its first prototype on
time is impressive, but its more interesting to hear about how it happened. Stories
about how you found the right people with whom to build your team, how you
motivated them, how you managed personality conflicts among team members, and
how you helped them overcome obstacles will all paint a great portrait of you as a
leader.

International Students: On the strengths side of the equation, a guaranteed plus is
your cultural awareness. Interestingly, this tends to be a latent strength for
international applicants on which they dont capitalize enough. As an international
applicant, youre used to living in a truly global world and being exposed to various
cultures, languages, and belief systems, so you accept this as a norm and dont
emphasize these types of experiences as much as you should. Realize that the ability
to speak several languages or dialects and expound on the social impacts of
introducing economic liberalization policies is something most American applicants do
not bring to the table. As such, demonstrate to the admissions committee your
experiences in multicultural environments in order to show them how adding your
voice to the classroom dialogue will appreciably improve the learning model.

Leadership and Teamwork: Think of leadership as any instance when you had a
positive impact on those around you, especially those instances that wouldnt have
happened if you hadnt been there. Similarly, dont think of teamwork as just stories of
you sitting in close quarters with a few of your peers, working all night to solve an
impossible problem. A good teamwork example could be much broader, such as how
you went out of your way to help someone in another department tackle a problem.
Think about every person or group with which youve interacted, and consider using
instances where you made a difference in helping someone else succeed.

Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to
evaluate your candidacy? (500 words)

To support myself through college, I began working various part-time jobs beginning
in my first semester. At one time, I held three separate jobs while maintaining a full
course-load. In my second semester, I started working at the Eastern University
Johnstone School of Business in their technology group. I found my broad learnings
from that job to be even more interesting and applicable to my future goals in
consulting than the computer programming that I was studying in class. I took this job
very seriously and often spent 3040 demanding hours each weekwell beyond the
20 hours per week stated in the job description. During my two years of employment, I
earned a series of quick promotions and almost a threefold increase in salary.

Recruiters from consulting firms confirmed my belief that I was growing by leaps and
bounds when they expressed far greater interest in my work experience than in my
undergraduate coursework or my
GPA. Despite competition from applicants with higher GPAs, I landed a highly coveted
internship with Farley Technologies, and later a full-time position with Myers
Consulting. In fact, I was the only intern that Farley hired on campus (from over 100
applicants). In signing on with Myers, I was the only hire given the option to relocate to
the highly competitive New York officea golden opportunity that I seized with great
relish.

Beyond my success in a highly demanding part-time job, I rounded out my education
and my experience in a new country through various extracurricular activities. I
founded two organizations (Society of Software Consultants, which helped Computer
Science majors find consulting jobs, and, the teen-counseling organization Helping
Hand) while in college. I was also actively involved in numerous others. Additionally, I
attended college during the dotcom boom: a pervasive entrepreneurial spirit
abounded and, inspired by the possibilities, I devoted a substantial amount of time to
create a business plan for an outsourcing business. Unfortunately, at the peak of my
involvement, health issues during my second year forced me to abandon the ideaas
well as to drop four classes.

I trust that my highly analytical focus as a professional, my strong 730 GMAT score,
and my A grades in calculus, microeconomics and computer science courses will
dispel any doubts about my quantitative abilities. My undergraduate grades reflect the
choices I made and the challenges I faced- not my abilities or potential.


Comments

Caroline has used Rosss optional essay to address what many applicants believe to
be their biggest weakness: their undergraduate GPA. With this kind of essay, its easy
to be too sensitive about the matter and find yourself making too many excuses.
However, Caroline avoids this trap pretty well.
She stays focused on the positives of her undergraduate experience (which are
impressive). She obviously accomplished a lot, and makes clear that those
accomplishments were possible as a result of a tradeoff that she decided to make.

There are just a couple of suggestions we would make here. First, wed recommend
that Caroline be a little more explicit at the start of her essay about her stance on her
undergraduate grades. Just adding something like I do not believe that my
undergraduate GPA reflects my academic potential, and heres why would make
the intro a bit smoother. As it is now, she jumps right into storytelling mode, potentially
prompting the reader to ask, Where is she going with this?

Our other suggestion is that, though we like the fact that Caroline doesnt sound
apologetic or embarrassed by her undergrad GPA, she could probably go a bit further
in making clear that she will take her academics seriously at Ross. She doesnt even
need to suggest that shell do things differently this time aroundjust that she
appreciates that classes are important in business school.


Change is the only constant in life, and I make sure that I am constantly learning and adapting to
changing environments and needs.
Tell us about yourself ?
Most interviews start with a very standard "Tell us something about yourself". Please read this question as "Give us a brief
background about your family and self that is not there in the form. This question is the most frequently asked one as it breaks the
ice and attempts to gauge your overall ability to relate the past data in a coherent and meani ngful manner. Prima facie, this
question looks very simple, yet it is a critical one. This is so because many are not able to decide what could be said in response
and falter as a result. The candidates must answer such a question in a way that gives the panel all the relevant details not only
about themselves, but also about their parents and brothers / sisters.
Many students are not able to handle this question as they either become too verbose or too opinionated. Try to relate all the
relevant background information in your answer. You must also try to package the information so that it sounds. So make sure that
the speech does not list out every certificate you won since school, just keep it general -- a little about your father, mother, siblings,
your current status in life and finally your interests and hobbies. Do not detail your marks and academic performance since it is
there in your form. Put this answer on paper and make sure it does not go beyond 40 to 60 seconds. Also if you are a member of
something unusual like the literacy mission, this is the time to mention it. Try to speak about your hobbies because typically the next
question will follow from this question.


Low GPA Reasons

# Tell them in terms of class rank. Point out if you had a tougher major and more competitive college
# Involvement and dedication to varsity Sports
# Reason for a bad start and then how your grades improved gradually

Best Practice-1

Redirect attention to your areas of strength, for ex leadership, team spirit, long-term goals, through essays,
recommendations etc. Make your GPA appear to be the only weakness in your application







Best Practice-3: Use your High GMAT to compensate for your low GPA.







Though a handful of applicants to top MBA programs seem to have all the elements to write their own ticketmagna cum
laude from a prestigious university, fast-track career progression at a Fortune 500 company, or co-founder of an innovative
tech firm, with perhaps an Olympic medal and impressive charitable work thrown in for good measurethe rest of us all
have something in our background we think we need to compensate for, or explain away.
What is important is to provide an explanation, not an excuse.
As former directors of admissions at Wharton, INSEAD, and other top business schools, the team at Fortuna Admissions
have heard pretty much all the excuses:
I dont have any extracurricular activities because I work too hard.
My GMAT doesnt reflect my true academic ability.
I didnt ask my boss for a recommendation because he doesnt like me.
If all you can manage is a hackneyed excuse, it is better not to say anything at all.
Indeed, devising excuses is often an attempt to avoid responsibility for your actions. An explanation, on the other hand,
assumes you have a past, and the explanation can be followed up with what you have done to compensate, or put it right.
In our consultations with MBA applicants, we discuss such issues as the less-than-stellar GPA, an awkward gap in your
career, or a delicate relationship with your boss, and offer the following advice:
Treat your audience with respect. Dont be arrogant in thinking you can pull the wool over their eyes, but at the same time
dont be intimidated, which leads to being needlessly defensive. Straightforward and genuine works best.
If it is a small thing, dont make a big song and dance about it. Use the optional essay for anything you think the admissions
committee needs to know, but dont waste precious real estate in your essays stating why binge drinking in college was a
bad idea. The optional essay is a good place to explain, but keep it to significant issues and try to show your learning.
Dont try to sweep issues under the carpet. If there is a gap in your rsum, the school will be aware of it. If you dont
explain yourself, any gaps will be interpreted in the worst possible way. So be up front and point out how you used that time
to good effect.
If you were ill when you took the GMAT, do not go into details. Work out how you are going to improve your score between
now and the admissions deadline.
One B minus or C in your college career will not keep you from going to business school, so there is no need to write an
optional essay. If your overall GPA is below par, compensate with a strong GMAT or GRE score or take a class to
demonstrate your quantitative ability. And if there was a good reason why your grades suffereda family issue, a
demanding part-time job that helped pay your school expensesprovide a short, no-nonsense explanation, preferably
demonstrating your academic potential when you were able to focus on your studies.
If you feel that asking your direct supervisor for a recommendation will jeopardize your job situation, you may want to
include a sentence about this in your optional essay. Admissions officers understand such situations but would rather know
why you made the decision rather than having to figure it out for themselves.




RECCOS

Your reference should:
be congruent with your profile, positioning and goals, as stated in
other parts of your application;
augment your candidacy and reinforce your positioning by endorsing
your claims or by anticipating and commenting favourably on any
apparent weakness;
enthusiastically anticipate your potential and endorse the validity
and achievability of your career goals;
avoid generalities and platitudes, and be as specific and detailed as
possible, giving examples;
comment positively on weaknesses or areas where the committee
may have unanswered questions;
include at least one criticism or cautionary point (the best kind of
weakness is one that a good MBA experience will fix).


1. What is your relationship to, and how long have you known the applicant? Is this
person still employed by your organization? (Yes/No) If No, when did he/she depart?
(e.g., August 1999)
The referee must confirm how well he or she knows you. This tells Adcom how
heavily to weigh the opinion that follows.
2. Provide a short list of adjectives which describe the applicants strengths.
The referee should underline your strength and value as a candidate. These
should be strengths relevant to an MBA and post-MBA career. They should
dovetail with what you said about yourself in the essays.
3. How does the applicants performance compare with that of his or her peers?
The referee must make a comparative judgement. Not just that you are good,
but that you are better than most.
4. How has the applicant grown during his/her employment with you? Please
comment on the applicants maturity.
The referee must address your professional growth and likely trajectory, and
how ready you are for an MBA at this point.
5. Comment on the applicants ability to work with others, including superiors, peers
and subordinates. If the tables were reversed, would you enjoy working for the
applicant?
The referee must address your team and group skills, and likeability.
6. In what ways could the applicant improve professionally? How does he/she accept
constructive criticism?
The referee must deal with your weaknesses and career needs. The faults and
lacks should broadly be the kind that an MBA will help to fix.
7. How well has the applicant made use of available opportunities? Consider his or
her initiative, curiosity and motivation.
The referee must talk about your initiative, drive and ability to be a self-starter.
He or she should also talk about ability to weather obstacles.
8. Comment on your observations of the applicants ethical behavior.
The referee must explicitly deal with ethics and values.
STRATEGY FUNDAMENTALS 31
9. What do you think motivates the candidates application to the MBA program at
Columbia Business School? Do you feel the applicant is realistic in his/her professional
ambitions?
The referee must comment on your goals and reasons for doing an MBA. They
must judge that it is likely that you will achieve the goal(s), and that an MBA
will help this.
10. Are there any other matters which you feel we should know about the applicant?
The referee should use this space to sing any praises that did not fit into a prior
question.
Here is another set, from MIT, which shows a similar and overlapping pattern,
even though the questions themselves are different.
1. How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
As in the case above, the referee must say how well he or she knows you. This
tells Adcom how heavily to weigh the opinion that follows.
2. How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?
Similar to questions 2 and 3, above. The referee should underline your strength
and value as a candidate, with a particular emphasis on why you are unique.
These should be strengths and uniqueness relevant to an MBA and post-MBA
career and should dovetail with what you said about yourself in the essays.
3. Please provide an example of the applicants impact on a person, group or
organization.
Adcom is seeking the referees corroboration of the fact that you are the kind of
person who makes a difference.
4. Please provide a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other
people.
Similar to 5, above. The referee must address your interpersonal, group and
team skills, using examples.
5. Which of the applicants personal or professional characteristics would you
change?
Similar to 6, above. The referee must deal with your weaknesses and career
needs. The faults and lacks should broadly be the kind that an MBA will help fix.
6. Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.
Similar to 10, above.
In other words, taken together, the reference questions posed by various
programs reveal Adcoms agenda for references in general. Even if the reference
does not ask a particular question, or does not ask questions at all (allows a free
letter format), the referee should still, broadly, follow these signposts.