Essay Tips: The SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University

Cornell Johnson has published submission deadlines for their MBA application. If you’re applying to the full-time program, it’s time to get started on your short-answer and essay responses.

Round Application Deadline Initial Notification Final Notification          

Round 1 20 September 2023 03 November 2023 08 December 2023

Round 2 10 January 2024    15 March 2024 05 April 2024

Round 3 10 April 2024         17 May 2024 31 May 2024

“You’ll combine your own strengths with the strengths of those around you. You’ll learn how to create solutions to business challenges—and to other challenges facing the world at large. The reality is that success is never a solo act.”

This statement from Johnson’s website encapsulates their focus on collaboration. Keep this in mind as you approach their application. Of course, you’ll want to show the strengths, experiences, and unique perspectives you can bring to their community, but they are also looking for you to demonstrate humility and discuss your desire to learn from your fellow classmates.

Goals Statement Prompt:

A statement of your goals will begin a conversation that will last throughout the admissions process and guide your steps during the MBA program and experience. To the best of your understanding today, please share your short- and long-term goals by completing the following sentences and answering the enclosed short answer question (350 words maximum):

Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].

Targeted Job Role:

Target Job Company:

Industry:

In 5–10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry].

Targeted Job Role:

Target Job Company:

Industry:

How has your experience prepared and encouraged you to pursue these goals?
State your post-MBA goals in precise language that includes your desired role, company, and industry. Ensure that your short-term goal makes sense as an interim step to your longer-term goal. Then make it clear that, given the specific post-baccalaureate full-time work experiences you’ve had, you will be qualified and able to achieve these goals with an MBA from Johnson.

Impact Essay Prompt:

At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. Taking into consideration your background, how do you intend to make a meaningful impact on an elite MBA community? (350 words maximum)

Show Cornell Johnson’s admissions officers how you will be a valued member of their community by anchoring your response in experiences from your past that will inform and invigorate your plan. Are you a passionate environmentalist who has spent your career in corporate social responsibility and hopes to spearhead a new sustainability case competition for full-time MBA students? Were you part of a years-long organizational behavior research study in undergrad and hope to find a research mentor in that department at Cornell? Did you start a pro-bono consulting group at your current employer, and you’d like to partner with a local organization to offer similar services alongside a group of your Cornell colleagues? In linking your passions and expertise to your proposed contributions, you will demonstrate to the admissions directors that you are the kind of collaborative, community-minded, and determined student they are looking for.

Optional statement: You may use this essay to call attention to items needing clarification and to add additional details to any aspects of your application that do not accurately reflect your potential for success at Johnson. (350 words maximum)

This essay is for additional context around a weak spot in your application. Did you get a C in calculus? Or withdraw from your courses your sophomore year to help a family member? Do you feel that your lackluster GMAT score isn’t indicative of your abilities?

If you are going to address a low grade in an analytical course or a low GMAT score, don’t make excuses. Spend the majority of your word count demonstrating your ability to excel in rigorous academic or professional environments by using specific examples. Provide information on similar classes in which you achieved excellent grades or give details about a professional pursuit that resulted in success.

If you are speaking to a more sensitive situation, perhaps a big mistake or legal issue that impacted your GPA, spend approximately 20 percent of your essay addressing the situation. Then use the remaining 80 percent on the actions you took to improve and what happened as a result. Again, do not make excuses. Simply address the situation, placing the emphasis on what you learned. Everyone makes mistakes. Taking accountability and moving forward demonstrates maturity.

The Writing Process

Begin with a brainstorm. Do not underestimate the importance of this step. Document your experiences, positive and negative, that prompted an evolution in your perspective—you know, those “ah-ha!” moments without which you would be a different student, professional, and/or person today. Then, record those experiences that will show the reader your abilities in innovation (critical/creative thinking and problem solving), leadership, and teamwork, as well as those experiences that reinforced your interest in business school. Capture as many details as possible, paying particular attention to what you thought, felt, said, and did in each situation. Your focus should be on adult experiences (from the start of college and later), though stories from your youth could comprise up to 20 percent of this brainstorm.

During your brainstorm, don’t limit yourself by worrying about a cohesive narrative, the quality of your writing, and/or the number/length of your stories. Simply focus on collecting those situations that helped to guide your path to this point and impacted your decision to apply to the Cornell Johnson MBA program.

Craft an outline. Select the key stories you will use to anchor your narratives. Remember that you’ll use your essays to go deep into experiences that demonstrate the traits you want to emphasize.

Write. Keep in mind that you must be showing, not telling the reader who you are. In contrast to your resume, which provides a general overview of your experiences, your essay responses should go deep into a story that allows the reader to come to their own conclusions about some of your character traits and abilities. Highlight how you’ve struggled, triumphed, learned, and how these experiences have developed you into the person you are now.

Review. Revise. Repeat. Read your essay aloud noting where you stumble. Make revisions as necessary. Once it reads smoothly, set it down and walk away for at least 24 hours. Then re-read it. Is it you? Is it personal and authentic? You want the reader to see the real person behind the applicant number. While we caution against “oversharing,” being appropriately vulnerable will create connection.

Related:

Essay Tips: Harvard Business School

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: The Stanford Graduate School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Essay Tips: Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

New Report Examines Changing Costs of an MBA

The cost of obtaining an MBA from a global top 20 program has increased 6.3 percent in 2022, according to the recently published Business Because Cost of MBA Report 2022. The estimated average cost now totals $189,000, including tuition, fees, living costs, healthcare, and materials. This continues the steady upward trend of the last few years; costs averaged $176,000 last year and $168,000 in 2020. 

The report’s 2022 analysis includes only the FT top 20 schools, while last year the analysis included the FT top 20 plus six other top-ranked U.S.-based schools (who had opted out of the 2021 rankings due to the covid-19 pandemic). 

Some of the key findings include:

• NYU Stern is the most expensive MBA program within the top 20 with a total cost of $246,506. It is followed by MIT Sloan ($239,990) and Wharton ($237,160). On the other end of the scale, CEIBS comes in as the least expensive in the top 20 at $84,500, followed closely by SDA Bocconi ($85,525). These are the only two schools on the list with totals falling under $100K. 

• Within the top 20, tuition for the U.S. programs average $225,605, significantly higher than the averages for Europe ($121,583) and Asia ($104,881). 

• Differences in cost between the U.S., Europe, and Asia are magnified by both the strong dollar (making it more cost effective for Americans to study abroad and increasing the expense for international students to study domestically), and differences in average program lengths. MBA programs in the U.S. typically last two years. Those in Europe and Asia run for 12 to 18 months. 

• Between 2021 and 2022, expenses increased the most at Cornell Johnson (+11.4 percent) and Berkeley Haas (+8.6 percent). The most significant decreases, which are enhanced by fluctuations in the currency markets, were reported by the London Business School (-21.1), CEIBS (-15.1), and HEC Paris (-10.5). 

• Tuition expenses, which make up the greatest proportion of costs, are the highest at Wharton ($165,748), NYU Stern ($164,652), Columbia ($160,944), and MIT Sloan ($160,800). They are the lowest at CEIBS ($68,300) and SDA Bocconi ($64,800). 

• Living costs vary considerably based on the school’s location. Within the U.S. schools, the estimated cost of living was highest for Stanford ($72,396), followed by NYU Stern ($67,792), and Harvard ($62,780). Cost of living was the lowest at Duke ($40,608). 

• Healthcare costs are considerably higher in the U.S. than in Europe or Asia. Domestically, the Yale School of Management offers the least expensive healthcare coverage at $5,512. It is important to note that some schools bundle healthcare costs with other personal student costs, making it difficult to compare schools directly. 

While the price of an MBA is significant and prospective students should carefully consider each of the underlying cost components, data shows that the degree positions students well to pay off loans. This is especially true for graduates of elite programs. Prospective students should also keep in mind that all applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships (through Round 2), which are more likely with a competitive application package.  

Cornell Expands Real Estate Degree Program

Earlier this month Cornell announced the opening of the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, a partnership between the SC Johnson College of Business and the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.

The Department of Real Estate will expand upon the existing Baker Program in Real Estate, which offers a master’s in real estate, to include a research-based master’s and doctorate program, additional collaboration opportunities between Cornell’s campuses in Ithaca and New York City, more core department and non-tenure track professors, as well as recruiting faculty with expertise in the emerging trends in real estate.

“The new department will ensure that Cornell provides the richest-possible applied instruction and opportunities to students across campus,” said Andrew Karolyi, the Charles Field Knight Dean of the Johnson College. “It will offer expanded industry and alumni engagement, incentivize innovative collaborations, and advance the larger field and the future of real estate programs and pursuits at Cornell.”

Related Blogs:

• STEM-Designated MBA Programs are on the Rise

• Trends in Business: MBA Programs Prepare Students for Leadership Roles in Technology

Trends in Business: MBA Programs Prepare Students for Leadership Roles in Technology

Technology is changing. And so are the demands of the leaders and professionals in the field. Recently, zdnet, a technology-focused news and research site, published an article describing the changing demands of leaders and employees in technology. No longer, the article states, is technical proficiency enough. Technology can no longer exist as a stand-alone function, but must be thoroughly integrated into the business. And tech practitioners must be able to take a broader perspective that includes a thorough understanding of other business functions and how technology fits in amongst them to drive the organization’s mission. “It's important to start to learn about finance, business processes, and other strategies that make up how your product or solution comes full-cycle for your organization," said Nag Vaidyanathan, Chief Technology Officer at Duck Creek Technologies. "How you collaborate with other functions is critical to the results you can achieve." 

Haluk Saker, a Senior Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, notes that the speed of technological change is such that professionals and managers need, "…problem-solving skills versus language-specific skills. IT professionals should focus on learning, disrupting the status quo, and continuing to gain skills across different domains that interest them. This type of professional, with an innate curiosity and an aptitude to grow as a leader and influencer, is the one that will be able to face tomorrow's toughest challenges head-on," he said.

MBA programs are at the forefront of understanding transformation in the technology industry and a number of leading schools (noted below) now offer shorter, and more focused Tech MBA programs. They include core requirements in technology, in addition to typical MBA requirements in general management and leadership. 

• Johnson Cornell Tech MBA: This is a one-year MBA conferred by the Johnson Graduate School of Management. Graduates will have a full understanding of the startup and tech ecosystems, and will be prepared to manage product teams, and lead tech companies.

• NYU Stern Andre Koo Tech MBA: This is a one-year STEM-designated MBA program conferred by NYU Stern. Graduates will be qualified to join startups and mature tech companies at the forefront of innovation and technology, and will be prepared to accelerate their careers in technology or start their own businesses. 

• Northwestern Kellogg MBAi: This is a joint degree between Kellogg and the McCormick School of Engineering. Graduates will be prepared for careers in tech operations, analytics, and innovation leadership. 

• Foster School of Business Technology Management MBA: This is an 18-month work-compatible MBA conferred by the Foster School of Business, and is designed to prepare graduates to accelerate or re-direct their careers, or to start their own businesses.

• IE Business School Tech MBA: This is a one-year MBA conferred by the IE Business School. It is designed for students who want to develop their career in the technology sector or in tech-centric job roles, and who seek to become fluent in the language of business and technology. 

In addition to the Tech MBA program options, many schools are integrating technology tracks into their full-time, two-year MBA programs. Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business has created a secondary concentration in blockchain, and Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business now offers a handful of classes in fintech and crypto. And this trend is just getting started. Recently, several elite schools have announced incoming investments earmarked for building out technology initiatives. The USC Marshall School of Business received a $5 million gift to establish the Digital Assets Initiative, which will establish new curriculums and research opportunities in cryptocurrency, NFTs, and blockchain. Similarly, Harvard Business School is establishing the “D3” Institute to promote collaboration and research in digital and technology, data science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and design thinking. And University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School recently received an anonymous $5 million donation (in bitcoin) that will support the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance, which focuses on fintech research and education.