Educators from University of Michigan’s Medical School Push for AI Training in the Medical School Curriculum

A group of educators and researchers from University of Michigan’s Medical School called for integrating AI and machine learning into the medical school curriculum in a recent Cell Reports Medicine article. They claimed that AI and its usage is relevant to nearly all areas of clinical practice and that current medical school graduates are left “under prepared” to interface effectively with these technologies. 

Two of the article’s authors, Erkin Ötleş, a machine learning researcher and current medical and Ph.D. Student at the University of Michigan, and Jim Woolliscroft, a former Michigan Medical School dean, followed up on these ideas in an interview in Stat Magazine.

Ötleş expressed concern about medical providers who use AI systems without the understanding needed to ask questions and validate the output, as this can lead to unchecked system errors or biases that cause harm. “We’re going to be at a point where we’re not going to be able to catch up and be able to call out the technology defects or flaws,” Ötleş said. “Without being armed with that set of foundational knowledge into how these things work, we’re going to be at a disadvantage.”

Ötleş and Woolliscroft also described the current training in AI and machine learning in medical school as predominantly student-driven. Interested students are mostly left to independently seek out additional degrees, courses, or electives as there is currently no systemic approach to teach medical students about AI in an integrated and meaningful way. “Medical students don’t know about this stuff, and they need to see it as basic as pharmacology and physiology. Already, machine learning algorithms, and more generally AI, are essentially ubiquitous,” Woolliscroft said.

In Stat Magazine, the authors proposed a “spiral curriculum” for AI, which would introduce and reintroduce AI topics to medical students routinely and within different contexts. Students would start with the basics, then circle back later to learn about AI alongside other specialized knowledge. While neither Ötleş nor Woolliscroft suggested that medical students need to become programmers, they did say that integrating AI into the curriculum will empower medical students to ask validating questions about how the AI works and about the data underlying it. 

“So, when they’re on radiology, they can ask: So this mammogram interpretation, what was it based on? Did it include women from, say, Egypt that have a lot more inflammatory breast cancer? It didn’t. Oh, OK. Well, here in Michigan, we have a lot of people from the Middle East. So is this going to be applicable to this population or not? As they get into all of these different things, they’ll have a foundation that they can plug in these specific examples to fill out the flesh of those bones that have been laid.” Woolliscroft said.

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

U.S. News Ranks Law Schools for Tuition Support

The cost of law school is a serious component in the school selection process. For the 2022-2023 academic year, according to the U.S. News & World Report, the cost of private law school averaged $52,325. Among public universities (out-of-state), the average came in a bit lower at $40,056, or significantly lower (in-state) at $26,917.

While most students take out loans to pay for law school, many schools also offer tuition support in the form of grants. Recently, U.S. News published a list of the top ten law schools for tuition support (below), based on the percentage of 2022-2023 full-time students who received enough funding in grant money to cover at least half of their tuition. 

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $39,800 per year in-state; $49,800 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 80%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $35,000

Case Western Reserve University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $58,808 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 80%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $40,000

University of Southern California (Gould)

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $73,998 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 72%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $40,000

University of Dayton

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $37,364 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 72%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $33,000

Gonzaga University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $50,235 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 66%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $24,378

Loyola University Chicago

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $53,156

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 65%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $31,000

DePaul University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $51,132 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 65%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $30,000

Washington and Lee University

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $54,460 per year

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 64%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $35,000

University of California, Irvine

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $54,183 per year in-state; $66,298 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 63%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $25,000

William & Mary

• Tuition and fees for full-time students (2022-2023): $38,274 per year in-state; $56,014 per year out-of-state

• Percentage of full-time students who received a grant that covered at least half of their tuition (2022-2023): 61%

• Median grant for full-time students (2022-2023): $25,193

Exploring Careers in Medicine: Podiatry

Many prospective medical students do not realize that podiatrists, physicians and surgeons who treat the foot, ankle, and structures of the leg below the knee, do not attend allopathic or osteopathic medical schools. Rather, these doctors attend a specialized program in podiatric medicine and receive a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) degree.

Did you know?...

• Podiatric programs cost less than MD and DO programs.

• All podiatric residencies are surgical (as opposed to DO and MD residencies), and the residencies are shorter in length (3 years). Podiatrists can also opt to extend their training and specialize further.

• Podiatric programs, while competitive, tend to have more forgiving admissions requirements (MCAT and GPA), than MD or DO programs. In 2021, the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine (AACPM) reported that the mean overall GPA for matriculants was 3.4 (Science: 3.2, Non-Science: 3.5), and the mean MCAT was 494.3.

• Graduates of DPM programs enter a secure, lucrative field that provides a solid work-life balance, with a humane number of working hours per week.

There are 11 accredited podiatry schools and the AACPM website is an excellent resource for information on them. They have breakdowns of each school's mission, special programs and services, demographics, and social media handles. We’ve included the list of schools below, along with average MCAT scores and GPAs for matriculants.

*Data reflects 2021 matriculating class

If you are interested in podiatric medicine and want to apply, you should plan to submit your application in August or early fall the year before you hope to matriculate (which will be your senior year if you plan to enter after graduation). AACPMAS begins processing primary applications in August for fall admission the following year. For priority consideration, AACPMAS says you should submit before March. While the final application deadline date is June 30th for fall admission of the same year, we don’t typically recommend submitting your application so late in the cycle. 

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Michigan Ross has published deadlines for their MBA application. With a mid-September deadline, it’s time to start planning your submission.

Round Application Deadline Decision Notification

Round 1 14 September 2023 08 December 2023

Round 2 11 January 2024    15 March 2024

Round 3 04 April 2024         03 May 2024

Michigan Ross is looking to build a diverse community of collaborative learners. In reading your essay responses, the admissions committee wants to get to know you as a whole person. They want to learn more about your motivations, meaningful experiences, and abilities, as well as how you hope to contribute to the Ross community both inside and outside of the classroom. While your career goals and resume are important, the admissions committee specifically notes that they hope applicants use their essays to complement, rather than reiterate, other application materials. 

Part 1: Short-answer questions

Select one prompt from each group of the two groups below. Respond to each selected prompt in 100 words or less (<100 words each; 200 words total). 

Group 1 

• I want people to know that I: 

• I made a difference when I: 

• I was aware that I was different when:

Group 2 

• I was out of my comfort zone when: 

• I was humbled when: 

• I was challenged when: 

We encourage you to start this answer with a brainstorm, not by selecting the prompts you will respond to.  Write down stories from your past. A lot of them. (And, bonus! This will serve as an excellent starting point for essay responses for other school applications and/or when preparing for various interview questions.) In particular, think about your most meaningful experiences that changed or impacted your worldview. This may involve key decisions, beautiful and/or catastrophic moments, feelings of pride or shame, times of success or struggle, unexpected discovery, and notable relationships. 

Now that you’ve refreshed your memory and reviewed some of your most pivotal moments, consider each of the prompts. These responses are your chance to show some personality and demonstrate your personal traits and values to the admissions committee. Despite having a limited word count, you’ll want to anchor each response in an anecdote from your past to show the reader your periods of growth and discovery. What did the experience teach you about yourself and others? 

When pondering how to respond to the Group One prompts, keep in mind that Michigan Ross is looking to build a close-knit and cohesive class (and alumni base). Use these questions as an opportunity to show the admissions committee your strength of character, abilities in collaborative leadership and teamwork, as well as your past experiences thriving alongside people unlike yourself.  

For the Group Two prompts, it is important to note that the Ross MBA incorporates a lot of “action-based learning,” which may take you out of your comfort zone. When discussing a particularly challenging or humbling time, remember to spend about 20 percent of the response on the challenge, but the majority (80 percent) on the actions you took, and what you learned and how you grew as a result. 

​Part 2: Career Goal

What is your short-term career goal and why is this the right goal for you? (150 words)

State a specific post-MBA goal, and make it clear that, given various post-baccalaureate full-time work experiences you’ve had, as well as plans to obtain a general management education, that you will be qualified and able to achieve this goal.   

Optional Statement: Is there something in your resume or application that could use some explanation? You might want to discuss the completion of supplemental coursework, employment gaps, academic issues, etc.  Feel free to use bullet points where appropriate.

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 Michigan Ross 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

Top 25 “Overperforming” Law Schools in Bar Passage Rates Provide Students with Academic Support and Bar Prep Programming

When it comes to bar passage, not all law schools are created equal. A recent paper published in the Florida Law Review, and summarized by Law.com, analyzed law schools’ bar passage rates and found that some schools’ students are “outperforming” while others are “underperforming.”

Researchers conducted the analysis by looking at each ABA-accredited law school’s predicted pass rate compared to the actual pass rate for first-time test-takers over a six-year period. The study’s authors predicted the pass rate for each school by evaluating the students’ incoming credentials (e.g., LSAT) in each law class along with the average bar pass rate for the jurisdictions where the students take the bar exam. The actual rate incorporates both the relative and actual performance of students on the test.

The top 25 overperforming law schools—schools where the actual pass rates regularly surpass the predicted rates—are listed below. Law.com’s reprint of the list also includes the U.S. News and World Report ranking in parentheses.

1. Florida International (#60 in U.S. News)

2. Stanford (#1)

3. USC (#16)

4. UC-Berkeley (#10)

5. North Carolina (#22)

6. Belmont (#105)

7. Michigan (#10)

8. Florida State (#56)

9. UCLA (#14)

10. Virginia (#8)

11. Campbell (#125)

12. Yale (#1)

13. LSU (#99)

14. Georgia (#20)

15. Duke (#5)

16. Harvard (#5)

17. Wake Forest (#22)

18. Georgia State (#69)

19. Chicago (#3)

20. Penn (#4)

21. Illinois (#43)

22. Baylor (#49)

23. Washington & Lee (#40)

24. Liberty (#135)

25. Vanderbilt (#16)

In addition to the analysis, the study surveyed the overperforming and underperforming law schools on their approach to bar preparation. Ultimately, the report found a wide disparity in the curricular and extracurricular activities reported—not just between under and overperforming schools, but also within the cohort of overperforming schools. This suggests that a variety of support systems can effectively support students in passing the bar and that there is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

However, there were some interesting shared practices within the cohort of overperforming schools:

• Overperforming schools focused much more on first-year bar pass rather than the ultimate pass rate (pass rate within two years).

• Overperforming schools did not rely on entering students’ academic credentials to predict bar success. They acknowledge that there are many other factors, including student distraction and time constraints due to work, life, or other priorities, and/or the financial costs of law school or bar prep courses. The top performing schools attempt to mitigate these barriers directly, with resources that include academic support and bar prep programming.

• The top programs also targeted students at risk for bar failure based on first year GPA, rather than on their academic credentials prior to law school.

• Overperforming schools created an environment, an ethos, where faculty, staff, and students all believed that they could educate/be educated at the school for first-time bar success.

State Medical Boards Drop Broad Mental Health and Substance Abuse Questions from Licensure Applications

In a win for physician mental health, 21 states have opted to remove broad mental health or substance abuse questions from medical licensure applications, according to data gathered by the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation.

Among these 21 states, the licensing application language is consistent with one of three options: it asks one question that addresses all mental and physical health conditions (consistent with the Federation of State Medical Board’s (FSMB) recommended language), does not ask about applicant health at all, or implements an attestation model with supportive language around mental health and “safe haven” non-reporting options for physicians who are receiving care.

The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation, whose namesake died by suicide after experiencing severe burnout while working in emergency medicine during the early period of the covid pandemic in NYC, advocates for better mental health practices for physicians and policies that reduce physician burnout. Two components of the Foundation’s mission include working with state medical boards to remove mental health and substance abuse questions from credentialing applications, and increasing transparency around states’ policies.

The mission is personal for the foundation. Shortly before Dr. Breen’s death, she had shared her reluctance to seek help with family members. She feared that she would no longer be able to practice medicine if she did so. And, Dr. Breen’s hesitance is reflective of the physician population. According to Medscape’s 2023 Physician Burnout & Depression Report, 40 percent of physicians said that they would not seek help for burnout or depression out of fear of repercussions from their employer or state medical board.

The Foundation is not alone in advocating for changes that support clinician wellbeing. Other organizations within the medical community have also voiced support for reform. In 2020, over 40 professional medical organizations, including the AMA, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Psychiatric Association, signed a joint statement in support of changing disclosure practices about mental health. And, the AMA and FSMB recommendations support questions that focus only on current impairments rather than historical struggles.

According to the FSMB, "Application questions must focus only on current impairment and not on illness, diagnosis, or previous treatment in order to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act." Similarly, the AMA recommends that any questions required of physicians be restricted to “conditions that currently impair the clinician’s ability to perform their job." And the Joint Commission, an organization that accredits hospitals, removed the requirement for hospitals to question applicants on their mental health history. “We strongly encourage organizations to not ask about past history of mental health conditions or treatment," they wrote in a statement. "It is critical that we ensure health care workers can feel free to access mental health resources."

Stay up-to-date on state policy using the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation tracker, here.

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Yale’s SOM has published deadlines for their MBA application. Let’s get started!

Round Application Deadline Decision Notification

Round 1 12 September 2023 05 December 2023

Round 2 04 January 2024 26 March 2024

Round 3 09 April 2024 16 May 2024

The Yale School of Management has a mission to “educate leaders for business and society,” leaders with varied interests, skills, and ways of thinking and approaching the world. Yale’s admissions committee believes that students learn and grow more from working within diverse groups. So, as you craft your application, think about your unique approach to leadership, demonstrate your ability to work with and learn from others who are different from you, and don’t be afraid to highlight your differences, quirks, and passions.

Written Essay: Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made.

We developed this question in collaboration with Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor of organizational behavior at Yale SOM. Your time in business school, and the choices you make thereafter, represent significant commitments. In asking this question, the Admissions Committee is seeking to learn about how you have approached a commitment of importance in your life.

You have just one essay to provide the admissions committee with insight into who you are, so use this opportunity to get deeply personal and share key moments from your life that demonstrate your ability to work towards a commitment. Share moments where you had to overcome doubt and struggle and dig deep to find grit as your motivation waned.

Perhaps you can’t immediately name your biggest commitment or you don’t know how to approach describing it. So, start with a brainstorm. Write down stories from your past. A lot of them. (And, bonus! This will serve as an excellent starting point for essay responses for other school applications and/or when preparing for various interview questions.) Think about the experiences you’ve had that prompted a significant evolution in your perspective. This may involve beautiful and/or catastrophic moments, feelings of pride or shame, times of success or struggle, unexpected discovery, and notable relationships. Did an aha moment bring to light a commitment that you wanted to make or did it solidify a commitment that you already made?

Think also about how you choose to spend your time (or other limited resources). Have you volunteered with environmental organizations since high school, and have recently taken on a significant leadership role, in addition to your full-time job? Did you take an intense investment banking job out of college and give up your social life or key relationships? Alternatively, did you quit a lucrative career to join a political campaign or spend more time with your family? Activities or people who you spend a great deal of time with requires making sacrifices in other areas of your life, and can be useful for pinpointing who or what you are most deeply committed to.

While you’ll want the majority of your essay to reflect your adult life, the origins of your biggest commitment may have occurred at a younger age, so keep your brainstorming broad. After writing these pivotal moments down, see what themes emerge. Remember that while your commitment may be broad in scope, you’ll want your supporting stories to be detailed and specific.

Video Essay Questions

You will receive access to the video questions after you submit your application and pay your application fee. The video questions are not a substitute for the interview. Instead, they provide a unique way for us to assess your communication skills and your ability to think on your feet, and enable us to create a more dynamic, multi-dimensional profile of each candidate.

Yale asks applicants to respond to several short video essay questions, in order to exhibit their personality, communication skills, and ability to think under pressure. The questions are provided after the application is submitted.

Prior to participating in the video essay, review your submitted application and prepare to speak on how your goals and interests align with Yale’s MBA program. You should also review standard interview questions, and think through anecdotes from your academic and professional experiences that can be used to respond to different question types. Pay particular attention to examples that will show your abilities in the areas of critical and creative thinking, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, and collaboration with people different from you. Your brainstorm document from your essay work will be a useful resource for this. Keep in mind that in each and every interview response that you give, you’ll want to share a story from your past that backs up the claim you make.

Yale also provides practice questions that will help you get comfortable with the format and technology. Take advantage of this. And take note of the time restrictions. Practice your responses aloud and confirm that your answers are between 60 to 90 seconds in length.

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 Yale SOM 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 Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

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

Dream About Working in Finance on Wall Street? You Might Consider Law School.

Wall Street may be home to bankers, but it's the lawyers who have seen the biggest compensation growth over the last two decades. A recent Wall Street Journal article analyzed pay patterns for bankers and financial lawyers, and while bankers have historically made significantly more than lawyers, the data shows a reversal in this trend. 

Since the financial crisis in 2008, bankers’ pay has remained fairly stagnant among all but the highest performers. Managing Directors at banks, who do not hold company leadership positions, average between $1 and $2 million in annual compensation including their bonuses, which are typically paid in stock. This average has held steady for about 20 years, without adjusting for inflation. 

The opposite is true among lawyers. Equity partners at top law firms are earning about $3 million annually. This is about three times higher than the reported earnings 20 years ago. And, among the most productive partners, the upside is even higher. Partners at some firms, including at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Kirkland & Ellis, are earning more than $15 million per year. Mark Rosen, an experienced legal recruiter, described his observations to the WSJ. “Things have changed. Lawyer compensation has grown unbelievably,” he said. 

According to the WSJ the reasons for this change are multi-faceted. There are regulatory pressures at financial institutions as well as an industry trend of downplaying individuals in favor of the bank’s brand name. The private equity market has also grown, expanding the client base for law firms and growing their business. 

The role of a lawyer on Wall Street has also changed. Once relegated to contract review, the lawyers now look more like “quasibankers,” taking on outsized advisory roles with clients. They now partner with banks on everything from regulatory matters to succession planning. 

Within the law firm, there have also been shifts. Firms have adjusted compensation models to reward productivity over seniority. The new productivity-based view on compensation has even resulted in “bidding wars” for talented lawyers, further driving up compensation. 

Lastly, while banking fees have remained relatively consistent over time, law firms raise their fees annually, and at a rate over inflation. 

Medical and Legal Associations Express Disappointment in Supreme Court Ruling on Affirmative Action

Last week the Supreme Court ended Affirmative Action in its 6-3 ruling against UNC and Harvard. The ruling determined that the schools, which used race as a component in admissions decisions, did not adequately justify their use of race and violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

The court left some room for nuance noting that a candidate may discuss race in terms of how it played a role in their development. “A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination,” Roberts wrote. “In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.”

Nationally, many in the medical and legal communities shared their disappointment in the decision and noted their belief that it will negatively impact diversity. Below, we’ve provided highlights of some of the statements released after the decision.

• American Medical Association (AMA): “Today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court undermines decades of progress centered on the educational value of diversity, and will reverse gains made in the battle against health inequities. This ruling restricts medical schools from considering race and ethnicity among the multiple factors in admissions policies and will translate into a less diverse physician workforce. Diversity is vital to health care, and this court ruling deals a serious blow to our goal of increasing medical career opportunities for historically marginalized and minoritized people.” Full statement available here.

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): “We are deeply disappointed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to dismantle its longstanding precedent in the 2003 case, Grutter v. Bollinger, which had recognized student body diversity as a compelling interest permitting the limited consideration of race in admissions. Today’s decision demonstrates a lack of understanding of the critical benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in educational settings and a failure to recognize the urgent need to address health inequities in our country.” Full statement available here.

• American Medical Student Association (AMSA): “In accordance with our Preamble, Purposes and Principles, AMSA remains steadfast in its unwavering commitment to advocating for racial equity in education and healthcare. As future physicians committed to justice and equality, we are profoundly outraged and decry the restriction of affirmative action. We strongly support increased representation of minority students in all levels of education, including colleges and medical schools. By fostering diversity and inclusion, institutions have the power to create more empathetic and inclusive learning environments. Moreover, it has been repeatedly evidenced that diversity within the healthcare workforce and medical education system improves healthcare outcomes.” Full statement available here.

• American Bar Association (ABA): “The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The ABA has a long history of supporting affirmative action and the consideration of race as one of many factors in law school admissions. We believe it is imperative that colleges, universities and state legislatures find alternative ways to create a diverse and talented student body. Law schools are training grounds for lawyers and play an important role to ensure a diverse bench and bar, which are critical to minimizing implicit bias and inspiring greater public faith in the rule of law.” Statement available here.

• AccessLex Center for Legal Education: Executive Director, Aaron Taylor, told Reuters that the decision, "deprives schools of one of the most effective tools for fostering student diversity."

• Law School Admission Council (LSAC): President, Kellye Testy, told Reuters that the decision will negatively impact law schools’ ability to keep up diversity levels. “All of us in legal education, at bar associations, and in practice are going to have to redouble efforts to make sure the entire pre-law to practice pipeline is better,” she said.

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

The full-time MBA program at NYU Stern has released its 2023-2024 application deadlines and requirements. It’s never too early to plan for your best submission!

Round       Submission Deadline    Decision Notification

Round 1 18 September 2023 01 December 2023

Round 2 18 October 2023 01 January 2024

Round 3 18 January 2024 01 April 2024

Round 4 18 April 2024 Ongoing

Prepare to get creative for NYU Stern’s essays. And allow yourself plenty of time to think through how your previous meaningful personal and professional experiences have inspired your post-MBA goals, influenced how you view change, and helped shape who you are and what you will bring to the Stern community.  

Short Answer: Professional Aspirations

What are your short-term career goals? (150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

State a clear post-MBA goal using straight-forward terminology. And make it clear how obtaining the Stern MBA will position you, given your previous work and educational experiences, to achieve this goal.

Essay 1: Change: _________ it
In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? Examples: Change: Dare it. Change: Dream it. Change: Drive it. Change: Empower it. Change: Manifest it. Change: [Any word of your choice] it. (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

So, how do you perceive change? The word you select to fill in the blank is far less important than how you back up that claim with experiences from your life. As we always say, the best evidence that you’ll do something in the future is having already done it in the past. Show the reader that you’ve lived your tagline and will continue to do so at Stern.  

To get started, brainstorm anecdotes about transitional times in your life. What prompted these periods of change? How did you respond? What key learnings about yourself and others came about as a result of experiencing this change? Then, reading through your stories, look for a common theme that will help lead you to a word for your tagline. When you’ve decided on one, choose the most substantial anecdote that supports your claim and take the reader on a deep dive into that experience. Explore how the experience prompted an evolution in your perspective and reinforced your desire and ability to continue to live your tagline at Stern and beyond. 

Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. "Pick Six")
Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences).

• Six images that help illustrate who you are.

• A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images that best describe you. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.

The Pick Six is an opportunity to show some personality and demonstrate your unique interests, abilities, passions, and goals in a visual and cohesive way.

Think of your response to this prompt as you would an advertising campaign or curated art exhibition. Individual pieces should be able to stand on their own, but they must also meaningfully connect and contribute to a larger story. Prior to looking through images, consider first what you want to convey overall. Keep in mind the themes of a successful business school application: innovation, leadership, and teamwork. But also explore aspects unique to you and your story. This might include a passion or hobby, personal mantra, life experiences that have brought you to this point, future goals, and/or how you will contribute to the Stern Community.

After you have an idea of the story you want to tell, consider a cohesive theme that can bind your images together. Could you incorporate stills from films you love to help articulate your passion for collaborative leadership? Are you a glassblower and wish to show your creative side through photographs of your original work? Do you have an interest in modern art and hope to communicate your propensity for strategic thinking through some of your favorite pieces?  If you’re an analytical type, don’t let this exercise overwhelm you. You are not restricted to photographs, so you can consider graphs, maps, or word clouds. Try to find a mix that feels true to you, while ensuring that each image gives the admissions committee insight into your personality and what you will offer the Stern community. And don’t let the captions become an afterthought. While it is easy to get attached to an image, remember that the words and images must work together to tell your story.

Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information. (250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

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. Do not make excuses, simply address the situation, placing the emphasis on what you learned. Remember, 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 Stern 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. Confirm your word count and 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 Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Duke Law Takes the Top Spot in Above the Law’s Outcomes-Focused Law School Rankings

Above the Law recently published its 11th annual ranking of law schools. For the second year in a row and the third time in four years, Duke took the top spot. 

Above the Law reviews data from 120 schools to compile its ranking but only publishes the top 50. And it includes only those schools that have a national reach for quality legal employment (as opposed to just regional) for all students, not just those at the top of their class. The ranking is also unique in that its focus is on employment outcomes, specifically how students fare in obtaining legal employment post-graduation, and how well a school positions students to repay their debt. Furthermore, it is the only ranking to include ABA employment data for the most recent graduates (Class of 2022, in this case). 

Generally, movement within the top ranks was fairly minimal. The top four ranked schools are the same as last year with minor changes. However, Vanderbilt, which ranked in the 5th position last year, dropped to the 7th rank, switching places with the University of Michigan. Other notable changes include a five-rank drop by Washington University in St. Louis, which was ranked 6th last year and 11th currently. And there was a five-rank increase by NYU, which was ranked 17th previously and now ranks 12th. Washington and Lee also moved up eight slots this year from 26th to 18th, and UC Berkeley dropped from the 12th to the 20th rank. 

Below, we show the 2023 ranking for the top 20 schools. You can find the rest on Above the Law’s website. 

2023 Rank School (Change from 2022)

1 Duke (–)

2 Cornell (+1)

3 University of Virginia (-1)

4 University of Chicago (–)

5 Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor (+2)

6 Columbia (+2)

7 Vanderbilt (-2)

8 Northwestern (Pritzker) (+1)

9 University of Penn (Carey) (+1)

10 Notre Dame (+4)

11 Washington U in St. Louis (-5)

12 NYU (+5)

13 University of Texas, Austin (-2)

14 Harvard (+2)

15 University of Georgia (-2)

16 Yale (-1)

17 USC (+1)

18 Washington and Lee (+8)

19 University of Illinois (–)

20 Univ. of California, Berkeley (-8)

Applying to Both Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Programs? Here’s What You Need to Know.

If you’re a prospective medical student, particularly one interested in primary care, it’s a good idea to consider osteopathic medical programs in addition to allopathic ones. While many students grow up dreaming of an MD behind their name, osteopathic medicine continues to grow in popularity. One in four medical students in the United States attends an osteopathic program, according to the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). 

The program requirements for MD and DO programs are similar, although osteopathic students are required to take an additional 200 hours of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) training, which focuses on the spine, bones, and muscles. “Osteopathic physicians use all of the tools and technology available to modern medicine with the added benefits of a holistic philosophy and a system of hands-on diagnosis and treatment known as osteopathic manipulative medicine. Doctors of osteopathic medicine emphasize helping each person achieve a high level of wellness by focusing on health education, injury prevention, and disease prevention,” the AACOM says.

Additionally, while osteopathic programs are highly competitive, entrants typically have slightly lower GPAs and MCAT scores than their allopathic counterparts.

Mean GPA and MCAT scores for Entering 2022 Osteopathic Students:

• Overall GPA: 3.61

• Science: 3.53

• Non-Science: 3.70

• Overall MCAT: 504.8

• Psychological, Social, and Bio: 125.3

• Bio and Biochemical: 127.2

• Chemical and Physical: 126.4

• Critical Analysis and Reasoning: 126.0

Mean GPA and MCAT scores for Entering 2022 Allopathic Students:

• Overall GPA: 3.75

• Science: 3.68

• Non-Science: 3.84

• Overall MCAT: 511.9

• Psychological, Social, and Bio: 128.9

• Bio and Biochemical: 128.2

• Chemical and Physical: 127.9

• Critical Analysis and Reasoning: 127.0

Recipients of both degrees have similarly high residency match rates (over 90 percent for both in 2023), though DOs tend to specialize in primary care at higher rates. In May 2021, the AOA’s Physician Masterfile reported that 56.5% of osteopathic doctors (DOs) practiced primary care (including specialties like obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics). And in 2022, nine colleges of osteopathic medicine were in U.S. News & World Report’s list of the top 10 schools with the most graduates practicing primary care. 

Among the more competitive specialties, MDs continue to outnumber DOs in residency placement. But DOs can increase their competitiveness by taking the USMLE (MD accreditation) in addition to the COMLEX (DO accreditation). 

Sounds appealing? Here’s what to keep in mind for your DO application:

• Submit your AMCAS and secondary applications first. Then, turn to your osteopathic applications (AACOMAS), which you’ll want to submit by October. 

• Spend at least 20 hours working alongside a DO and ensure your application demonstrates your understanding of and motivation to pursue a career in osteopathic medicine.

• Request a recommendation letter from a DO. 

• Review the guidelines for any program where you would be considered in-state, as some schools must admit a certain percentage of in-state students.

• Review the residency placements for the DO programs you are considering to ensure the school’s placements align with your goals. 

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

The full-time MBA program at the University of Chicago Booth has just released its 2023-2024 application submission dates and application requirements. It’s never too early to get started!

Round Submission Deadline Decision Notification

Round 1 21 September 2023 30 November 2023

Round 2 04 January 2024 21 March 2024

Round 3 04 April 2024 23 May 2024

*Materials must be submitted by 11:59 pm CST on the designated date.

For Booth’s essay questions, prepare to get a bit vulnerable as you showcase not just what you want to do and how your previous path has inspired your goals, but also who you are outside of the classroom or boardroom.

Essay 1: How will a Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (Minimum 250 words, no maximum.)

This prompt asks you to explain how a Booth MBA will bridge your past accomplishments and your future goals. To do this, you will want to anchor this essay in the past. Because what you’ve already done, learned, and achieved is far more important than what you haven’t—what you say you want to do in the future. In order to fully satisfy the objective of this prompt, go into your backstory and detail the key moments that influenced you and the formation of your goals. Then transition into what you have yet to learn, and why a Booth MBA is your next step. Prove to them that their program is the perfect intersection between where you’ve been and where you want to go. Which courses, professors, experiential learning opportunities, etc. are most interesting to you? Choose three or four that differentiate Booth from other business schools you’re considering and explain why you’re so eager to engage and participate. This essay is about connecting the dots; once the reader has taken the trip to your past, your proposed path forward will make much more sense.

Essay 2: An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are… (Minimum 250 words, no maximum.)

It’s time to show some personality! Booth is looking for students who will be collaborative and form lasting personal and professional relationships, so exposing a bit of vulnerability to show a quirky or sentimental side is a good idea, especially because your other essay delved deeply into your professional and/or academic interests and abilities. You could also write about how you will contribute to the diversity of the class and what you will offer your classmates. Are you a passionate environmentalist who spends weekends leading group hikes? Do you organize food drives with a local non-profit? Do you spend all of your vacation time traveling to a specific region of the world? Are you an avid guitar player? Show the admissions committee who you are and what you are most passionate about.

Optional: Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (Maximum 300 words.)

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 Booth 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. Confirm your word count and 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 Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Columbia’s deadlines have been released along with this year’s short answer and essay questions. If you know you’ll be applying Round I, it’s time to get started.  

Round Application Deadline Interview Decisions Final Decisions

Round 1 13 September 2023 Mid-October Mid-December

Round 2 05 January 2024 Early-mid February Late March

Round 3 03 April 3 2024 Mid-to-late April Early May

The CBS short answer and essay questions give you the opportunity to articulate your short- and long-term goals, explore how specific experiences from your past have reinforced your interest in pursuing this path, as well as how the CBS MBA will help you to be successful. This year, there is also an essay question that asks you to share one of your experiences in Inclusive Leadership. Here, you’ll be able to showcase a meaningful leadership anecdote from your past, explain how it prompted an evolution in your perspective, and elaborate on how it will help you add value to both the CBS community and your future workplace. 

Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum) Examples of possible responses: “Work in business development for a media company.” “Join a strategy consulting firm.” “Launch a data-management start-up.”

Don’t overthink this question. State a clear post-MBA goal using straight-forward terminology that a fellow MBA would understand. Of course, you’ll want your response to be consistent with the goals you describe in Essay 1. 

Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Although the question asks about your future goals, you will want to anchor this essay in the past. Because what you’ve already done, learned, and achieved is far more important than what you haven’t— what you say you want to do in the future. In order to fully satisfy the objective of this prompt, go into your backstory and detail the key moments that influenced you and the formation of your goals. As they note in the prompt, they already have an overview of your professional path to date, but they haven’t yet gotten a deep dive into your most pivotal experiences. This essay is about connecting the dots; once the reader has taken the trip to your past, your proposed path forward will make much more sense.

Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders.  Through various resources and programming, the goal is for students to explore and reflect during their educational journey on the following five inclusive leadership skills:  Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. 

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one or more of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)

To start, consider the five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. For context, review the Columbia Video Library’s offerings on Inclusive Leadership and Diversity. Now, what do each of these skills mean to you? Which one resonates most with you? Why? Which of your personal and/or professional experiences will most compellingly show how you live one of these skills in your daily life? With such a limited word count, you should choose one anecdote and explore how it impacted your perspective as well as reinforced your desire and ability to lead with inclusivity at CBS, in your community, and within the workplace. 

Essay 3: We believe Columbia Business School is a special place. CBS proudly fosters a collaborative learning environment through curricular experiences like our clusters and learning teams, an extremely active co-curricular and student life environment, and career mentorship opportunities like our Executives-in-Residence program.

Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you academically, culturally, and professionally? Please be specific. (250 words)

The most important word in this prompt is WHY. Admissions directors already know what CBS offers to students; they want to know why their offerings resonate with you. Make the case that the CBS MBA (not just an MBA) is the perfect intersection between where you’ve been and where you want to go. Which courses, professors, experiential learning opportunities, etc. are most interesting to you? Choose three or four that differentiate Columbia from other business schools you’re considering and explain why you’re so eager to engage and participate. Have you spent your career in operations, and are particularly keen to meet Professor X, take his course, and speak to him about his latest research on the control and management of manufacturing systems? Would you like to do a consulting project for Company Y, a firm whose mission is aligned with your goals, and you know has collaborated with CBS students in the past? Would you like to continue your community service work with a specific student organization at Columbia because you’re familiar with the work they’ve done on initiatives you’re passionate about? By digging into the why, you will convince CBS admissions directors of your excitement for their offerings, but also that you will be the kind of collaborative, community-minded, and determined student they are looking for. 

Optional Essay: If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

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. Do not make excuses, simply address the situation, placing the emphasis on what you learned. Remember, 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. Keep in mind also the CBS Five Inclusive Leadership Skills.. 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 CBS 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. Confirm your word count and 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 Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Survey Finds Law Students Hesitant About Generative AI Technology

The use of generative AI technology is growing within the legal industry. In a recent LexisNexis survey, over half of lawyers polled reported using the technology for research (59 percent) and improving efficiency (54 percent). Significant proportions also used it for drafting documents (45 percent) and writing emails (34 percent). 

Surprisingly, however, the survey found that law students were the least likely group to report using the technology. Only nine percent of the responding law students said that they use AI currently in law school and a quarter said that they plan to use it in their future legal work. 

So why aren’t law students jumping on the AI bandwagon? Serena Wellen of LexisNexis took a deep dive into the data to find out. We’ve summarized her findings below: 

• Accuracy. Some of the law students noted that generative AI is not reliable. Research findings may be inaccurate, false, or based on unreliable data that it presents as fact, even including false citations. 

• Academic Integrity. Students fear that the use of generative AI could encourage academic dishonesty as the proper use of the tools has not been well defined at many law schools.

• Innovative Thinking. Students note that learning and practicing the law requires critical and innovative thinking and they believe that the use of generative AI would discourage their refinement of this skill-set.  

• Fear of Replacement. Some students fear that generative AI will overtake entry-level legal positions that offer essential learning opportunities. 

Ultimately, while generative AI will likely play an increasingly important role in legal work, students are correct in expressing their hesitation. Law schools will need to develop guidelines for proper use of the technology.

AMA Formally Opposes Legacy Preference in Medical School Admissions

During the AMA’s Annual Meeting earlier this month, the House of Delegates announced that they formally oppose, rather than just discourage, the use of legacy preference in medical school admissions. Specifically, the AMA objects to the inclusion of “formal and specific legacy questions” in the application, which can serve as a screening mechanism and discriminate against applicants from historically underrepresented groups. 

In the discussion prior to the resolution’s passage, Anna Yap, MD and Delegate for the Section Council on Preventive Medicine and the Resident Fellows Section, said, "We should remove this question that can be used as a filter that further cements structural racism." 

A delegate for the Women’s Physician Section, Nicole Plenty, MD, pointed out that the inclusion of a legacy section on the application may discourage underrepresented students from even applying. This section can highlight for some students, particularly among those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, a lack of connection to the school in comparison to other prospective applicants. 

A full summary of the AMA’s policy adoptions and updates is available here.

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School has published its 2023-2024 application deadlines for their full-time MBA program. As we always say, It’s never too early to start thinking about your application. 

Round     Application Deadline     Interview Invitation     Decision Notification

Round 1 06 September 2023     24 October 2023       14 December 2023

Round 2 04 January 2024   16 February 2024    26 March 2024             

Round 3 02 April 2024     19 April 2024     13 May 2024 

*Deferred 24 April 2024         28 May 2024     27 June 2024 

*Deferred applicants apply during their final year of study at an undergraduate or graduate institution. They are expected to pursue quality work experiences for two to four years and then enter into the Wharton MBA program.  

Wharton receives a large number of applicants each year, most of whom have excellent undergraduate transcripts, post-baccalaureate work experience, and standardized test scores. Because of this, key points of differentiation for the Admissions Committee are applicants’ essay responses and their performance in the team-based interview. 

Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

This prompt asks you to explain how a Wharton MBA will bridge your past accomplishments and your future goals. To do this, you will want to anchor this essay in the past. Because what you’ve already done, learned, and achieved is far more important than what you haven’t—what you say you want to do in the future. In order to fully satisfy the objective of this prompt, go into your backstory and detail the key moments that influenced you and the formation of your goals. Then transition into what you have yet to learn, and why a Wharton MBA is your next step. Prove to them that their program is the perfect intersection between where you’ve been and where you want to go. Which courses, professors, experiential learning opportunities, etc. are most interesting to you? Choose three or four that differentiate Wharton from other business schools you’re considering and explain why you’re so eager to engage and participate. This essay is about connecting the dots; once the reader has taken the trip to your past, your proposed path forward will make much more sense.

Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

Show Wharton’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 Wharton? 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 Wharton 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 Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

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. Do not make excuses, simply address the situation, placing the emphasis on what you learned. Remember, 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 Wharton 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. Confirm your word count and 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: The Harvard Business School

Essay Tips: The Stanford Graduate School of Business

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

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Katie Couric Commencement Address Urges Medical School Graduates to “Talk to Your Patients in Human”

Katie Couric, best known for her years as a broadcaster and outspoken advocate for cancer research, recently addressed the graduating class at UMass Medical School.  Her speech focused on the power of humanity and the irreplaceable role that empathy plays in the doctor-patient relationship, especially in our increasingly technological world. 

Her speech included a quote from Jeremy Faust, MD and Editor-in-Chief of MedPage Today. “My friend, Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, put it this way: ‘Use every bit of technology that you possibly can to prepare for each patient. But then drop all that and do the one thing that technology never can do: Look at your patient and think, ‘What would I do if this were my mother or my brother?’ No machine will ever be able to know that feeling and it will change what you do, more often than you’d expect.’”

After Couric’s speech, Faust expanded upon his quote in a blog post published on MedPage Today. In it, he provides tactical advice about what “speaking human” and the marriage of technology and human connection can look like for a physician. 

We’ve provided highlights from his post here, as well as links to the full text of Couric’s speech and Faust’s blog below.

• Introduce Yourself. Not only should you introduce yourself, but ensure that the patient also identifies themself by name. This does the double-duty of starting politely and also confirming that you are in the right place with the right person. Take the time also to meet and understand the role of other family members or friends who are present. 

• Make the Human Connection. Create a connection through the means available. When applicable, Faust said that he will share a relevant personal struggle that parallels the patient’s experience. This can help him to demonstrate his understanding of what a patient is facing as a person. Additionally, he mentions that he’ll often invoke his own family as he discusses potential options. This communicates to the patient that he is thinking through his advice to them with no less rigor or personalization than he would his own family. 

• Make Your Professional Experience a Part of the Conversation. Establish credibility by being upfront with how experienced you are with a particular situation. Let the patient know that you’ve seen similar situations often (or, for newer physicians, that you have observed similar cases and are working in partnership with an experienced attending physician). Conversely, if you don’t have the experience, make sure to let the patient know that you’re calling on the advice of someone who does. Either way, providing the patient with an honest evaluation establishes confidence and trust. 

• Make Technology an Open Part of Your Workflow. Use technology to gather ideas, or to level-set with a patient who you think has already turned to technology. Share your use of technology with them as well as your assessment of the findings. Review with the patient which ideas are worthy of exploration, as well as those that are not. Faust contends that technology is a meaningful resource for physicians. “If I look something up, I'll tell a patient. That’s not ‘cheating.’ That’s going the extra mile,” he wrote. 

Find the full text of Katie Couric’s speech here.

Find the full text of Dr. Jeremy Faust’s blog here.

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

Berkeley Haas has published application deadlines for their full-time MBA, and it’s never too early to start thinking about your essay responses. 

Round Application Deadline Decision Notification

Round 1 14 September 2023 07 December 2023

Round 2 04 January 2024    21 March 2024

Round 3 28 March 2024         02 May 2024

The Admissions Committee at Berkeley Haas wants a holistic understanding of applicants, including “all aspects of a candidate’s character, qualifications, and experiences.” And they care deeply about putting together a diverse class.

All MBA programs look for applicants to demonstrate their abilities in innovation (critical, creative thinking and problem solving), leadership, and teamwork, but Berkeley Haas specifically defines four leadership principles you should pay particular attention to while brainstorming and writing. These include “Challenge the Status Quo,” “Confidence without Attitude,” “Students Always”, and “Beyond Yourself.” 

Required Essay 1: What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)

The Haas Admissions Committee asks this question to get a sense of who you are and what makes you tick. They want to better understand your passion(s) and what qualities and interest(s) you will bring to the program. 

To get started, consider what “feeling most alive” means to you. Is it working towards something meaningful? Overcoming an obstacle? Entering a flow state? What experiences in your past have made time disappear? Then consider your interests, hobbies, work, and volunteer experiences. Keep in mind that the activity itself matters less than the joy and personal growth that has resulted from your experiences. So choose something you feel authentically passionate about rather than what you believe the Admissions Committee wants to see.

Once you feel confident with what you want to write about, take a deep dive into one specific instance in the activity. Then explain the role of the activity in your life. What has it taught you about yourself, about others, about the world? How does your participation in the activity continue to inspire your growth? 

Take a look at our writing process below to help you craft a strong narrative. 

Required Essay 2: How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max)

Although this question asks about your future goals and how a Haas MBA will help you achieve them, you will want to anchor this essay in the past. Because what you’ve already done, learned, and achieved is far more important than what you haven’t—what you say you want to do in the future. In order to fully satisfy the objective of this prompt, go into your backstory and detail the key moments that influenced you and the formation of your goals. Your resume will provide an overview of your professional path to date, but this is your chance to provide a deep dive into your most pivotal experiences. Once the reader has taken this trip to your past, your proposed path forward and why Haas will be the perfect fit, will make much more sense.

Required (Video) Essay 3: The Berkeley MBA program develops leaders who embody our four Defining Leadership Principles. Briefly introduce yourself to the admissions committee, explain which leadership principle resonates most with you, and tell us how you have exemplified the principle in your personal or professional life. (Not to exceed 2 minutes.) 

To start, familiarize yourself with the Haas Four Defining Leadership Principles. Which one resonates most with you? Why? Which of your personal and/or professional experiences will most compellingly show how you live one of these values in your daily life? 

Create an outline of ideas and practice delivering your content aloud. You’ll want to include a brief introduction (20-30 seconds), an explanation of why your chosen principle resonates with you (40-50 seconds), a deep dive into a specific experience that shows how you live that principle (40-50 seconds), and a brief conclusion (10 seconds). 

Consider also how you can best incorporate your personality into your submission. If you have a location or background that will help you tell your story, go for it. And take advantage of the fact that you can record the video as many times as you want.

Tips for filming your video include:

• Set the lights. Place a light in front of you so that your face is clearly visible on the screen (backlighting will result in shadows). 

• Dress professionally. Put your best foot forward by dressing professionally, similar to how you would dress for an in-person interview. 

• Prepare, but don’t script yourself. You’ll want the admissions committee to see the real you. Think strategically about the points you want to highlight in each video, but don’t memorize a script. 

• Note your pace. When nerves hit, people tend to speak too quickly. Practice delivering your response out loud, and ensure you can get through all of your points at a steady pace within two minutes. 

Required (Short Answer) Essay 3: Can you please describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace? (150 words max)

This question prompts you to explore how you have and will continue to thrive in diverse environments. What have been your most meaningful experiences connecting with those unlike yourself? What have you learned? With such a limited word count, you should choose one anecdote and explore how it impacted your perspective as well as reinforced your desire to promote a sense of community at Berkeley Haas.  

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. Keep in mind also the Haas Defining Leadership Principles. 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 Berkeley Haas 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. Confirm your word count and 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 Stanford Graduate School of Business

Essay Tips: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Essay Tips: Columbia Business School

Essay Tips: The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Essay Tips: NYU Stern School of Business

Essay Tips: The Yale School of Management

Essay Tips: The University of Michigan Ross School of Business