UPDATE- THE TIPS FOR USC MARSHALL'S 2009 MBA APPLICATION ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. PLEASE POST QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO THE NEW BLOG POST.

 

USC 2008 Marshall MBA Deadlines

 

Round         Deadline         Notification Begins
Early*         November 1         December 15
Round 1     December 1        February 2
Round 2     January 15           March 30
Round 3     February 15         April 27
Round 4     April 1                     May 25

USC 2008 Essay Questions and Tips

 

The questions this year are identical to last year's and my comments (in red) are virtually unchanged.

1) Describe in a brief essay (do not exceed 250 words per section - 750 words maximum):
a) your post-MBA short-term goals (immediately after graduation),
b) your post-MBA long-term goals (3-5 years after graduation), and
c) how your professional experience, when combined with an MBA degree, will
enable you to achieve these goals.

This is a straight-forward goals question with a little more guidance on length than most schools give.  As always with this type of question, connect the dots. Let's the reader see that your goals stem organically from your experience and are achievable given your experience and an MBA from Marshall

2) Complete one of the following three statements. Do not exceed 250 words.
a) "My most significant accomplishment to date is…"
b) "People may be surprised to learn that I…"
c) "I am considered a leader because…"

Take a step back and look at the application as a whole. How are you going to answer #3. You want #2 to complement #1 and #3, bringing out aspects of your experience, personality and background not found in other parts of yoru application. Before you choose a topic, look at the question strategically. Then pick the topic that adds most to your application and that excites you the most.

3) Answer two of the following questions. Do not exceed 500 words per question.
a) The Marshall MBA Prime Program prepares students for doing business in a global
economy. Describe a cross-cultural experience that challenged you. How did you
meet this challenge and what did you learn from this experience?
b) USC has garnered national acclaim for its emphasis on community outreach and
service. How have you impacted your community?
c) We all experience significant events or milestones that influence the course of our
lives. Briefly describe such an event and how it affected you.

This question gives you a little more direction than #2. But not a lot. In these last two questions, USC is giving you lots of room to present yourself in the best light. For #3,  if international experience is your strong suit, answer a; if community service is your middle name, respond to b. If you have another event or experience you wish to shine a spotlight on, go with c. Choose the two that present you at your best.

4) Optional Essay: Please add any additional information that you would like the
Admissions Committee to consider in evaluating your application. Do not exceed 250
words.

 

 

Please see "The Optional Essay: To Be or Not to Be"  

For one-on-one guidance through the Marshall application, process please check out Accepted.com's USC Marshall Application Package or our other MBA essay editing and consulting assistance.

 

Please join us for Monday morning's chat with Kellee Scott, Senior Associate Director MBA Admissions. The chat will take place this Monday November 5 at 10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET/5:00 PM GMT  in the Accepted chat room .

  

A few articles of interest to law school applicants have come across my desk in the last few days, and I wanted to share them with you.

• CollegeJournal has an excellent article on choosing law school, especially if you are not headed towards the top 10.  Touching on several of the points that I have raised in the past, "How to Get a Better Job,Reduce Law-School Debt" takes a strategic, long-term view of choosing a school.
  
• UCLA's Daily Bruin gives stats in "Number of law school applicants on the decline" a topic that I have also written about here previously. The article predicts that this will be the third straight year of decline in law school applicant numbers. Ironically, however, that decline has not led to reduced numbers of applications submitted to most law schools. According to the Bruin, "79 percent of the law schools surveyed by Kaplan reported that the shrinking applicant pool has no effect upon the competitiveness of their admissions process." In fact the UCLA School of Law reports "an increase of 11.5 percent in its number of applicants," a one point increase in the median LSAT score of students who enrolled  to 167, and also a hike in its median GPA to 3.72.
• The New York Times reports in "In Students’ Eyes, Look-Alike Lawyers Don’t Make the Grade" that a group of Stanford law students has set up a site ranking and grading law firms for diversity in both associate and partner ranks.  The site, building a better legal profession, allows you to compare firms on geographic, diversity, and quality of life criteria. The group, which has an annoying preference for all lower case in its copy, is "a national grassroots movement that seeks market-based workplace reforms in large private law firms. by publicizing firms' self-reported data on billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity, we draw attention to the differences between these employers. we encourage those choosing between firms — students deciding who to work for after graduation, corporate clients deciding who to hire, and universities deciding who to allow on campus for interviews — to exercise their market power and engage only with the firms that demonstrate a genuine commitment to these issues."

Jay Mathews of the Washington Post had a great column a couple of weeks ago entitled "Ten Stupid Ways to Ruin Your College Application." Although he limits his "tips" to college admissions, these stupidities would be equally effective in dooming MBA, law, grad, or medical school applications, even if maturity implies they are somewhat less common among older applicants. I highly recommend the article.

I have previously written about the global  increase in GMAT and MBA application volume.  For this blog post, the focus is Canada. In line with the international increased demand for graduate business education, The MBA Tour ,which is hosting three events next week in Canada, is anticipating record attendance at its events north of the border.  The Tour announced, "Last year’s overall attendance surpassed expectations by more than double, and 2007 registration is proving that this year will be even more popular." The Canadian MBA events will take place in Vancouver (Nov. 8), Toronto (Nov. 10), and Montreal (Nov. 12).

The MBA Tour also sent out a survey to applicants who registered for its events. Here are a few results, culled from the 1000+ responses:

• Nearly 50% of applicants responded that "Finances and the financial return following completion of the MBA program" was their biggest concern about earning an MBA.
• Over 50% said their #1 motivation for pursuing an MBA is to enhance their career path.
  
• 90% expressed interest in programs that integrate business with environmental needs.

The first two results make sense to me. Leaving the work force and paying for an MBA are major financial decisions. The third bullet  is surprising. It seems more a reflection of the current attention CSR and sustainable development are receiving in the press than an actionable commitment.

American Medical News reports that applications to medical school soared in 07-08 to 31,946 first-time applicants, an 8% increase over 06-07. Other interesting data from the article:

• Applicants to osteopathic schools also broke a record, reaching 11,500 applicants for the 2007-08 academic year.
• "Allopathic applicants posted the highest mean Medical College Admission Test score to date: 28 out of 45 points," up from 27.6 a year earlier.
• GPA's were up too: Allopathic applicants had a mean GPA of a 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, up from 3.4 last year.
• Average stats climbed at osteopathic schools too: 25.3 MCAT and 3.5 GPA, compared with a 24.5 MCAT score and 3.4 GPA last year.
• Certain schools are seeing amazing surges in application numbers. For example the University of Kentucky Medical School reports that applications were up a whopping 56% last year over 06-07 and that applications this year are on track to exceed last year's numbers.
• The article also lists the five schools that showed the largest increase in first year allopathic enrollment: Michigan State University at Lansing; A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, College Station; University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson; Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee; Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta.