Oh Joy! UC Berkeley Haas MBA Essays for Fall 2012
Oct, 26, 2011
Categories: Admissions Consulting | Essays | MBA | MBA留学 | UC Berkeley Haas
Understanding the above will greatly enhance your ability to establish fit with Haas.
For the class entering in the fall of 2012, the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business began asking prospective students what gives them the greatest joy, a change from its prior “What are you most passionate about?” query. The school is hoping to tap into issues that excite applicants—the pleasure of a certain hobby, for example—rather than a self-impressed treatise on solving world hunger.
“There are many [applicants] who still think there is a formula to get into business school, who think there’s a certain type of response the admission people want to see,” said Stephanie Fujii, executive director of full-time M.B.A. admissions at Haas. According to Ms. Fujii, there isn’t.
Of course, bores will put some dull answer together about how their work brings them the greatest joy, but guess what? That answer is highly like to suck. If Haas wanted to know about your goals or work here, they would ask about it.
The objective is to provide Haas with some insight into who you are as a person through this essay. Whatever it is that you do write about, joy has to be there. Also, since it is the very first essay, you certainly want to get them engaged and interested in you as an applicant.
A FOUR PART BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE FOR ANSWERING THIS QUESTION
PART 1. Start by thinking about what actually brings you joy:
1. What really does make you happy, puts a smile on your face, makes you want to get out of bed, and/or make you feel good?
2. When were you the most joyful? Why?
Now after you have a list, edit out all those things you would either be embarrassed to discuss or think are inappropriate (e.g., sex and drugs). When you look at your list is anything that actually stands out to you as particularly distinctive? If so, you might have just found your topic and you can skip PART 2 and go to PART 3, at least for the moment.
PART 2. Take your list of things that are joyful to you and ask the following questions:
1. Are there any obvious patterns connecting all or some these things that make you joyful together? (If you are into mind mapping, this would be a good chance to use it). Note any patterns.
2. Do these pattens constitute themselves as informed by a single idea or personal characteristic? If so, you have found a potential topic.
PART 3. For something that gives you joy to actually fit the question, it must make you distinctive.
1. How does this thing that brings you joy make you distinctive?
2. What form does this distinction take? Is it about your values, personality, strengths, actions, and/or background?
At this point, you will hopefully have one or more things that passed the distinction test. If not, go back to Parts 1 and/or 2.
PART 4. At this point, you hopefully have one or more possible topics to write about it. Select the topic that does the following:
1. Highlights a very attractive part of who you are that would serve as an effective first impression.
2. Is an answer that is attention getting.
3. Would be viewed as a positive attribute at Haas.
Conclusion: For creative types (artists, musicians, poets, and writers) and athletic types this will likely be a relatively easy question. For wage slaves who have no life, this essay will be hard to deal with.
4. Describe a time when you were a student of your own failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development? (250 word maximum)
While this is pretty much a standard failure question, the odd phrasing is due to its relationship to another Key Principle:
“We are a community designed for curiosity and lifelong pursuit of personal and intellectual growth. This is not a place for those who feel they have learned all they need to learn.”
You want to focus on failure that you were responsible for and learned from. It is critical that you learned something meaningful about yourself.
The basic components of an answer:
1. Clearly state what the failure was.
2. Clearly state your role.
3. Clearly state the result.
4. Explain what you learned.
5. Explain the connection between that learning and subsequent experiences. Explain how you applied what you learned to a new situation or situations.
5. Describe a time when you led by inspiring or motivating others toward a shared goal. (250 word maximum)
This question also relates to another Key Principle: Confidence Without Attitude
“We make decisions based on evidence and analysis, giving us the confidence to act without arrogance. We lead through trust and collaboration.”
b. How will an MBA from Haas help you achieve these goals? (1000 word maximum for 6a. and 6b.)
BEFORE YOU WRITE
Before writing this essay, if you have not done a similar essay for another school, I suggest going through a formal process of goals analysis because it will really help you determine the most important things you need to tell Haas. You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it. (Click here for a GMAC report on MBA ROI. )
To best view the following table, click on it.
How to use this table:
Step 1.
Begin by analyzing your “Present Situation.” What job(s) have you held? What was/is your functional role(s)? What was/are your responsibilities?Next, analyze your present strengths and weaknesses for succeeding in your present career. REMEMBER: WHEN YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS DON’T ONLY THINK ABOUT WORK, THINK ABOUT OTHER ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE. In particular, some of your greatest strengths may have been demonstrated outside of work, so make sure you are accounting for them.
Strengths: What are you good at? Where do you add value? What are you praised for? What are you proud of?
Weakness: What are you bad at? What are you criticized for? What do you try to avoid due to your own limitations? What do you fear?
Next, analyze the environment you work in right now. What opportunities exist for your growth and success? What threats could limit your career growth?
Step 2. Now, do the same thing in Step 1 for your “Post-Degree” future after you have earned your graduate degree. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE STEP 2, YOU HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE and therefore you need to do more research and need to think more about it.
Step 3. If you could complete step 2, than you should see the “Gap” between your present and your future. What skills, knowledge, and other resources do you need to close the gap between your present and future responsibilities, strengths, and opportunities?
Step 4. After completing Step 3, you now need to determine how an MBA will add value to you. It is possible that an increased salary as a result of job change will be sufficient “ROI” for the degree to justify itself, but you should show how a degree will allow you to reach your career goals. How will the degree enhance your skills and opportunities and help you overcome your weaknesses and external threats? If you can complete Step 4 than you should be ready to explain what your goals are, why you want a degree, and the relationship between your past and future career, as well as your strengths and weaknesses.
The above table will also help you answer such common interview questions as: Where do you want to work after you finish your degree? Why do you want an MBA (or other degree)? What are you strengths? What are your weaknesses? What are your goals? Thinking about these issues now will help you to develop a fully worked-out strategy for how you will best present yourself both in the application and in an interview.
WHY HAAS?
See my comments above.
GOALS
You need to make admissions excited about your future. To do so, you should think about whether your goals are compelling. Admissions committees ask applicants to write about their goals after graduate school, but can applicants actually know what will be on the cutting-edge in two or three years? While many applicants will be able to successfully apply with relatively standard goals (“I want to be a consultant because…”), try to go beyond the typical answer to make your goals compelling.
Be informed. Haas needs to believe you know what you are talking about. If you are changing careers, no one expects you to be an expert, but you should come across as having a clear plan based on real research into your future. If you are planning on staying in your present industry, you should be well informed not only about the companies you have worked for, but about the industry as a whole. If you are not already doing so, read industry related publications and network.
Those who are changing fields should most certainly read industry related publications in their intended field. Think about conducting informational interviews with at least one peer-level and one senior level person in that field.Conduct a peer-level interview to get a good idea of what it would be like to actually work in that industry. Conduct a senior-level interview to get the perspective of someone who can see the big picture and all the little details as well.
Don’t know anyone in your intended field? Network! One great way to start is through LinkedIn. Another is by making use of your undergraduate alumni network and/or career center.
LEARN WHAT IS HOT. No matter whether you are changing fields or not, learn what is hot now and try to figure out what will be hot by the time you graduate. Now, of course, this is just a plan and chances are that what is hot in your industry or field now may very well be cold in the future. The point is to come across to Haas as someone who is not only well informed, but who has CUTTING-EDGE knowledge related to their goals. Some great general sources for learning what is hot:
From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world. Start with California Management Review.Other great sources of information include Stanford Social Innovation Review,Harvard Working Knowledge, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing,Knowledge @ Wharton, University of Chicago GSB’s Working Papers,The University of Chicago’s Capital Ideas, and MIT Sloan Management Review.
You may also want to do a search on iTunes for podcasts: My favorites are Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (from the Stanford School of Engineering, but totally relevant to the GSB), Chicago GSB Podcast, Net Impact, and Harvard Business IdeaCast. INSEAD, IMD, LBS, and, of course, Haas also have podcasts.
LinkedIn Answers: I would suggest that everyone join LinkedIn and make use of LinkedIn Answers. LinkedIn Answers is a great way to tap into cutting edge expertise (including my admissions advice!) Follow LinkedIn’s rules and you will often be able to obtain excellent information.
Hoovers: For information about specific companies, Hoovers is just a great way to learn about key facts including competitors (a very useful way of knowing who else you might want to work for and to learn about an industry). While primarily focused on the US, Hoovers does have listings for companies worldwide.
Vault: For scope of coverage, this site is a must. Vault includes both career and admissions information. It includes both company specific and industry-wide information.
Other sources: Read magazines, websites, and books that relate to your intended field.
Optional Essay 2. If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 word maximum)
If you have clearly demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, you need not worry about this question. If you have not done anything about this issue, you should put together a plan for how you will prepare yourself for Haas. If you have improved your quantitative abilities through short courses, your work, exam preparation(CFA), or otherwise, you should enumerate it. This is a just the facts/what is your plan essay, so keep it simple and very clear.
Finally, if you interview with Haas, please see my earlier post.
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