This is the third of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for 2010/2011 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The second post is on Essay 1. The forth post is on Essay 3. The fifth post is on additional information, resume, employment history, and activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here. Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them? The big change in wording here was that Stanford changed the wording from "What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?" to What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them? This is not a big change and frankly does not alter my analysis because it simply is a more precise and powerful way of saying the same thing. Commenting on Essay 2, Eric Abrams, at the Stanford GSB presentation in 2007 in Tokyo, said to think beyond goals.
Before reading the rest of the post, you might want to take a look at an interview I conducted with a member of the Class of 2010 as a number of his comments relate directly to Essay 2. Those who read Japanese should also take a look at the blog sutebuu survival@Stanford GSB by a member of the Class of 2011, which provides insights into the curriculum and other aspects of life at Stanford. You can find my interview with "Sutebuu" here. Unlike some other "Why MBA" questions, Stanford is not asking about the past. You will write about that in the other essays. Instead focus not just on your goals, but on your mission. How will career goals essay sample make a difference and how can Stanford GSB help you do that? You need to be ambitious. Simply stating what your goals are and why Stanford is the best place for you to accomplish them is not exactly what you need here. Instead, you need to articulate a vision related to your goals and a vision that is connected to Stanford's mission to train global leaders.
ARE YOUR GOALS HOT? Making career goals exciting requires thinking 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? Be informed. Stanford Admissions 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. I also suggest 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. This data has been done by Essay Freelance Writers.
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? 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 Stanford as someone who is not only well informed, but has CUTTING-EDGE knowledge. From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world.
This is the third of five posts analyzing the Stanford GSB MBA Essay Questions for 2010/2011 Admission. The first post provides an overall perspective on applying to Stanford GSB. The second post is on Essay 1. The forth post is on Essay 3. The fifth post is on additional information, resume, employment history, and activities. My analysis of Stanford GSB interviews can be found here. Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them? The big change in wording here was that Stanford changed the wording from "What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?" to What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them? This is not a big change and frankly does not alter my analysis because it simply is a more precise and powerful way of saying the same thing. Commenting on Essay 2, Eric Abrams, at the Stanford GSB presentation in 2007 in Tokyo, said to think beyond goals.
Before reading the rest of the post, you might want to take a look at an interview I conducted with a member of the Class of 2010 as a number of his comments relate directly to Essay 2. Those who read Japanese should also take a look at the blog sutebuu survival@Stanford GSB by a member of the Class of 2011, which provides insights into the curriculum and other aspects of life at Stanford. You can find my interview with "Sutebuu" here. Unlike some other "Why MBA" questions, Stanford is not asking about the past. You will write about that in the other essays. Instead focus not just on your goals, but on your mission. How will career goals essay sample make a difference and how can Stanford GSB help you do that? You need to be ambitious. Simply stating what your goals are and why Stanford is the best place for you to accomplish them is not exactly what you need here. Instead, you need to articulate a vision related to your goals and a vision that is connected to Stanford's mission to train global leaders.
ARE YOUR GOALS HOT? Making career goals exciting requires thinking 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? Be informed. Stanford Admissions 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. I also suggest 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. This data has been done by Essay Freelance Writers.
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? 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 Stanford as someone who is not only well informed, but has CUTTING-EDGE knowledge. From the Business Schools: Feed your brain with cutting-edge ideas from the best business schools in the world.