NYU
The fact about NYU's Stern School that comes up most often is its location. Stern sits right in New York City's Greenwich Village, between Manhattan's Midtown and Financial District. Students and grads rave about the schools’ location, and the administration smartly plays up its ties to New York when promoting Stern.
Given Stern’s location, it is not surprising that a large number of grads pursue jobs on Wall Street, where the Stern name and alumni network are the strongest. Eight of the school’s top 10 recruiters are investment banks. Although Stern’s overall academic reputation is strong, most people consider its finance department to be by far the school’s greatest strength. If you are interested in working outside of finance, don’t rule out Stern, but know that finance is where most of the action has historically been. The school is aware of this perceived inequity and has been working hard to balance its strengths across disciplines.
Although many would call Stern a finance school, its approach to management education is mostly a general one. First-year students go through a complete required curriculum of courses in all of the business fundamentals, with the bulk of elective coursework coming in the second year. Most students major in one or two of the school's 12 majors (including Finance, Economics, Marketing, and Operations), and some take a co-major or "program initiative." These latter two programs demonstrate Stern's generalist approach by involving faculty and courses from across the school's academic departments to teach specialized subjects such as Entrepreneurship, Digital Economy, and Law and Business.
Another way in which Stern's New York ties are apparent is in its teaching. The school boasts nearly 100 adjunct professors, many of whom are highly regarded veterans of the New York business community. Some of the bigger names who have taught as visiting professors at Stern include former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and Nobel laureate Robert Solow. The school prides itself on giving its students lessons with real-world applications, and part of this is letting students hear lessons straight from these veterans' mouths.
Stern also emphasizes the global orientation of its student body and its curriculum. A third of the class comes from abroad, and Stern offers an International Business co major option for the many American students there who have some interest in working overseas. You don't need an international angle to your story when you apply to Stern, but at least acknowledging the importance of a globally-focused education should help your cause.
Stern works to cultivate and maintain a spirit of teamwork and cooperation among its students, who do a fair amount of work in groups. Students and grads sometimes comment that they were pleasantly surprised to find that the culture is more cooperative than they expected, especially given the "shark" reputation that bankers tend to have. If you apply to Stern, don't discount the importance of teamwork in your message. The school is less impressed by individual achievers than it is by well-grounded people who have excelled in their past jobs by working with others. Keep this in mind, especially if you are a banker who is looking to distinguish yourself from the pack.
With a yield in the low 50s, Stern gets stiff competition from the likes of Columbia and Wharton for finance-minded students. Showing the admissions committee that Stern really is where you want to be—and having convincing reasons for why this is the case—will greatly help your chances of being admitted.
Although Stern’s name is best known on Wall Street, the school is also serious about entrepreneurship. The school’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation co major is a popular choice, as is its Entertainment, Media, and Technology program initiative. Stern’s annual Maximum Exposure Business Plan Competition gives budding entrepreneurs a chance to compete for cash prizes. Successful business plan teams are matched with experienced entrepreneurs or venture capitalists who serve as mentors. This is an area of the program that the school continues to emphasize. If you consider yourself to be an entrepreneur, or you want to be one, be sure to let the Stern admissions committee know about it.
AustinAustin
The newly named McCombs School of Business—named after Red McCombs, who gave the school $50 million in 2000—offers a general management program known for innovation in business education. It offers no formal majors, but it does offer concentrations in the traditional business disciplines, such as Marketing and Finance. Students may also choose a "specialization"; a focused set of cross-functional courses designed to address a current business topic such as Entrepreneurship, Market-based Consulting, and Global Business Management. About half of all McCombs students choose one of these concentrations.
Teamwork is a major emphasis at McCombs, with students doing most of their work in project teams. Students also spend their entire first year taking their core classes together in cohorts. Naturally, the school looks for people who will thrive in this environment, so be sure to demonstrate your experience in working with others to make things happen.
One example of McCombs' innovation is its new Plus Program, a two-week mini-term that takes place in the middle of each regular semester. The program is a series of seminars that give students intense, practical training in topics such as sales, communications, and ethics. Students take these courses in one of six "academies," each one having a focus on a particular industry or line of business. Examples of academies are Community Development and Social Enterprise, The Business of Entertainment, and Product Design Innovation. Students apply to these academies in the fall, and are assigned based on their preferences and past experience. Through a series of four two-week Plus Program courses, students work on specific skills and tackle broad business topics within their assigned academies. Much of the work is done in workshops and small teams, and many of these exercises use improvisational exercises and games to help students learn how to think quickly on their feet. These activities exemplify what McCombs is about, so if they appeal to you, make sure to communicate that in your application. Also, as mentioned above, think about ways to demonstrate how you will fit into this environment, particularly by emphasizing your teamwork and maturity dimensions, as described in Chapter 2.
Two programs that demonstrate the school’s emphasis on hands-on experience are its MOOT CORP business plan competition and its MBA Investment Fund. Since 1984, the school has hosted MOOT CORP (we wish we knew why it's in all caps), the oldest and largest inter-business school business plan competition in the world. The competition now attracts teams from 30 schools, and winning teams get a chance to start their business in the friendly confines of the Austin Technology Incubator. Be sure to get to know this program better if you plan on applying to McCombs as a prospective entrepreneur.
Each year, 20 students are selected to run the MBA Investment Fund, a $12 million fund that was created in 1994 as the first legally constituted, private investment company to be managed by students. McCombs students have an opportunity to apply growth, value, and fixed-income strategies to several portfolios. The student managers manage a small part of the school's endowment, getting advice from professional money managers along the way. If you have an interest in investment management—or even just like the school's hands-on learning philosophy—be sure to show your enthusiasm for it in your application.
Like other highly-ranked schools with relatively low yield percentages, McCombs is careful about selecting people whom it believes have a sincere interest in its program. While most schools hope to see interest and enthusiasm demonstrated throughout your application, McCombs specifically looks for it in its essays questions. Invest considerable time in researching the school and finding out what kind of opportunities interest you (or could be added to the program). Even more importantly, focus less on trying to pick out an obscure activity to impress the admissions committee, and focus more on writing about something that truly interests you and highlighting how you will pursue that interest at McCombs. If your interest isn't currently met by one of the school's activities, then you have a great chance to show your initiative by proposing how you would start an activity around that interest. The key is to write about something for which you truly have passion, and to show how you will bring that same passion to McCombs.
Harvard
Leadership is unquestionably the most emphasized dimension at Harvard Business School (HBS). The school's mission is to "develop outstanding business leaders who contribute to the well-being of society." This mission, along with the school's community standards, can be found posted in every classroom on campus. Candidates' potential as leaders should therefore permeate every aspect of the HBS application. Leadership should be projected on multiple levels; professional experience, academic experience, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and community service can all be used to highlight leadership capabilities. Good examples demonstrate your ability to have positive influence over the actions of others. A focus on leadership should also play a role in describing your career goals. More than most schools, HBS will closely evaluate your career goals based on their level of impact on society. Finally, remember to describe your leadership style and how it has changed over time. The admissions committee is really interested in what you have learned along the way and will be impressed with reflections on your "leadership evolution."
HBS is known as the quintessential general management program. In line with the mission of the school, students' decision-making ability across multiple business disciplines is the constant focal point. Students do not formally specialize in a particular aspect of business, as they do at most schools, and take the first year required curriculum in sections of 80-90 students.
The section experience is one of the defining aspects of the HBS learning model, as each student is expected to take on the responsibility of teaching her classmates. Students constantly draw from their own background and experiences, creating a dynamic atmosphere that is supplemented by the faculty's insights. To ensure that classrooms are filled with numerous perspectives, students' backgrounds are extremely diverse in nature. It is not uncommon for most sections to contain, lawyers, teachers, investment bankers, doctors, consultants, brand managers, professional athletes, military officers, and entrepreneurs. The required curriculum in the first year is followed by an entirely elective curriculum in the second year. Students utilize this year to further hone their decision-making abilities in areas that they believe will be the most beneficial for their careers.
Applicants should be aware that their undergraduate school's reputation will be factored into the selection process at HBS. The undergraduate schools that are most densely represented are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University. This, however, should definitely not be a deterrent to applicants from lesser known schools. Indeed, more than 150 undergraduate institutions are represented in a typical HBS class. Nonetheless, applicants who graduated from schools with less brand strength than most should make a concerted effort to highlight the strengths of their school and their accomplishments at the school. One way to do this is through the recommendation process.
HBS is one of the few business schools that doesn’t mind recommendations from former professors. While your recommendation approach should primarily focus on your professional experience, a recommendation that highlights your academic prowess can help augment your position as an applicant. The professor’s recommendation can add credibility to your school's reputation, thereby granting credibility to your entire application. Should you go down this path, however, make sure that the professor is in a position to comment on your leadership capabilities and on your professional goals. If the professor isn't that familiar with you and your story, then it's best to seek out a recommendation from a different source.
Being part of the HBS community is a life-long commitment. This is highlighted by the fact that the alumni network is often one of the first points that is raised when discussing HBS's differentiating factors. It is therefore to your advantage to show ways in which you have been a champion for your alma mater. The admissions committee isn't just concerned about what you will bring to the table during your time in the classroom, but also how you will remain involved with and support the school in the future.
The case study method is the lifeblood of the HBS learning model. This cannot be stressed enough. By graduation, students can expect to have conquered more than 500 cases in addition to textbooks, notes, and articles that provide conceptual depth to the case scenarios. Each case addresses a class topic and provides a "real-world" example on how the topic is applicable. New cases are constantly produced by professors and students will often receive a freshly written case hot off the press less than a week before discussing it. Second year students are even granted the opportunity to assist in the case writing process by participating in a field study. Producing cases has become such a core part of HBS that a majority of business schools purchase their case studies from it.
Displaying a grasp of the case method and how it is utilized at HBS is an excellent way to differentiate yourself from other applicants. You should emphasize your ability to engage in open discussions and your desire to learn based on real-world business applications. Both of these components are central to the way in which case studies are taught at HBS. Discussing your learning style and how you would benefit from case studies will also show your understanding of the learning model.
Stanford
The instructions to Stanford's application indicate that it evaluates candidates based on three high-level criteria: "demonstrated leadership potential, strong academic aptitude, and contributions to the diversity of the Stanford community." Sounds simple enough, right? The difficulty with navigating the Stanford application is the degree to which these three criteria must be emphasized. In demonstrating your fit with these criteria your emphasis should primarily be on the innovation and leadership dimensions.
The most obvious example of Stanford's alignment with innovation is its strength in entrepreneurship. Closely linked with Silicon Valley, Stanford has achieved an entrepreneurship branding that other b-schools dream of. While Stanford is a general management program to its core (students do not select majors), electives based on entrepreneurship are in abundance. Courses that focus on areas such as venture capital, business model development, private equity, and entrepreneurial strategy are the backbone of Stanford's entrepreneurial strength. Discussing your entrepreneurial inclination can be a great way to unite the innovation and leadership dimensions, but it should not be done to simply appear as though you fit with Stanford’s values. Recognize that a large percentage of applicants who apply to Stanford will discuss entrepreneurship in their application. Therefore, should you go down this path, include vivid details about your ideas and also be sure to discuss their potential impact on society. This will help separate you from the pack.
Recommendations should be viewed as an extremely important aspect of your Stanford application. The admission committee will take a close look at your recommendations in evaluating your leadership potential and your teamwork capabilities. If there is one application in which you should avoid submitting generic recommendations at all costs, this is it. Make sure that you follow the instructions closely and submit two professional recommendations and one peer recommendation.
Academic aptitude is a criterion that Stanford evaluates more rigorously than most other top b-schools. Because the curriculum is quantitatively heavy, the admissions committee will look closely for measures that indicate that you will be able to succeed within the learning model. Therefore, your GMAT score will be looked at closely in addition to your transcript(s). If your scores don't reflect a high standard of analytical background, you will need to express it through your professional experiences and/or additional coursework. You should also be aware that while those accepted by Stanford come from a multitude of undergraduate institutions, a large majority attended "high prestige" universities. If you are not among this group, you should discuss your school's strengths and your reasons for attending it.
While Stanford's emphasis on teamwork may not be as strong as it is at Fuqua, Kellogg, or Tuck, it is definitely an important part of the learning model. During their first quarter at Stanford, students are assigned to study groups of four to five people and work together on a daily basis. You can display a penchant for working with others by discussing previous professional and extracurricular team involvement.
The essay portion of the application is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to contribute to the diversity of the Stanford community. Because the Stanford essays do not have a word limit, you should really focus on telling your unique story, but doing so in a logical, flowing manner. Include headings in your essays so that your readers can follow your framework easily. Consider writing your Stanford essays after you've completed other applications. This will allow your story to be more polished. And don't even bother trying to shoehorn an essay from another application into your Stanford application. Ultimately, your essays should reveal your passions, both professional and personal, and highlight your distinctiveness. You probably haven't scaled Mt. Everest or won a marathon, but don't let that keep you from positioning yourself as unique in some way. One applicant we spoke with, who was denied admission after her interview, mentioned that the alumnus with whom she interviewed suggested that her lack of distinctiveness contributed to her ultimate denial. "He complimented my competitive profile, but stated that I had no point of differentiation in my perspective, which weakened an otherwise strong profile."
You can assert a distinct passion for Stanford by visiting the school, checking out a class, and chatting with current students (yes, this goes for those of you on the East Coast too). Make sure that this visit finds its way into your essays in your discussion of “why Stanford?” your enthusiasm for Stanford will resonate positively with the admissions committee as it strives to maintain a high yield percentage.
The Stanford learning model doesn’t offer majors, but it does offer certificates in public management and global management. The Public Management Program (PMP) prepares students for positions in the social sector and the Global Management Program (GMP) prepares students for opportunities at a global level. Both certificates are supported by a large number of electives, programs, and career resources. More than one third of the student body pursues certificates in PMP or GMP, and Stanford is actively looking for ways in which it can augment these programs. Discussing how you would utilize the resources offered by these programs in conjunction with your career objectives is a great way to display fit with Stanford.
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