3 Essential MBA Essay Question Tips
For many applicants, the MBA essay question is the single most terrifying and challenging part of the entire MBA application. More than your GMAT, GPA, or resume, the essay is extremely personal. The admissions committee uses it to get to know who you are, what you want, and how you’ll fit. And that’s a lot of pressure.
To succeed in your MBA essay, you have to know who you are well enough to paint a comprehensive picture that the admissions committee will keep reading until the last word. You want your story to be interesting, to answer the essay prompts, and to demonstrate “why you.”
And though every school has different MBA essay prompts, three essential elements are always vital. Continue reading…
From Disney to Starbucks, and More – Chicago News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from Chicago business schools this week.
Don’t Let Complacency Derail Your Career – Kellogg Insights
Carter Cast, the Northwestern Kellogg Clinical Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and author of “The Right (and Wrong) Stuff: How Brilliant Careers Are Made — and Unmade,” writes about how “Version 1.0” employees who “lack curiosity and avoid taking risks” may find themselves professionally derailed.
“You have to find ways to stay fresh, especially in this day and age with the massive rate of change in technology. Disruption is everywhere.”
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- Following a promotion, understand your supervisor’s expectations. “Ask the boss: ‘With this new job, what will I have done in two years to make you think that this was a good move to promote me? What are the key success metrics I should be aiming for?’”
- Increase your learning agility, or how quickly you develop and apply new skills by honing a discovery mindset. “[Force] yourself to acquire new skills that could help you down the road. If you work in sales, for example, you might take time to understand how the marketing team leverages its social marketing assets.”
- Identify your particular “area of innate resistance,” which Cast believes can stifle career growth if not addressed. He advises to spend more time being open to what you could learn than spending time and energy on what you already know.
- Cast advises Version 1.0 types to “adopt the ‘lean thinking’ mentality in order to refresh their thinking and test new ideas.”
- Networks that individuals can “rely on for information and assistance” are critical when jobs are constantly in flux. According to the article, “A strong, diverse network can help you bounce back after a challenge or shake-up.”
You can read more from the article here.
From Disney to Starbucks, Shewalter Doesn’t Shy Away From Big Challenges – Gies College of Business News
The U. Illinois Gies College of Business recently profiled Erik Shewalter (BADM ’14) who offers insights from his transition from Disney’s DTC streaming service to product management role at the Starbucks Rewards Innovation Team where he oversees strategy and innovation.
Shewalter spoke at length about a defining moment from his “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity at the Disney-branded streaming service where he realized how much he loved the work he was doing.
“One of the defining moments of my career will forever be one of my first meetings with Kevin Mayer (Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International). I came to the meeting prepared, and because I was so immersed in the data, I was able to share specific insights that influenced decisions like the choice to include Star Wars and Marvel content in the streaming service.”
One major reason Shewalter left Disney for Starbucks was to work alongside his fiancée Naomi Liu (FIN, BADM ’15) who works in food innovation.
“There are so many little perks that materialize every day, such as sharing a commute, or even sharing our networks (which is critical for succeeding at Starbucks). Also, we love to surprise each other by bringing the other person drinks and snacks throughout the day.”
Check out the entire Gies College of Business News interview here.
Rogers Park and Edgewater Businesses Becoming More Sustainable with Loyola’s Help – Quinlan School of Business
With the support of Loyola University’s Quinlan School of Business Experiential Learning Communities in Solidarity program, professor Nancy Landrum orchestrated partnerships with Smack Dab Chicago and Edge of Sweetness Bakery for her Sustainable Business Management class.
Teams from Landrum’s class “performed waste, water, and simple energy audits and completed greenhouse gas inventories” and then organized “cash mob” events to attract customers to the businesses.
According to the article, “Edge of Sweetness saw a 216 [percent] increase in sales during the cash mob, and Smack Dab Chicago saw a 51 [percent] increase.”
Edge of Sweetness co-owner Kate Merrill (BSN ’96) writes, “I was delighted and surprised by how thorough they were during the initial evaluation. They were also very proactive about what they wanted to do with the projects, which was very nice to see.”
Smack Dab Chicago co-founder Axel Erkenswick adds, “I was interested to see how in-depth the students went into their audits, including going through our waste. Energy conservation is important to me, because it shows customers that we are more than a McDonald’s. We are community driven and put our efforts into helping the environment.”
Read more about the Quinlan program here.
Information System Leaders, and More – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Teaching Creativity, Strategy to Tomorrow’s Information Systems Leaders – Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business Blog
The Stevens Institute of Technology SOB spotlighted assistant professor of Information Systems Dr. Aron Lindberg, whose Digital Innovation course is a cornerstone of the master’s program in Information Systems.
Dr. Lindberg writes, “Digital products and processes are central to what businesses do today. And information systems professionals need to participate in the process of creating those products and services, and continuously pushing the envelope in search of innovation.”
He adds, “With all the data available today, you need the scientific method to ensure you’re doing your analysis in ways that are reliable and valid. Otherwise, you are not going to make good business decisions.”
Information Systems Master’s Program Director Dr. Paul Rohmeyer lauded Dr. Lindberg’s course, which “blends technical, management, strategy and entrepreneurship components, and presents them in an environment much like where they’ll work once they graduate.”
You can read the full article here.
NYU Stern Congratulates Paul Romer on Winning the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics – NYU Stern
NYU Stern’s Paul Romer was recently awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economics “for integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis.”
Romer has conducted “applied research on the many ways that policymakers in the developing world can use the growth of cities to create economic opportunity and pursue social reform” as part of the NYU Stern Urbanization Project, which he also founded.
Romer also directs the Marron Institute of Urban Management, which “deepens the fundamental understanding of cities by working with civic innovators to improve urban management.”
You can read the full release from NYU here.
Talking with … Albert Greco – Gabelli Connect
Gabelli School of Business‘ “Talking with …” feature recently spotlighted professor of marketing Albert Greco who is currently researching a business history book about the post-1980 U.S. trade book business and has a business history book proposal under review about the marketing and financing of World War II in the U.S.
Greco discussed what interests him most about teaching consumer behavior, which he has analyzed in some shape or form since 1985.
“Consumer behavior looks at great questions and issues related to who, what, when, where, how, and why consumers decide to buy, or not buy, products and services. This means analyzing issues related to age, gender, style, prestige, the channels of distribution, etc.”
Greco also talked about issues related to university presses, which he described as “critical to the intellectual life of universities and academics, but many of them are small to medium-sized undercapitalized presses, and they need to address costly back-office operations and scale issues.”
You can read more from the interview here.
First Impressions: No Need to Panic! – Chicago News
Let’s explore some of the more interesting stories that have emerged from Chicago business schools this week.
The Personal Statement: No Need to Panic! – Inside Kellstadt
First impressions are stressful across the board, which can make the impression you attach to your business school application all the more nerve-wracking. Current DePaul Kellstadt MBA student Kristen Hall took to the official Kellstadt blog to offer some insights into crafting the perfect personal statement.
In “The Personal Statement: No Need to Panic!” she writes, “My advice to prospective students writing their personal statements would be to share what inspired you to apply to Kellstadt. Each applicant has a different story and connection to the program and sharing your own “Aha!” moment is a way to set yourself apart from other applications.”
You can read Hall’s entire piece here.
How a Genetically Modified Soybean Helped Modernize an Economy – Kellogg Insight
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Associate Professor of Finance Jacopo Ponticelli recently co-authored new research that illuminates how “countries develop from agrarian economies into more industrialized ones” by examining the impact of Monsanto’s genetically modified Roundup Ready soybean seed (a.k.a. the Maradona soy) on Brazilian agriculture in the early 2000s.
The research, which was co-authored by University of Zurich economist Bruno Caprettini and Paula Bustos of Spain’s Center for Monetary and Financial Studies, found that “the seed freed up farm laborers to find other jobs, allowing Brazil’s industrial sector to grow, [and] helped farmers put more money in the bank, which led to urban centers getting access to cheaper credit, allowing banks to finance more manufacturing and services firms.”
Ponticelli suggests that Brazil’s example illustrates how “bumps in agricultural productivity can ripple through an entire economy, not only bolstering the manufacturing sector, but exporting fresh capital to the urban centers where new industries tend to grow.”
You can find the full article here.
Mendoza Finance Prof Wins Research Award for Linking Electricity Usage with Stock Returns – Mendoza Ideas & News
Notre Dame University Mendoza College of Business Professor of Finance Zhi Da received the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis’ 2017 William F.Sharpe Award for Scholarship in Financial Research this past May in recognition of his innovative research, which finds that the “growth rate of industrial electricity usage predicts future stock returns for up to one year.”
According to Professor Da’s paper, “industrial electricity usage tracks the output of the most cyclical sectors. So high rate of growth for industrial electricity usage today—indicating an increase in production due to a company’s expectation of increased sales — predicts low stock returns in the future, consistent with a principle called the countercyclical risk premium, [which] states that the market premium tends to run counter to the business cycle.
According to the article, “The Sharpe Award is intended to foster excellence in financial research. Recipients receive a $5,000 prize for the best article published each year in the JFQA.”
You can find more about the reward and Da’s work here.
Cornell FinTech Disruption, Crowd-Funding Wisdom, and More – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York City business schools this week.
Fintech is Disrupting the Disruptors, and We’re Ready For It – Johnson School of Management Blog
S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management MBA candidate Arjun Devgan, ’18, highlighted how FinTech inventions such as cryptocurrencies, peer-to-peer lending, and smart insurance have begun to disrupt a post-PayPal landscape, which at one point disrupted traditional banking.
Devgan writes about two Cornell Tech intensives designed to “equip students to solve business problems in this age of digital transformation:” the digital marketing intensive and the fintech intensive.
“With my background in payments and remittances, the fintech intensive program offered me a launchpad to dive deep into the world of financial technology. Classes such as the Fintech Practicum, Business Models, Cryptocurrencies, and a Field Project with one of Citi Ventures’ portfolio companies offer a great combination of basic theoretical concepts and real-world experiential learning.”
Learn more about Johnson’s FinTech and Digital Marketing Intensives here.
Want People to Fund your Kickstarter Project? Sell Them on Your Reputation First – Binghamton School of Management Blog
Binghamton School of Management associate professor Ali Alper Yayla presented a new paper at the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, which found that potential Kickstarter backers are more concerned about a producer’s “ethical characteristics than their actual ability to make and deliver the product.” Professor Yayla writes:
“We found that people worry more about the seller’s honesty than whether the seller actually has the ability and knowledge to finish and deliver on the product. People don’t want sellers to just take their money and run. Crowdfunding is interesting because you’re literally buying something that isn’t finished from a person who has never made it before. There are no product reviews, and there are no seller reviews.”
Read more about Yayla’s research here.
Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook’s Mess? – Forbes
In Len Sherman’s recent Forbes article “Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook’s Mess?”, the Columbia Business School executive in residence and adjunct professor noted the company’s seemingly astounding naivety of how much information was secretly (or not so secretly) being scrubbed for use by third party companies like Cambridge Analytica.
“It’s been hard to fathom how a company reputed to be run by one of the world’s most brilliant digirati, could have been so naïve in not recognizing the risks in giving outside developers broad access to Facebook’s user data, so lax in failing to ensure that rogue data in malevolent hands was destroyed before it could be weaponized, and so reluctant to advise users that their personal information was (and still is) floating around cyberspace. In short, what was Mark Zuckerberg thinking?”
Sherman theorizes that part of the issue is Zuckerberg’s sincere overconfidence that technology and innovation can only be used for a greater good, rather than being possibly manipulated by less-than-ideal forces. This, Sherman continues, was all done despite a litany of data that proved Facebook’s nefarious actors and less-than-strict partnerships were actively making the platform less safe year by year.
Click here to see the rest of Sherman’s work with Forbes.
New Scholarship Alert: HBS Announces Forward Fellowship for MBA Class of 2020
The Harvard Business School (HBS) recently announced that it will offer students from low-income backgrounds the brand new Forward Fellowship, beginning for the MBA Class of 2020.
Continue reading…
