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MBA INSIDER: ADMISIONS Q&A A Chat with Stanford's Admissions Director [Page 3 of 3]
Q: Stanford's 2004 application asks MBA hopefuls to answer two essay questions. What makes for a bad essay?A: They aren't bad because of content, tone, or grammar. To me, a bad essay stems from an effort to tell the admissionscommittee what you think we want to hear. By doing that, applicants lose the opportunity to convey who they are. A goodessay is one in which an applicant has demonstrated some introspection and in which a sense of self comes through. Again,it's the consonance of the application. There's a book called Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet, written by Howard Gardner, William Damon, andMihaly Csikzentmihaly. Bill Damon came in to talk to the admissions committee a week ago. We talked about how to identifypeople who are going to do good work -- that is, do well professionally and still do good for society. Damon's work linksvalues to behaviors and goals. And that's really what we're trying to do in the admissions process. Effectively, you canthink of the two essay questions as one essay: Who are you, and what do you want to be? [Editor's Note: Stanford's 2004 essay questions are: "What matters most to you, and why?" and "What are your short-term andlong-term career aspirations? How will an MBA education further your development? Why does the academic experience offeredat the GSB appeal to you?"] Q: Can you tell when applicants rely on admissions consultants to help them polish their application? A: Sometimes. But oftentimes, no. I understand that [the consultants] are providing a service, especially to applicantswithout pools of alumni to answer their questions. But they can do a disservice by focusing an applicant on things thataren't important to the process or by reinforcing false stereotypes about a given school. I bet that the people who get in with [the help of] admissions consultants could have gotten in on their own. When we do notice that they used a consultant, it's a clear violation of the honor code. Applicants state that all of thework submitted is their own work, exactly as if they were submitting an examination or project as a student at Stanford.It's a big deal. The single issue that I worry about most in the admissions process is whether the person I'm meeting in the application isactually the person who's applying. An application consultant seems like a panacea. But applicants should use theadmissions process as a chance to learn. No one else can do that for you. Q: Earlier, you mentioned the changes you've made to Stanford's recommendation form. How do you evaluate letters ofreference? A: We use the letter of reference to assess the candidate's demonstrated leadership potential. The recommendationscomplement the applicant's essays and experiences because others often see things in us that we can't see in ourselves.Through discussions with recommenders, applicants get feedback that helps them better understand the impact that they'rehaving on those around them and on the organization they serve. And really, that's what leadership is about: Takingresponsibility for something and trying to change it for the better. We require three letters of reference: Two from the workplace or from a professional perspective, and one from a peer orfrom a team perspective. At least one of the two professional references should be from your current, direct supervisor. Ifyou're unable to provide a recommendation from your direct supervisor, please attach a note of explanation. Because working with a team is a critical part of the Stanford MBA experience, the third letter of reference is designed toelicit information from a peer or team member about your teamwork and leadership skills. Academic recommendations are acceptable if you worked with the recommender as a teaching assistant or a researcher or in asimilar capacity. They're typically not helpful if they simply provide evidence that you were a strong student in theclassroom. For that, we look to your academic record. The letters of reference are really focused on leadership. Q: What's an example of a bad recommendation? A: It's a reference letter that doesn't provide specific examples of the applicant's behaviors and actions or thatdoesn't convey a sense of the impact that he or she has had on the organization. A degree of enthusiasm is also veryimportant, and that comes across in the letters, but it's not just words. "I've worked with Jane Doe for five years, andI've seen her grown in x, y, and z ways" is necessary, but not sufficient. The letter also needs to tell us where anapplicant still needs to grow. We want to know how the business school at Stanford can help you grow personally,intellectually, and professionally -- not just what you'll contribute. Q: What should an applicant do who's placed on your wait-list? A: We send [wait-listed applicants] a two-page FAQ. The most important thing is that it's not a consolation prize, andit's not a sign that we need more information from you. It means that we genuinely would like to see you in the class, butat this point we don't have room to make an offer. We typically recommend that the applicant send us a letter if there are substantial updates in [the person's] job or life.We have people who send us seven letters and get admitted and some who send us nothing and get admitted. Q: What broad advice do you offer to re-applicants to Stanford? [In 2002, 8% of Stanford applicants had applied in prior years, and of those re-applicants 11% were accepted.] A: We do feedback for 10 to 15 people -- people who have been on our wait-list all summer and who haven't gotten offthe waitlist. And we evaluate re-applicants on the merits of their new application, so it's not biased against them: Re-applicants areadmitted at a somewhat higher rate than new applicants. Q: What are some final words of wisdom you can offer MBA applicants to Stanford? A: If you ever have a question, just call or e-mail the school and ask. We answer every e-mail.
BW MALL
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