Stanford GSB Application Deadlines for Class Entering 2011

Stanford has announced its deadlines for the upcoming application season. On their website they recommend applying in R1, if you have the possibility, citing unusual competition in the 2nd round in recent years.

I include the deadlines below. Please go to their site at http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/application_deadlines.html for further details.

Application Deadlines for Class of 2013
(Entering Fall 2011)

Application Round:  1
Submit your application by:  October 6, 2010*
We will notify you on:  December 15, 2010**
Your reply & deposit are due by:  TBD

Application Round:  2
Submit your application by:  January 6, 2010*
We will notify you on:  March 30, 2010**
Your reply & deposit are due by:  TBD

Application Round:  3
Submit your application by:  April 6, 2011*
We will notify you on:  May 18, 2011**
Your reply & deposit are due by:  TBD

* Applications are due by 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

** On the decision notification date, you will be offered admission, denied admission, or offered a place in the waitpool.

Tags: MBA deadlines, Stanford

Stanford Graduate School of Business Essay Questions and Deadlines 2009-10

The structure of the essay set is the same as last year (same number of required questions with the option to choose from among the shorter essays). However, most of the short questions have changed. As always, Stanford places high priority on genuine stories that are written authentically. All schools do, but Stanford seems to be the most vocal about it. In a future post I will talk about what that authentic “voice” means in essay writing.

Below are the deadlines, questions, and my analyses.

For further details from the school’s website, please go to: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/essays.html

Deadlines (all 17:00 PT)

Round 1: October 7, 2009

Round 2: January 6, 2010

Round 3: April 7, 2010

Essay Questions

1. What matters most to you, and why?

This is Stanford’s all-time classic question as many of you know. It is designed to get to know you as well as possible: what you believe in, what values have driven you so far, what life achievements you have accomplished. Think of this is as the bigger picture, all-encompassing essay question rather than one that is focused on your work achievements, which you will have an opportunity to respond to in the short questions below. For this question, think about what you want the admissions committee to know about you as a person. In particular, if you have experienced hardship or overcome any personal obstacles, this is the place to talk about how those experiences have impacted you.

My advice for this essay: brainstorm the various key experiences that you have had in your life and find the common theme or value that underlies those experiences. That theme or value should be the answer to “what matters most to you.” It is far easier (and more natural) than to think of the value first and then try to squeeze or force personal examples to fit it.

2. What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?

This is the standard goals question. Stanford, like HBS, wants you to talk not just about specific career goals (e.g., specific type of position you want to obtain) but the hopes and vision that surround them (your mission, the ultimate big picture contribution you want to make).

Be sure to be very specific when discussing how Stanford’s program can help you. Stanford has a unique curriculum (which is constantly being updated), philosophy, student body, and geographic location. How will these resources provide you with what you need to learn? They want to make sure you’ve researched their program thoroughly.

Finally, one last word about this essay. I have seen people feeling compelled to start their essays with “I want to change the world.” This is because of Stanford’s slogan “Change Lives. Change Organizations. Change the World.” which is quite lovely. However, I believe it sounds a bit hokey to quote or incorporate their words into your essays. As writers always say, “Don’t tell; just show.” Discussing your realistically ambitious goals and real experience of having implemented change will be the most convincing way to show Stanford that you want to “change the world.”

3. Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

• Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.

They want to know about a successful leadership experience in this question. They want to know how your leadership of your team members produced better-than-expected results. This also shows the standard Stanford is holding you up to: they don’t want just good results, but results that went above and beyond.

While this is a leadership question, please be mindful of its particular focus: your ability to build or develop a team. This question is not necessarily looking for your talents in developing a plan, crunching numbers, or negotiating with outsiders. They want to know how you were able to motivate, guide and nurture your team members to deliver an impressive outcome.

• Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.

This question also shows what Stanford is looking for: your ability to leave a mark on an organization. Even more importantly, they are looking for an example of an impact you have made that has lasted over time. They are not interested in short-term effects but long-term ones. Perhaps you invented a specific model for a product in your company which to this day is still being sold, or being modeled by other companies. Or maybe you restructured a team who continues to benefit from those changes even years later.

• Option C: Tell us about a time when you motivated others to support your vision or initiative.

This is similar to the type of question that MIT typically asks, which has to do with your ability to persuade. This question is looking for a combination of interpersonal and intellectual skills.

Do you have an experience in which you needed to convince people to support an idea that you had? If so, how did you do it? Notice that Stanford doesn’t use the words “persuade” or “convince” but “motivate” instead. They’re looking for people who do not force or push others to see from their points of view, but rather try to inspire them into believing the same thing.

• Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

This is the only short question that they kept from last year. This is a question about innovative and pioneering abilities. When have you gone above and beyond? Appropriate examples could be doing something unconventional that has not been done before, creating something for the first time, performing at a level that is highly unusual because of your age, rank, etc.

Further instructions from Stanford’s site:

Essay Length

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words. Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.

• Essay 1: 750 words
• Essay 2: 450 words
• Essay 3: 300 words each

Formatting

• Use a 12-point font, double spaced
• Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each essay
• Number all pages
• Upload all four essays as one document
• Preview the uploaded document to ensure that the formatting is true to the original
• Save a copy of your essays