CA專訪top-15 MBA Adcom系列: Tuck - 工管

大家好！CA最近完成了一系列的MBA Adcom Directors一對一專訪，在這幾個星
期內會把所有專訪的內容公佈在我們的網站上。我們也會在這裡PO每個專訪的小片段（因
為整個訪問內容太長不方便全部PO，請見諒！）。 一旦我們在Clear Admit網站上公佈所
有內容， 一定會跟大家update.

現在， 請先看專訪系列的下一位訪問對象：

Dartmouth (Tuck) Director of MBA Admissions: Dawna Clarke (DC)





CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application
specifically? What are you looking for as you read the essays? Are there
common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? One key thing they
should keep in mind as they sit down to write them?


DC: I would say – this is going to sound like common sense – but I would
encourage applicants to make sure they are answering the question we asked.
Sometimes a candidate may be more interested in telling us what's on their
agenda and less interested in answering the question asked.

I find tangible anecdotes, examples and vignettes to be an effective "vivid"
way to articulate a point. So instead of saying, "I have a global
perspective," applicants might talk about a time they worked abroad or
traveled abroad.

Also, I would avoid quotations. We see a fair amount of those. “As Thomas
Jefferson said,” that kind of thing. I am more interested in what the
applicant thinks and less about what other people think.

I would definitely proofread. Do not say in your application, "Here are the
three reasons I would be interested in Harvard." It's not always Harvard,
but it does happen. Proofread.

Finally, before you do the essays, really think about the questions and try
to prioritize the most important things you want to convey to the admission
committee. Don't go into unnecessary detail – keep it a little bit more big
picture.

Actually, I think sometimes applicants worry too much about the essays and
not enough about the application as a whole. It is a holistic process and we
are looking at the essays and the application and the letters of
recommendation and the interview and the GMAT scores – really everything all
together. The best thing applicants can do is do well in their current jobs
and be savvy about who they ask to write their letters of recommendation. I
would also encourage students to really take the time to visit the top
schools they are interested in. Business school is such an important
investment in your future that I think you really what to see where you will
be. Campus visits also provide us with opportunities to get to know people.

Here at Tuck we put such a high premium on interpersonal skills,
communications skills. So during visits to campus prospective applicants can
ask questions, we can ask questions – the more information we have, the
better decision we can make.


Stay tuned for more interview excerpts from the admissions directors of other
top MBA programs!


Best,
Kevin
[email protected]


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Kevin Chen
Senior Admissions Counselor, Clear Admit LLC (http://www.clearadmit.com/)
Stanford Graduate School of Business, class of 2005
Harvard Kennedy School of Government, class of 2000
Princeton University, class of 1994
Previous work experiences: McKinsey; NBA; Reuters

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