lynchpin909 wrote:Any comments so far on the new single essay qualification for Harvard and other essay revisions at Wharton and others? I'm wondering what would be a reasonable length for a single essay?

It's a huge change for applicants but a welcome one, I think. The obvious answer to your question is 400-700 words max. Adcoms don't want to have to read any more than that and the idea is, always, to be CONCISE. What's your main attribute? Tell a story that shows it.

400 words? I don't think so. 700 is reasonable but it could certainly be a bit longer. As much as everyone likes brevity, I think the HBS adcoms will be prepared for something longer than the short essay format. Just make sure it's interesting!

I think the idea here is to precis your information making sure you express your long-term career goal, how you intend use your new MBA skills to improve on the present situation in your field and how much you really want to succeed in order to do so. Vision and change.

Yes! With the emphasis on how important it is to you to succeed by improvement. I think they'll be sensitive to an ethical approach considering the bad rap finance has gotten in the last few years. It's not so much movers and shakers now as service and reform. But I could be wrong....

I'm not sure the HBS people are after the same stuff that the old essays covered. I think they're looking for something different, a personal story about growth - a learning experience, character development or insight into yourself. Like they say, something not obvious from the rest of your app. But I wouldn't go back too far.

I agree. By now, we should all have a story about how we screwed up or made mistaken assumptions or took some sudden initiative and succeeded beyond our expectations, and ended up the wiser for it. Maybe this is the time for that story. Without a word limit you could go in to some detail.

I don't know about the personal approach. Maybe if it's topical and related to your work experience... It's supposed to take the place of the old essays which covered specific ground so I think you should stick more or less with the information they've asked for in the past.

We'll just have to wait until the results come in to get the skinny on the single essay. It won't be long now. I expect there will be samples available right after the first acceptances are out. It's a pioneering move, Harvard style.

The changes in the application process - single essay, videos, video interviews - are a real sea change. They show initiative (!) on the part of the adcoms and give applicants a chance to be much more creative than before, finally. Everyone benefits.

I did this test last year and found it very helpful. I want to recommend it to a friend who will be applying this year and I'm wondering if it is up to date with the latest application changes.

Not as far as I could see. At least not when I did it a few months ago. Then most of the schools were still asking for at least two written essays. They should change their format quickly if they haven't done so already.

Yes. There have been quite a few changes in application requirements. Seems some of the video set-ups are not easily accessed - Obamacare anyone? - but everyone should be aware of exactly what's asked for from now on and do a few test runs for these video connections.

Don't know if you can do a 'test run' for the video question. Once you get connected you're on. You have a couple of chances to get what you think is satisfactory, if that's what you mean.

I know you have the chance to redo in the video essay. I just meant do a trial run at home or with a friend to see how you look and sound in a video.

Agreed. It could be a big surprise seeing yourself on camera.