Be Specific About What You Want To Learn At Business School

by Stacy Blackman Consulting, Feb 9, 2011

What are you hoping to learn at business school?

Although this may appear to be a simple question, many candidates often have a very hard time responding to it. When we attended our undergraduate university, interviewers may have asked us about what major we were considering, but in those situations we could normally use a fairly broad answer.

In an MBA program, were all business majors, so we have to have a more refined message to stand out from other applicants. Its not enough to say, I want to learn more about corporation finance and investments. You will need to learn about each of those areas.

Instead of being broader in your answers, you will need to focus in order to show that you are a serious candidate who has determined that an MBA program is the right step in their career. To some individuals, an MBA program is just a name to add to their transcript. However, understand that these admissions members spend thousands of hours creating materials and standing in front of students. You had better have a grasp on what you want to learn.

If you have a specific strength in your application, you may choose to focus even more on this. You may have worked in finance for the last five years, but have decided that you want to further your knowledge of a new sales channel development because of an idea you had. As another example, you may have areas youve identified as weaknesses in your resume. Perhaps youve served as an accountant for a number of years and have developed a deep understanding of numbers. However, in order to join the Private Equity industry after an MBA program, you want to learn more about business law.

Consider the kinds of articles you read and talk about these topics in your essays. You may want to discuss your interests in an essay like this:

Im interested in the ways brands like Google have been introduced to new markets and international countries.

I have seen the influence of incentives on behavior and I want to understand them as a executive tool.

I am encouraged by the way premier companies such as Starbucks are able to maintain their service.

Admissions committee members are sure to notice your targeted and specific interests in the overwhelming sea of big picture statements and ambiguous goals they are used to being presented with.

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more.

Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.