Haas 2006 MBA Application

[Updated July  7, 2008: The 2009 Haas MBA application deadlines, questions and my tips for those questions are now available in the new blog at Haas 2009 Full-time MBA Application.]

[Updated May 24, 2006: The 2007 Haas MBA application deadlines, questions and my tips for those questions are now available in the new blog at Haas 2007 Full-time MBA Application.]

UC Berkeley Haas 2006 Full-time MBA Application has been out and I haven't commented on it first the deadlines. Deadline requires submission of application, GMAT, and TOEFL.

Now the questions. (My comments are in red.):

Haas Fall 2006 Essay Questions

Listed below are the supplemental questions, short answer questions, required essays, and optional essays that you will need to provide when completing the Fall 2006 application.

Supplemental Questions:

   1. If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain; otherwise, enter N/A.

Pretty straightforward. This is for primarily for those of you who don't want to tell your boss you are leaving. Keep it short and sweet.

   2. List in order of importance all community & professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Indicate the nature of the activity or organization, dates of involvement, offices held, & average number of hours spent per month.
   3. Please explain all gaps in your employment since earning your university degree.

Provide the explanation, but again, be succinct. If you were laid off for three months as part of a restructuring, say so. No harm, no foul. If the layoff was much longer, try to also indicate how you spent your time, other than job-searching. Community involvement or extra-curricular activity, if true, would be great to mention briefly here.

  4. List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies, indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree.
   5. If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.)

Please, please, please don't "forget" to respond to this question if it applies to you. It's far worse to forget, than to answer it.

Short Answer:

   1. What is your favorite quote, and why is it meaningful to you? (250 word maximum)

The why is much more important than the what. If you can tie the reason to a specific experience, your essay will be more powerful.
   2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)

You don't have a lot of room here. Describe it. Show your impact through a succinct use of numbers.
   3. At Haas, we value individual differences. Beyond nationality or citizenship, what makes you unique compared to other MBA applicants? (250 word maximum)

How can you uniquely contribute. What talents, interests, experience, and perspective are you going to bring that most of your colleages lack.
   4. If you have visited Haas, please let us know what about your visit made the most lasting impression on you. If you have not visited Haas, what steps have you taken to familiarize yourself with our MBA program? (250 word maximum)

This essay should complement the required essay 2 and probably focus more on outside-the-classroom aspects of Haas. Haas is very proud of its community.

Required Essays:

   1. Give us an example of a time when you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)

When have others followed you? When have you taken initiative and persuaded others to go in your footsteps? Discuss the impact you had, the challenges you faced, and how you overcame them.
   2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)

Standard goals question. How do your goals flow from your professional experience? What are you short-term and long-term goals? How will the Haas MBA at this point in time  help you achieve your goals.
Optional Essays:

   1. (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)

A bonus!  If there is some facet of your experience, be it professional, academic or personal, that you have not discussed elsewhere, include it here. Give them another reason to admit you.  And  , should be something, but don't submit the grand summary, appeal, or closing statement. Keep it focused and cogent. Obviously, you could use this essay to explain a weakness, but that would leave your application ending on a weakness, which is less than optimal. Try to fit the explanation in somewhere else in the app or if necessary tuck the weakness into this  essay, but have the main focus of this essay be something positive.  An Example: Your pride in working your way through undergrad, the challenges, and the ultimate satisfaction of learning to manage your time.  This essay will explain a slightly less than stellar GPA; it won't justify a 2.0.

   2. (Optional) If you wish to be considered for the Haas Achievement Award (for individuals who have achieved success in spite of significant economic, educational, health-related and/or obstacles), please use this space to address the obstacles you have overcome. (750 word maximum)

Include enough description of the obstacle so the reader understands its magnitude, but then focus on how well you have overcome and achieved despite the challenge.