Essays *
School of Business MBA questions:
All candidates will be required to write School of Business essay questions 1 and 2. Depending on your intended career specialization, you will write questions 3 and 4 for your particular program. Essay 5 is optional in which you may address any topics and/or issues not communicated in your application materials in which you feel would benefit the admissions committee to know about you. Total length of your essays should not exceed 6 pages type written, single space is acceptable.
1. Explain why you are interested in pursuing your MBA and the specific career specialization at this point in your life. Specifically, how will this degree impact your future career and describe your professional short term career goals (immediately following the MBA).
2. Tell us about a time you faced either a challenge or set back (professional or personal) in your life. Explain the situation, what happened and what did you learn or gain from the experience.
The following questions are specific to your career specialization. Based on the career specialization you selected please address questions 3 and 4:
Arts Administration
3. Describe the specific skills and abilities you hope to gain from the graduate degree program in Arts Administration, and the skills and abilities you would bring to the program.
4. Identify and describe a key issue facing the marketing, management, development, creation, or support of arts and culture today. Explain why you think this is a critical issue to arts administrators, and provide your recommendations as to how this issue might be addressed. Include specific examples from your own experience if applicable.
Corporate Finance & Investment Banking
3. Please describe why you should be admitted to the Corporate Finance & Investment Banking (CFIB) program, and why you believe CFIB is a good fit for you.
4. Identify and list three critical financial issues affecting businesses today. Select one issue to discuss in depth. Discuss why you think this is a critical issue and provide your recommendations as to how this issue may be resolved.
Applied Security Analysis
3. Why specifically do you believe you are a good fit for a career in money management?
4. Please describe your history of interest or participation in the area of investments.
Brand and Product Management
3. What personal qualities and past experiences have most directly influenced your decision to begin your career in brand management? Following up on the first question regarding career goals, given your personal interests, what would be one of your "dream" product management positions (industry, company, or product, etc.) immediately after your MBA? What do you see yourself doing in the longer term (ten to fifteen years out of MBA program)?
4. Give an example of a product that is marketed particularly well. Why? What is an example of a product that is not marketed well? What would you do to improve it?
Marketing Research
3. Please describe any research you conducted on graduate programs and career choices. Why did this lead you to choose the A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research? What specific types of industries and marketing research responsibilities are you most interested in pursuing after graduation?
4. What do you think it takes to be successful in marketing research? Why? How does your past experience demonstrate your ability to be successful as a marketing research professional?
Operations and Technology Management
3. Briefly describe three critical operations or technology management-related issues facing global businesses today (you may narrow this down to an industry with which you are familiar). Also describe why you think they are critical, and what you as a manager could do to address them.
4. Why are you, and what made you, interested in operations and/or technology management?
Real Estate
3. Why are you interested in Real Estate as your area of concentration? What specific aspects of real estate most interest you, and why?
4. What specific qualities and skills do you bring to the study and practice of real estate? Given your short and long run goals (Question #1), in which qualities and skills do you think you need strengthening? How do you see your development in the next two years? Please be as specific and concrete as possible.
Risk Management and Insurance
3. Who are the individuals and/or what are the events in your life that have led to your specific interest in pursuing a degree in risk management and insurance? Please explain.
4. In what area of risk management and insurance are you most interested? Provide a discussion of the current key issues associated with this field and the skills you bring to efforts in addressing those issues. Be as specific as possible.
Strategic Human Resources
3. To follow up on the question regarding your career goals, what type of organization would you like to work for and what would your roles and responsibilities be there? Now, jumping ahead another 15 to 20 years, please consider the same questions. What would you like to be doing and in what kind of organization? Finally, in what way or in what area of SHRM do you hope to make your biggest mark and why?
4. Thinking of the plans you just described, what are your reasons for choosing to do an MBA in SHRM at the University of Wisconsin? What is it about our program that will help you achieve your goals? What are the advantages and disadvantages of our program relative to other programs for what you would like to do?
Strategic Management in the Life and Engineering Sciences
3. In what ways have you been significantly influenced by your scientific and technical background? How have these influences shaped your career and personal objectives?
4. SMILES graduates will likely work with, at, and define the forefront of organizations where leading-edge science and business knowledge intersect. How might such roles have implications for public policy, environmental sustainability, or other broad social issues?
Supply Chain Management
3. List three critical supply chain management challenges facing business today and select one to discuss in depth. Explain why the issue is important, including suggestions for how to address this challenge and examples from your own experience if applicable.
4. Successfully managing a business’ supply chain requires continuous innovation and leadership. What personal qualities and experiences will make you an effective leader in this field? What skills and experiences do you hope to gain and/or improve from the Grainger Center and MBA program?
Optional Essay
- You may include an additional essay of which the topic is your choice. It is typically used to cover any issues you may want to address to the admissions committee that is not already covered in your application. This essay is not required.
Step 6 : Application >>