2013-2014耶鲁大学MBA申请essay topic分析

Following up on last week’s announcement of the Yale School of Management’s essay questions for the 2013-2014 admissions cycle, we wanted to provide applicants with some thoughts and advice on the new essay set.  Yale has significantly shortened its essay requirements this year, reducing the number of mandatory essays from four to two and the total word count from 1,050 to 750.  Director of Admissions Bruce Delmonico noted on his blog that the questions themselves are “a little more open-ended,” adding that all applicants will also be required to respond to video questions—which have yet to be released—as part of the application process.

Now let’s take a closer look at each essay prompt:

Essay 1: What motivates your decision to pursue an MBA? (300 words maximum)

This essay invites applicants to discuss their reasons for pursuing an MBA, identifying the knowledge and skills they hope to gain during business school.  Considering that the adcom has allotted only 300 words for this essay, applicants will need to be clear and concise in explaining the factors that have informed their decision to apply for an MBA.  Inability to progress in an organization’s hierarchy, desire to change career paths, and stagnation of one’s learning curve are all viable responses here.  In addition, while the question does not directly call for it, applicants should consider including a brief explanation of their short-term and long-term career goals so as to give the reader a clearer understanding of their broader rationale for applying to Yale SOM.

分析：在这篇要求申请者讲出自己为什么申请MBA的文章中，申请者需要指出自己希望通过就读商学院所能收获的知识和技能。考虑到文章字数有限，只有300字，因此申请者在解释决定自己申请MBA的众多因素时务必做到表达清晰且简洁。想在职场发展中更进一步，想改变职业道路，想丰富自己的知识背景，都是可行的答案。另外，申请者可以在essay中讲一讲自己的短期和长期职场目标，虽然essay并没有直接问到这方面，但这方面的内容会给读者一个更宽更清晰的脉络来理解你的申请动机。
Essay 2: The Yale School of Management provides leadership education for broad-minded, rigorous, and intellectually curious students with diverse backgrounds; a distinctive integrated curriculum; connections to one of the great research universities in the world; and the broad reach of an innovative and expanding global network of top business schools.
What motivates you to apply to the Yale School of Management for your MBA? What will you contribute to Yale and Yale SOM? (450 words maximum)
In asking this question, Yale is trying to get a picture of an applicant’s knowledge, interests, and perspective on the world, along with an understanding of how these attributes motivate his or her application to Yale and how they would impact the Yale culture and community.  
When addressing the first aspect of this prompt—essentially, “Why Yale?”—applicants will need to convince the SOM adcom of their genuine interest in the program by showcasing a detailed knowledge of the school’s offerings, such as particular classes and clubs.  Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities—whether through a campus visit, conversations with current students, or reading Clear Admit’s Yale SOM School Guide—will pay dividends here.
As for the second part of the prompt, while anyone can argue that he or she could bring a unique perspective to the classroom; candidates will be well served by conducting deeper reflection on how they would contribute to Yale, with the ultimate goal of offering insight into the factors that differentiate them from others in the applicant pool. Discussing some focused ways that one’s skills and experiences would affect the school’s community (in a modest manner, of course) can really bolster a response here, since the adcom is sincerely looking for applicants who will change the program for the better. Again, familiarity with the SOM community and program will help applicants paint a truly compelling picture the ways in which they would impact Yale.
分析：Yale想通过这篇essay了解申请者过去的知识背景、兴趣和世界观，以及申请者如何理解这些因素对自己申请MBA的塑造和影响。Yale方面还可以通过申请者在这些方面的展示了解你是否能为Yale的文化和团体做出贡献。在阐述此问题的第一部分，即why yale的时候，申请者最好能够展示出自己对学校详细充分的了解，比如有哪些特色的课程、俱乐部等等。花时间去了解学校的课程设置，项目特色和课外活动都会在这个部分有所加分，而无论是通过访问校园，与学生交流，还是阅读学校的招生指南，都是了解学校的有效方法。至于本题的第二部分，其实每个人都能讲出自己的独特之处，因此将自己与其他人相区别的关键之处就在于申请者如何为学校做出贡献。讲讲自己的能力和经历能为学校带来的具体的影响（当然，要以谦和的方式）是真的能够为申请加分，因为招生委员们也是在寻找那些能使学校变得更好的人。当然，加深自己对学校和项目的了解能够使你更好地阐述你所能为学校做些什么。