Following up on the release of the Georgetown MBA essays for 2015-2016 — and our recent interview with Associate Dean of MBA Admissions Shari Hubert — we wanted to take a closer look at the program’s essay prompts and offer our analysis for applicants targeting McDonough’s Class of 2018. Georgetown’s essay section has remained the same as last admissions season. In our interview with Dean Hubert, she reported that the adcom was pleased with the insight that the required essay offered into candidates’ personal histories and motivations for pursuing a McDonough MBA. With just one open-ended required response, applicants will need to think carefully about what to highlight (and what to consider reserving for one of the school’s two optional essays). Let’s look at each of the Georgetown MBA essay prompts for 2015-2016: Essay 1: Why You? (Hint: we are looking for an answer that cannot be found from research on our website; 750 words)
This unusually terse prompt can be taken to imply the expanded question “Why [should we admit] you [to our program over other interesting and well qualified applicants]?” Once unpacked, this query reads like a fairly straightforward question about the applicant’s interest in, knowledge about, and potential to contribute to the MBA community. According to our interview with Dean Hubert, candidates will have the opportunity to explain their short- and long-term career goals elsewhere in their application materials. Therefore, their remarks in this essay should focus on the interests and values behind those goals, as well as the applicant’s reasons for seeking an MBA and for applying to McDonough in particular. Of course, the adcom will also be eager to hear about the impact that the candidate expects to make on the MBA community, both in the classroom and through extracurricular participation. Akin to essays that ask the applicant to introduce oneself to one’s classmates, this essay should strike a balance between highlighting the elements of one’s personal background that would enhance the diversity of the incoming class, and explaining how these experiences and values make the candidate a strong fit with the program’s culture.
The hint that accompanies this essay has a two-pronged implication. First, the adcom wants to learn about the person behind the application, about what their past experiences have taught them about leadership and collaboration, and how this will map onto their time at Georgetown. Dean Hubert commented in our interview that the most effective essays were ones in which the applicant was able to be open and vulnerable — while also tying personal disclosures into the broader domains of career and community. The McDonough adcom seeks students who value diversity and who are inclined to put the good of their fellow students ahead of their personal advancement. And, like the larger Georgetown University, the school also aligns itself with the Jesuit tradition and the focus on reflection, service, and intellectual inquiry. Effective responses will share something about what’s truly important to the applicant, why this value stands out for them, and how this will inform their engagement with peers at Georgetown. The second thing that we glean from the essay hint is that McDonough is particularly interested in applicants who have gone beyond the website and made an effort to learn about the program by visiting the campus or reaching out to students, alumni, and even faculty. The more the applicant has done to learn about the program and understand its values, the more effectively she will be able to write about how Georgetown’s offerings connect with her goals and interests. Demonstrating this level of knowledge will therefore be important to an effective response. While the adcom seems to indicate that they’re not interested in a list of clubs and courses pulled from the program website, they would likely welcome a thoughtful response that identifies those elements of the curriculum and student organizations that most stand out as places where the applicant could add value and enhance the experience of his or her classmates. The key will be to highlight those aspects that fit most closely with your goals and values, keeping the emphasis on your potential contribution (rather than ways you might stand to benefit professionally). Optional Essay 1: If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)
This is a straightforward prompt that should only be answered by applicants who are not employed full-time at the time they submit their application materials. The adcom will be looking to see that the applicant is doing more than job-hunting or passively waiting around to get into b-school. This essay is a place to discuss volunteer activities, pro-bono work, and professional development endeavors such as conferences or trainings. Optional Essay 2: Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)
While the wording of this prompt is fairly open-ended, Dean Hubert indicated during our conversation that the adcom values this essay most highly as a place for applicants to proactively anticipate and address potential liabilities in their candidacies. These might include extenuating circumstances surrounding undergraduate grades, plans to bolster one’s quantitative skills before enrolling, or reasons for not providing a recommendation from a direct supervisor. Candidates with potential areas of concern should definitely use this response to address those. While the word limit here is 500, responses about extenuating circumstances should be as brief and straightforward as possible. All of that said, candidates who feel they have something more to say here should consider (1) whether the information will make a substantive, positive difference in their candidacy, and (2) whether they had an opportunity to share it elsewhere in their data forms or essays. Given the open-ended nature of the program’s required response, we think it’s unlikely that there’s much an applicant could say that simply wouldn’t work in response to Essay 1. We therefore recommend that candidates refrain from providing “bonus” content in this essay and instead respond only to address a weakness. Re-Applicant Essay: How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally. (500 words or fewer)
This essay invites reapplicants to comment on a few dimensions in which they’ve improved and become stronger applicants to the Georgetown MBA program. Concretely, this might involve retaking the GMAT or enrolling in additional coursework to better demonstrate quantitative proficiency, or taking on a new project or added responsibility in the workplace. Meanwhile, the focus on growth in this prompt suggests that the adcom wants to know what the applicant has learned from these efforts (and potentially from the failure of last year’s application), as well as the ways one is positioned to make a more meaningful or substantive contribution in the classroom and the larger McDonough community. | 
