IMD MBA Essays Analysis，2010-2011

1. Please give us your short term career goal post MBA (up to 5 years). Describe how the IMD MBA will help you achieve this goal and how you will approach your job search. (380 words)

This one year program focuses on leadership development and works on ‘Real World. Real Learning’ approach. With ample resources for general management, the program aims to equip you with the tools to lead multinational work forces. Even if you do not mention the exact roles you see yourself in post MBA, discuss about your career progression and the broad direction you would like to take up after an MBA. How can IMD’s unique learning models and projects benefit you? . Get to know more about the school, especially career services. Get in touch with admissions office, current students, recent graduates and study IMD’s Career placement results.

2. What do you consider to be your single most important achievement and why? (230 words)

IMD’s class typically consists of students with many years of experience. Therefore, it is advisable to take up one solid professional accomplishment or a personal achievement geared towards your goals. Mention what kind of results you achieved, and give an idea of why do you consider this achievement exceptional? Example – did you challenge your personal boundaries, or accomplished success despite resistance from others. . It is a short piece, so get into the main body of the essay, limiting the introduction to just a line or so.

3. Two situations of importance to you (230 words)

Take up examples from different realms. If one is professional, take the other issue of social/personal relevance to you. Since the question prompt only says ’situations’, you have a liberty. Select any situation that brings out traits like maturity, goal orientation, team skills and leadership ability. Give equal emphasis to both situations in terms of words devoted.

4. Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it. (230 words)

An honest account of a failure is important. However, what is more important is how well you analyzed your failure and what lessons you drew from it. Be clear about the objective you started out with, your role, what you think you did not do correctly and therefore what you learnt from it. Are you now equipped to handle such situations in a better way?

5. Describe a situation where you had to demonstrate strong leadership skills. Explain how effective you were and what you learned. (230 words)

Think about a situation where you had to pitch in as a leader. What were the expectations from you, your team’s objectives, and the difficulties before the team? Explain what you did as a leader to solve these problems, for instance, it may have been a situation of having to reconcile differing viewpoints of senior team members. What aspects of leadership do you think you demonstrated and what did you learn from the incident – it could even be with respect to what you think you could have done better as the leader if you were in a similar situation again.

6. How do you imagine your superior would describe your strengths and weaknesses to someone who does not know you? (230 words)

Be honest and keep the tone balanced. Pick points which you can substantiate as having demonstrated in practical situations involving working with your superior. Given the word limit, limit to 2-3 strengths and 1-2 weakness/es. Also, try to incorporate a range of attributes such as those showing your working style, ethics, interpersonal relationships, functional abilities. Since the Adcom wants to know you, use this answer to put across varied and interesting information about yourself.

7. Describe a situation where you successfully worked across cultures and/or nations. (230 words)

IMD has a highly cross cultural class composition. Therefore, the Adcom wants to see how well you will be able to adapt to such an environment and add positively to people belonging to different cultures/age groups and professional backgrounds. Share an instance where you faced trouble dealing in a cross cultural team. How did you face those initial problems and overcame them? In the process, did you master the art of working in diverse groups?

8. IMD receives numerous applications per year. Give us four bullet points that clearly differentiate you from this applicant pool. (230 words)

What are your outstanding qualities which you can justify in a brief bullet point as well? For instance, it could be your excellent client management skills which you can prove by stating briefly how you added several new clients to your company’s portfolio. Can you also give a comparitive view of your abilities/ attributes, vis -a- vis the rest of your peers? And remember, BRIEF is the key word.

9. If you are not admitted, what alternatives will you consider? (230 words)

Do not get into an analysis of why you were not admitted. Instead focus on what you see yourself doing – be it continuing in the same role/ considering a career change/ supplementing your experience with any other qualifications. Show clarity and focus in terms of overall career goals and career moves. You can also decide if you want to state that you have applied to other schools and would join any of them if accepted there.