CMU Tepper 2012 MBA Application Questions, Deadlines, Tips.

CMU Tepper 2012 MBA Essay Questions

This CMU Tepper 2012 MBA Application tip post is one of a series of posts providing MBA application and essay advice for applicants to top MBA programs around the world. Check out the entire 2012 MBA Application Tips series for more valuable MBA essay advice.

A. What are your short term and long term goals? How will a Tepper MBA help you achieve these goals? (Please include any information regarding what steps you have taken to learn more about Tepper.)

Straight-forward MBA goals question. What do you want to do immediately after earning your MBA? What do you want to do 5-10 years down the road? Yes your longer term goals can be fuzzier, but you should be able to show clear direction. Be sure to include in your response how Tepper’s program (not ranking, reputation, or other generalities that apply to all top programs) will help you achieve your goals.

As you do your research, attend info sessions, and visit campuses, look for the distinctive pieces to any MBA program that appeal to you. Then use that data to demonstrate how well you know the program and what a great fit you are for the given school.

Regarding CMU, you may want to refer to its mini-semester structure or its MBA tracks and cross-campus curriculum. Explain how any or all of these elements will help you achieve your goal. If Tepper professors are prominent in your area of interest, discuss how their research jives with your professional interests. Your ability to connect these details and your goals builds a stellar goals essay.

B. The Tepper School’s culture relies on all members to be active contributors to our community. With your values, experiences, and interests, how will you make a unique contribution to the Tepper community? Your examples may include: classroom interaction, student activities, career development, community service, etc.

Show how you have contributed actively in the past to your team at work or on the field, to your community, club, class, or church. Did your suggestion enable the team to finish the project on time? Did you inspire and unite your teammates and lead them to unprecedented victory in college? Then, how will the qualities, values, and interests you developed or utilized during this experience enable you to contribute to Tepper’s community?

C. Please answer two of the following three questions or statements. Please clearly specify which questions you are answering. Your two answers should equal a total of two pages or less.

1. Describe an obstacle you have faced in your professional or academic life. How did you overcome this obstacle and how did it foster your development?

2. Describe a time in which your ethics were challenged. How did you deal with the situation and what did you learn from it?

3. One thing people would be surprised to know about me is . . .

Choose the two questions that enable you to present yourself at your best while complementing the required questions. You want each essay to present a different view of you and your talents. For more on this, please see “MBA Essays: You’ve Got Options!”

D. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? Note: if you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application.

Use this optional essay, or lose an opportunity to provide even more reasons for Tepper to admit you. Just don’t rehash information found elsewhere. That’s a waste of time — yours and your reader’s.

If you would like professional guidance with your CMU Tepper MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our CMU Tepper School Package, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Tepper MBA application.

CMU Tepper 2012 MBA Deadlines

Due Date:	Notification:
Oct 24, 2011	Dec 19, 2011
Jan 3, 2012	Mar 16, 2012
Mar 5, 2012	April 30, 2012
Apr 23, 2012*	May 25, 2012
Jun 1, 2012**	Rolling

*April 23, 2012 deadline is reserved for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents, as well as FlexTime and FlexMode candidates. International applicants for the FullTime MBA program must apply by March 5, 2012.

**June 01, 2012 deadline and after is reserved for FlexTime and FlexMode candidates only.

By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.