How To Shine In MBA Video Essays

Yale, Kellogg, McCombs, Sloan and other top business schools are now asking applicants to complete a brief video response. Some schools give you the option of creating a video to personalize your essay response, and others ask you to complete a mini-interview online as part of your application. This can seem stressful, but is actually a great opportunity for you to personalize your candidacy. Here are tips to help you excel in MBA video responses:

• Control the Environment.

Please make sure that your technology works well. Test the sound on your computer, angle the camera in a flattering way (so that they don’t just see your nose) and set up in a completely quiet, neutral location. You don’t want intrusions from barking dogs or ringing phones, and you also don’t want them to see your Justin Bieber poster in the background. Also, please wear a suit. These environmental tips apply to Skype interviews as well.

• Practice Your Core Interview Responses.

Although you can’t predict everything that the school will ask (please see the next bullet) you can be pretty sure that they will ask you at least one fundamental question about your goals and/or your interest in the school. At the very least you should practice articulating your short and long term goals, your need for an MBA, and your reasons for wanting to attend their school.

• Do Your Research.

As my clients know, I am generally VERY opposed to applicants reading the forums. This is one of the few exceptions – there are only a limited number of questions that the schools ask in the pre-recorded interview prompts, and people do seem to post them online. I still encourage you to start with the school’s websites (Kellogg tells you what one of the questions is, and also asks a more esoteric one, which varies. Yale is more vague but still gives you good tips.) Nevertheless, as long as you can take the forums with a grain of salt, reading them may help you to get a feel for the types of questions that you are likely to encounter.

• Be Friendly and Positive.

Even though you may be nervous, it’s really important to project enthusiasm. Please be sure to smile, and keep your answers positive. Schools are adding videos in part to get a gut feeling for your interpersonal skills – this is not the time to play it cool! You want them to get the impression that you are warm, nice and excited about the opportunity to connect with them. If you have the choice between submitting a written essay and recording a video I suggest the video. It’s easier to make a memorable impact, and shows effort.

• Keep This in Context.

The video responses are just one small part of the process, and are a neutral part of the application for most candidates. They are also relatively new, and although schools are looking for a base level of poise and preparation they are not trying to trip you up. Think of the video responses as a great opportunity for you to differentiate yourself. MBA video essays can definitely enhance your candidacy, especially if you can relax and let your personality shine through.

Karen has more than 12 years of experience evaluating candidates for admission to Dartmouth College and to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Since founding North Star Admissions Consulting in 2012, she has helped applicants gain admission to the nation’s top schools, including Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Wharton, MIT, Tuck, Columbia, Kellogg, Booth, Haas, Duke, Johnson, Ross, NYU, UNC, UCLA, Georgetown and more. Clients have been awarded more than $47 million dollars in scholarships, and more than 98% have gotten into one of their top choice schools.