Think inside the box

The increasing competitiveness of the MBA applicant pool has prompted many business schools to experiment with application questions that feature optional multimedia formats and video interviews in addition to traditional essay questions.

B-school applications are famously punishing. Typically they involve test scores, academic records, several sets of recommendations, an interview and standard essay questions.

In recent years, however, many schools have introduced a ‘third essay' that asks students to express themselves creatively using PowerPoint slides, PDF files, or video.

It was not until the mid to late 1990s that most B-schools began encouraging candidates to interview for a spot. But as the number of applications to MBA programmes continues to climb, admission officers must collect ever more information about candidates to determine who are most deserving of entry.

"It's getting harder and harder for admissions officers to separate the good from the great and so they need more material to make a call," says Scott Shrum, Director of MBA Admissions Research, Veritas Prep, the admissions consulting company.

Stock essay questions such as ‘Why do you want to get an MBA?' or ‘Which global issue is most important to you?' often elicit pretentious or exaggeratedly earnest answers.

"Admissions officers roll their eyes because all the essays start to sound the same," says Shrum. "But multimedia offers a free-form element that invites a fun, personal response. The goal of the admissions office is to get to know the applicant better. In the age of YouTube, video is now a real possibility."

The move toward multimedia is also perhaps a way to reduce cheating in the application process, whereby a potential student pays handsomely for essay writing services and interview coaching.

But, says Shrum, an essay that is too polished and not authentic is just as problematic as a video response that's scripted or overly prepared.

Kurt Ahlm, Senior Director of Admissions, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, says that since the school launched its third essay in 2008, he's seen a variety of responses — from colourful, finely designed charts and data to one PowerPoint slide with five bullet points. "The point is, there's not one approach."

Ahlm says that while the other two essays are "valuable", they are also "somewhat programmed". "This blank paper is a way to get students to step outside of their comfort zone. It's an opportunity to round out the application and add depth."

However, James Holmen, who heads the admissions office at University of Indiana's Kelley School of Business, has not considered allowing a multimedia option because, he says, "the [application] process we have now works really well for us".

"My concern with the multimedia option format is: would [the admissions committee] be getting a good sense of who the applicants are and what they bring to the table, or would they be swayed by style over substance?"