Inside the MBA for Executives Application: How to Answer Video Questions

The introduction of an optional video question to this year’s MBA for Exectives application gives students a chance to share more about their personal journeys to business school. Here are some tips from the admissions team on making the most of this opportunity:

• Perfection isn’t necessary: “We're not looking for absolutely perfect content or filming quality,” says Keith Gallinelli, director of admissions for the MBA for Executives program. “This is really an opportunity for us to get to know you a little better, and for you to show us something we may not have seen from the rest of your application.”
• Take your time: “You'll have unlimited opportunities to go through practice questions,” Gallinelli says. “Once you actually start the process, you do get one pass through it, with up to 90 seconds to record your answer.”
• Be specific: If you choose to talk about a favorite undergraduate course, Gallinelli says, make sure to take your analysis “to the next step. How did it impact your future life? How did it influence what you ended up studying in college, your first jobs, things like that?”
• Share your story: “We want to get to know you personally,” says David Daniel, associate director of operations and marketing for the MBA for Executives program. “Some of these questions might be related to things you might not expect in an application for business school.”
• There are no wrong answers: “We’re not looking for specific answers; we’re not looking for you to tell us what you think we want to hear,” says Daniel. “We really want to know your genuine, candid, authentic responses.”