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The Tepper 2013-2014 Application
Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University has made available its online application for the Class of 2016. Below we will review the application deadlines, essay requirements, and other information pertinent to applicants.
2013-2014 Application Deadlines
Round 1: Applications due October 7, 2013
Round 2: Applications due January 2, 2014*
*All international applicants encouraged to apply by Round 2
Round 3: Applications due March 15, 2014
Essay Requirements
Tepper has significantly revised their essay prompts from the previous years. Last year, Tepper required all applicants to complete four essay prompts, whereas this year they have separated their essay topics into two short answer prompts and three essay prompts that address applicants’ goals, ability to make an impact, personal/professional values, and capacity to contribute to the Tepper community. The essay prompts will appear on the Tepper application as they do below:
Short Answer 1 (Maximum 250 words): What is your professional goal immediately following graduation from the Tepper School?
Short Answer 2 (Maximum 250 words): What are your long term career goals?
Essay 1 (Maximum 500 words): What transferrable skills have you developed that are related to your professional goals outlined in Short Answer 1? Additionally, identify the skills that you will need to develop or enhance. Specifically, how will the Tepper MBA help you develop these skills?
Essay 2 (Maximum 300 words): Describe a defining moment in your life and explain how it shaped you as a person.
Essay 3 (Maximum 300 words): How will your presence in the Tepper MBA program benefit your fellow students? How will you contribute to the school as a student and as an alumnus?
Optional Essay (Maximum 500 words): Is there anything else that you think we should know as we evaluate your application?
Although Tepper has notably changed the format and content of the prompts, the maximum allowable word count has remained fairly steady, as have the overarching qualities and characteristics that the questions seek to attain from prospective Tepper students. Namely, the short answer questions pertain to applicants’ broader goals; Essay 1 addresses applicants’ ability to grow and develop skill necessary for success; Essay 2 seeks to delve deeper into personal and/or professional values; and finally, Essay 3 asks to define how the applicant will impact the Tepper community as a future student.
The Optional Essay, which gives applicants a generous amount of space for explanation, is worded very broadly, leaving the grounds open for applicants to not only explain extenuating circumstances such as low test scores and gaps in work, but also strengths or other skills not mentioned elsewhere in the application. The Optional Essay should be approached cautiously though and used only in appropriate circumstances.
Submitting a Resume and Employment History
Resumes can be uploaded onto the online application and must be limited to two pages. In addition, applicants must fill out a separate section on work history on the online application, listing a current employer, job title, annual salary, and bonus or commission, followed by the five most recent previous employers (and a cumulative amount of work experience listed in number of months). Finally, applicants must answer questions further pertaining to employment, such as whether an employer or another organization will be financially sponsoring the applicant and whether the applicant is associated with other public organizations (US Military, Peace Corps, Americorps, Forte Foundation, and Teach For America).
Other Required Information
In addition to the information above, all applicants must supply two letters of recommendation, one of which should be from a professional relationship (ideally from a current supervisor); unofficial transcripts of all academic work; official GRE or GMAT score (only the highest score is necessary to report); a valid TOEFL or IELTS score for international applicants; and a $200 application fee.