Columbia has released its 2010 MBA essay questions, which are identical to last years; I've tweaked my comments (in red) a little.

In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully.

Dual Degree applicants: Please address the following questions within your response to Essay 1: How will the Dual Degree enhance your short-term or long-term goals?

Reapplicants: If you have applied to Columbia Business School within the past year, you are required to submit only the reapplication essay. If your last application was more than one year ago, you must answer essays 1, 2, and 3.

Essay 1

What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)

This is a forward-looking goals question. While you should include events and experiences that contributed to the development of your goals, the bulk of the essay should be about the future. What do you want to do immediately after completing your MBA? 5 years later? How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? And be specific!

Essay 2

Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. (View link below) Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit)

View with Real Player:  

I also recommend you read the section of CBS' web site about Columbia's Masters Classes.

To me, the masters classes are CBS's attempt to integrate the various business functions and add a real general management element to a program that tended to keep those business silos distinct. To respond to the question you need to bring an example from your life when you applied theory successfully. Ideally, you would want to use an example where you used management principles to guide your team, office, company, or club in solving a problem or completing a project.

Essay 3

Please provide an example of a team failure of which you've been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)

When have you been part of a team that came in last. Or that came in second when it should have come in first? Or that failed to close the deal? Or did finish the project, but over budget and late so that your firm lost the client?

And more importantly, what have you learned from the experience? How would you attempt to change the outcome if you had the chance? When would you seize the initiative? When would you encourage others? When would you sit quietly and let someone with complementary strengths take center stage.

While the particular incident you choose should complement other elements of your application and ideally discuss some interest, activity, or experience not discussed in other essays, the key part of this question is the second one.

For more assistance, please see:

• Admissions Tip from Dr. Pausch 's Last Lecture (Part 2)
• Flaws Make You Real
• Personal Statement Tip: Our Response Defines Us
• Personal Statement Tip: Failure Questions

Optional Essay

Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)

Obviously you could use this optional essay question to address a weakness in your application, but in my mind, it is also open-ended enough to allow you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique area of interest. Also, tucking a weakness explanation somewhere else would allow you to end the application with a strength and not a flaw.

If you would like help with your Columbia MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a Columbia Comprehensive Package. And if you purchase before July 31, 2009, you can save 15% on MBA comprehensive packages and essay editing services.

Columbia Business School uses a rolling admissions process. Applications are reviewed in the order in which they are received, and decisions can be rendered at any point during the review period. It is always to your benefit to apply before the posted deadline.

* Decision period begins when a complete application goes under review.

** Applicants who wish to be considered for a merit-based fellowship must submit a complete application by 11:59PM EST on January 6, 2009. Fellowship recipients for the September class are announced between January and May.

Source: Columbia S-Term 2010 MBA Deadlines (http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore/options)
Source: Columbia S-Term 2010 MBA Essay Questions (http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/mba/learnmore/applynow)
Related: Columbia Business School Comprehensive Packages (http://www.accepted.com/services/servicesdetails.aspx?serviceid=237)
Related: Columbia Business School MBA B-School Zone (http://www.accepted.com/mba/Columbia.aspx)

Here's what's going on:

• Accepted's Early Bird MBA Special ends this Friday July 31. Save 15% on Accepted's MBA essay editing and b-school comprehensive packages by purchasing on or before July 31, 2009.
• MBA Reapplicant Webinar on August 6. Our previous webinars have been standing-room only events. Not really -- you're sitting at your computer screen. However, they have been very well attended and received. Please join me at this free webinar by signing up so that you receive access information.
• The first admissions chat for Fall 2010 is on August 26. This chat will feature Wharton and allow you to ask questions of its new admissions director, J.J. Cutler, and other members of the Wharton family.

To receive regular reminders of all our upcoming MBA events, including chats with admissions directors, please join our MBA event mailing list. Future chats are already scheduled with Ross and Yale, and more are coming.

Many students do not attend medical school immediate following undergrad for a variety of reasons.Students who need the time to improve their credentials should take this year and enroll in several extra science courses in order to boost your BCPM. This can be accomplished by enrolling in a formal post bac program or just by taking pre-medical courses. Additionally, the year is often spent preparing and taking (or retaking) the MCATS. These “classic” choices are very common for many medical school applicants during a “Gap Year”.

If your feel that your academic credentials are competitive then take some time to assess your non-academic credentials. Are you a well rounded applicant with research experience, clinical exposure, service involvement, mentoring experience and leadership strengths? If you are lacking in any of these areas, then seek out a “new” experience that will help to round out your extracurriculars. For instance, many students have considerable clinical exposure but lack research experience. Alternatively you may have done many years of research which resulted in co-authorship on publications but have never had much patient contact.Take this year to pursue opportunities that will supplement your current list of medically relevant experiences while allowing time for both personal and professional growth.

By guest blogger Theresa Davies-Heerema, Ph.D., who has advised many medical and dental school applicants during her career in post-graduate education

Watch now | View all podcasts

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The MBA Tour will reach the four corners of the globe in September, having four separate tours in Asia, India, Europe, and the United States, followed by tours to Latin America (October) and Canada (November). The tour events provide you with great opportunities to meet with school representatives and learn more about the schools.  However, fairs also can devolve into mind-numbing circuits of big, crowded halls where you collect shiny brochures that will gather dust and nothing more. 

How can you ensure that those few hours are beneficial?

I recently had the opportunity to interview Peter von Loesecke, CEO and Managing Director of The MBA Tour LLC, and am sharing inside tips Peter revealed for making the most of your MBA Fair experience.

How should applicants prepare for a fair so that they can get the most out of the event?

Applicants attending MBA Tour events should prepare themselves by researching MBA programs, by thinking about their career interests and goals, and by knowing how an MBA helps them achieve those goals and interests. Career interests may be described as something that rounds out an applicant's education or satisfies a personal goal like improving leadership skills.

What are reasonable goals for spending a few hours at an MBA fair?

A reasonable goal for anyone attending an event is to make a lasting impression so that the representative will remember you.  My suggestion is to have your resume available and I recommend wearing business attire. Business casual is ok,  but most serious students, especially those outside the US, attend in business attire.  Make sure you ask questions that pertain to your personal situation and goals and avoid asking questions that can be answered off the school's internet site.

What should applicants do while at the fair to get the most out of it?

Expand your horizons. Everyone comes to our events with first impressions of programs and where they want to go to school. Don't let those first impressions influence who you speak with. Try and visit with as many schools as you can and have your visit recorded. That way a program has a record of your interest.

How much time should an applicant try to grab with a school representative at a fair?

Perhaps 3 to 5 minutes with each representative present. Schools reps local to the city in which the event is being held are usually very busy. Schools from out of town will have more time to spend with you. Use that availability to make an impression. If no one is competing for time than a student can take as long as he wants. However, I urge students not to monopolize a conversation because it demonstrates a level of insensitivity.

Is it appropriate to ask for a business card and to contact the representative after a fair?

Yes, absolutely and you should send them an email thanking them for the time they spent with you. You can even resend your resume too!

What are common mistakes applicants make when participating in MBA fairs?

Asking questions that are not relevant to his or her situation or not researching schools before talking with them. Here are some questions not to ask...

• "What is your average GMAT score?"...research this online on Business Week or through other sources.
• "Tell me why I should apply to your school..." never ask this of an admission officer because it implies you think the school would be privileged to accept you.
• "Where is your school located?"...this question does not exhibit much prior research.
• Asking a local program..."How strong is your career services in this city?" A better question is: "Does your career services center have connections into XYZ industry where I am looking for a position after graduation?" The second question is a fair question and should be asked. The first one will generate a predictable response of "Of course we are strong in job placement in this city"

The more your questions relate to your goals, situation and background the better they are to ask because asking penetrating questions allows the representative to get a lasting impression of you! Remember you are considering a big investment by going back to school. Schools want to get to know you as a person.

To register or for more information about scheduled fairs, check out the MBA Tour website.

Darden is asking entirely new questions this year, and unusual ones too. While the triggers and prompts have changed, your goal remains the same: Answer the questions and reveal what is impressive and distinctive about you. Tell them what you want them to know in response to their questions.

My comments are in red:

1. How have the changes in the global economy over the last 18 months affected you and your plan for the future? (400 words)

The first part of this question is fairly easy for those directly affected (laid off for example) as a result of the financial crisis and recession. For those who were not laid off, the impact may simply have been a new frugality or sense of vulnerability as friends and family experienced lay-offs and hardship.  It could also have been more significant -- activism prompted by the crisis, a re-evaluation of goals, etc.

Regarding the second part of the question, one appropriate response to the Great Recession would be the development of a Plan B for your post-MBA goal especially if you are a career changer or you are interested in a career in finance. The need for flexibility and a sense of how your skill set and experience may be useful in more than one industry or function benefits you as you apply and navigate economic uncertainty. My correspondence with MBA admissions directors last winter and discussions at the recent AIGAC conference made clear the wisdom of having a Plan B.

2. What will you contribute to an MBA program and what are your personal and professional expectations of the program you attend? (600 words)

Showcase both your knowledge of Darden and your strengths by discussing how you have contributed to organizations or to your community in the past and how you will use the same qualities to contribute to specific aspects of Darden's community and program. Make sure you include in your response your "expectation" of the program or in other words, what you hope to extract from it.

If you would like help with your Darden MBA application, please consider Accepted's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a UVA Darden Comprehensive Packages, which provide essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume editing for the Darden MBA application. And if you purchase before July 31, 2009, you can save 15% on all editing and comprehensive packages.

*Application due by 11:59 PM (EST)