IMD 2011-2012 MBA Essay Writing, Editing, Tips, Analysis

IMD: A new age Business School, IMD (International Institute for Management Development) is located at Lausanne, Switzerland and is amongst a handful of European B Schools who can consistently hold their own against the best competition across continents. The IMD admissions process, including of a bunch of 11 essays and an all day assessment session, probably makes it one of the most demanding B School application processes.

IMD Essays:

Initially, the sheer number of essays might seem intimidating, but with a second look you will discover that some of the essays are optional, some are info gatherers and all are short (around 200 words). They might even be fun!

IMD Application Deadlines (Jan 2012 intake) Round 1 (1 Feb 2011), Round 2 (1 Apr 2011), Round 3 (1 Jun 2011), Round 4 (1 Aug 2011), Round 5 (1 Sep 2011)

IMD Application Deadlines (Jan 2013 intake) Round 1 (1 Feb 2012), Round 2 (1 Apr 2012), Round 3 (1 Jun 2012), Round 4 (1 Aug 2012), Round 5 (1 Sep 2012)

IMD Essays (2011-2012)

IMD "Position sought after graduation" essay: Please give us your short term career goal post MBA (up to 5 years). Describe how the IMD MBA will help you achieve this goal and how you will approach your job search. (2000 characters max)

The maximum length for each essay is 1230 characters including <space>. Essay 1 is double length.

IMD "Most important achievement" essay: What do you consider to be your single most important achievement and why? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 1. Two situations of importance to you: (Please describe two situations, business or otherwise, in which you were involved and which were of importance to you. Explain why you view them as such.) Situation 1. (1230 characters max) Situation 2. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 2. Failure to reach objective: Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 3. Leadership: Describe a situation where you had to demonstrate strong leadership skills. Explain how effective you were and what you learned. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 4. Describe yourself: How do you imagine your superior would describe your strengths and weaknesses to someone who does not know you? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 5. International Exposure: Describe a situation where you successfully worked across cultures and/or nations. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 6. Differentiators: IMD receives numerous applications per year. Give us four bullet points that clearly differentiate you from this applicant pool. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 7. Alternatives: If you are not admitted, what alternatives will you consider? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 8. Finance: Please explain how you intend to finance your studies at IMD. What would be your budget? Note: this has no influence on the admissions decision. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 9. Disability / illness: Do you have a disability or illness that could affect your performance at IMD? If so, please explain. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 10. Additional Information (Optional question): Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee to know which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (1230 characters max)