Please explain how you have become a more competitive applicant since your previous application, and also proactively address every area in which your candidacy for admission has improved.

Since my previous application to XYZ School of Business, I have continued to grow and develop as a financial entrepreneur. In order to facilitate my goals of eventually creating a short term hedge fund which will add jobs and stability to the American financial market, I have accepted a new position at UTC Global Holdings, one of the largest high frequency trading clearing firms in the world. In my new role, I am positioned to lead the Risk Management and Operations department, which affords me a tremendous opportunity not only for learning, but for practicing my financial management skills and gaining extensive understanding of the risk management market. UTC has also afforded me the opportunity to grow in other ways, such as my team management skills, conflict management, managerial procedure and human resource policy understanding and of course, financial skills.

LEADERSHIP

At UTC Global Holdings, my role as a true leader is being defined on a daily basis. Not only am I required to use and create new team management skills, but I am also required to generate strategies that create revenue for this global company. In this role, I am a key component to the financial success of UTC Global, and seek to understand new market strategy on a daily basis, garner new clients and work with them from the outset creating a personal, mutually beneficial synergetic relationship.

One of the ways I define my leadership role as being unique is by using a solid and charismatic personality. Not only does this lead to feelings of trust and understanding with new clients, but it helps to resolve doubts and conflict in a natural and comfortable manner. Individuals may believe that having a solid understanding of the financial markets is enough to grow in a role such as this; however, I believe that it takes more than that. It takes the ability to lead and to communicate with clients in a successful manner, and being able to think outside the box in a way that leads to financial success for both the client and the firm.

FINANCE

My financial skills have grown exponentially within this position as well, and in this way, I have a greater understanding to bring to XYZ Business School and its students. With UTC, I have learned how to manage back office support for products like equity, fixed income, bank debt, and options. I have added to my skillset an understanding of how financial instruments function, why they are risky, how to minimize their risk, and how banks and other institutions settle them. In addition, UTC has allowed me to understand regulatory practices on complying with SEC and FINRA regulations, which is of substantial importance in this field.

LICENSURE

As I am constantly seeking ways to further round out my professional skillset, I am currently seeking licensure for the Series 7. I will take the exam in May of 2012, and in preparation for this test, I have been studying equities, accounting, bonds, options, regulations, and macro and micro economics. While this exam is difficult, I am confident in my ability to pass and to add this license to my core offerings as a financial businessman.

FURTHERING MYSELF

In my previous submission, I related to the board my goals of learning more about managing risk and running a firm. I firmly believe that one must embrace opportunity in order to succeed, which is why I have accepted this new position and have begun making these dreams a reality for myself. The ability to grow with the changing times is essential - stagnation will never serve a true leader in an ever changing workforce. I have grown considerably since my previous application, and have a solid set of new skills to bring to the table at XYZ.

During the college application season, applicants are asked to write essays as a part of their written interview. These essays are based upon 8 possible topics that the student is free to choose from to respond to. Although, there are universities and colleges that sometimes choose the common app for the students or have a totally separate set of common app topics for the student to respond to. While these essays should be a breeze for students to write since this is just another form of an interview, their tendency when writing these essays are to exaggerate or create elaborate responses which end up not helping them to respond to the given prompt.

So, what are these common problems and how do you solve it? Read on to find out.

Grades in relation to a chosen major

Under the extenuating circumstances, students who are applying for admission to a college major that his high school grades say he doesn't qualify for, this is the student's chance to explain why he thinks he will be able to complete this major when he clearly has a weakness in the area of learning.

Solution: Explain that you have an ability to perform well in related tasks outside of the classroom. Detail the reasons why you did not perform well in those classes but add how you have developed your skills in the area beyond the learning corridors of the school.

Constantly changing fields of interest

As a high school student, you are expected to enroll in a regular series of classes. However, the academic achievers tend to go for AP classes instead. Just to better prepare themselves for college. Normally, students who enroll in AP classes never look back. So, when a student goes from regular to AP to regular classes, college reviewers will view you as an indecisive student who is not prepared for college life.

Solution: Consider the reasons why you kept switching around. Do you think the reasons are strong enough to justify your actions? If so then what could potentially be a problem for your written interview could very well be spun into a positive character depiction on your part.

The dreaded word, "Suspension!"

Did you tend to get sick for no reason? Did you not get along with your classmates? Ever get picked up for buying alcohol underage? Yep, these are problems that you won't be able to easily explain or justify to the reviewer.

Solution: Use these events to explain a growing experience on your part. If you can explain this as the event depicting a moral maturity or a sense of personal growth, then you can again, spin a negative into a positive experience for yourself that the reviewer can appreciate.

Missing out on school

While students are allowed an acceptable number of intermittent sick days, missing out on school for months at a time is a different story. If you have had a serious reason for missing out on school, you need to inform the reviewer. Anything from moving around because of your parent's profession to getting sick and needing medical treatment are things the reviewer needs to know about because these events affected your GPA and as such, needs to be addressed.

Solution: Let the reviewer know that during this time, you still focused on improving yourself academically. Focus on depicting activities related to your college interests which assures the reviewer that you are prepared to take on the challenges of the course curriculum.

Academic Integrity

While you want to portray yourself as a super student, no reviewer will believe that you completed a complex project all alone. Be truthful in all your presentations. Bear in mind that your essays need to fall in line with the possible comments of your teachers and principal when they write your recommendation letter.

Solution: Focus on your actual participation in the project and explain why your work was important to the completion of the objectives.

Over-described accomplishments

Some students think that embellishing on their accomplishments as a student or as a volunteer helps their case with the reviewer. They forget that the reviewer is going to double check the information that is being presented. The reviewer will not take your word for it. If you happen to have presented an exaggerated version of the truth, your application will be affected negatively.

Solution: Always be honest. Do not make yourself sound better in any scenario than you were. Honesty is very important in college applications. Don't waste it.

The common app essay will be your chance to create a first impression upon the reviewer. It is important that you treat this like a formal one on one interview. Be honest, don't lie, don't exaggerate. Put your true self out there for the consideration of the reviewer and admissions committee. That is the way to develop the best common app response essay, regardless of the topic you choose to respond to.

From a young age I displayed a yearning for knowledge of how the world worked. I remember asking my mother why grass was green and how did birds fly. This was to set the tone of my educational and career growth later in life.

As a child, my mother and grandmother challenged me intellectually on a routine basis I had an inquisitive personality; constantly asked my mother questions. Patiently, she answered them. Early on, my family knew that I was a bright child and would pursue multiple activities to satisfy my yearning for knowledge. We browsed museums and played learning games. Exploring the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. was one of my favorite experiences. In elementary school, I was involved in the gifted and talented program; my mother paid close attention to my academic development. I was in the gifted and talented program in elementary school.

Being from a small country town, most of my high school graduation class of 39 found jobs in agriculture or as laymen in nearby petrochemical facility, while some went on to take over their families' small business. Most of my past classmates are content with this lifestyle, where the norm is to marry early and have children immediately thereafter. My aspirations were to explore the world and learn what is beyond the small town environment; continuing my yearning for knowledge and seeking to feed my hunger for exploration, into a world much larger than my limited perspective.

As my friends were aiming to find jobs operating or maintaining the local petro-chemical facilities, my goal was to learn how to build and design them, not merely to work on them. Now my ambitions are to be the person who decides to build them or decides how to operate them to maximize profits.

From a young age I was influenced by my family's tradition of hard work and entrepreneurship. My great-grandfather began working as a layman for *insert company name here* in the 1940s, and in 1980 he retired as the night superintendent of the entire refinery, the same refinery I was to join later as an economic strategist. After retiring, my grandfather was hired as a consultant to refinery startups. His aspirations led him to build a business outside of his day job, and by the time I was born in 1987, he was already a successful businessman and owned several hotels and restaurants. As a child, I accompanied him to work to see how he managed his businesses. I noticed that he treated everyone fairly because he believed everyone deserved dignity and respect. He emphasized to me the value of honesty and integrity, and taught to treat others as I would have others treat me. Today, that is my personal credo.

I began creating my own career by earning a degree in chemical engineering and then embarked on a career in the petrochemical industry, which consisted of several technical jobs in companies in the field. During an industry downturn, and at a time when my interview skills were poor, I found a job as a contractor in the oilfields. I later became a contractor in a petrochemical facility that was assessing safety facilities and developing operating system code for chemical processes. Within a few months, the petrochemical operating company *I will insert company name* hired me as a direct employee.

After two successful years there, an employee of a larger oil company in town *I will insert company name* invited me for an interview. After taking the time to learn interviewing skills and interviewing successfully, I was offered a higher salary with a highly-respected international oil company, at the same site my great-grandfather began working at in the 1940s. I moved up the ranks within the company, beginning with technical assignments and moving into long-term economic decisions and strategies. When the company decided it was short on engineers with strong technical skills, it offered me a technical leadership position. I found that I enjoyed being a leader, but that I'd rather step out of the technical realm and delve into the business arena, and thus I again began to search for opportunities that fit these career goals.

And thus, five years after joining *I will insert company name*, I found a job as a business manager and business analyst for *I will insert company name*, a large petrochemical corporation, at one of its flagship petrochemical sites. The job allows me to see the entire site as a business entity, reviewing the gross margin, expenses, and capital investments, and to see the entire operation as a whole.

My career goal is to become a leader in the oil and gas industry. With a bachelor's of science in chemical engineering and nine years of experience in the oil products manufacturing sector, I believe I am well-prepared for this important step.

This next step is to earn an MBA degree from a top Executive MBA program. The degree will enable me to further my goals in becoming a leader in the oil and gas industry. I chose to apply to Duke's Executive MBA program because it is one of the best programs in the nation, and Duke is one of the best science and engineering schools in the world. This combination of science, engineering, and management is integral to the success of any leader in the petrochemical industry.

Ready to Teach Other Students

Growing up, I always pestered babysitters and older friends for tales of their favorite-and least favorite-teachers. This was a strange preoccupation for a little kid, but I think that even then I realized how much influence a teacher can have on the life of her students. As I moved through elementary and middle school and into high school and college, I was lucky enough to have talented and enthusiastic teachers who taught in a variety of styles and with many eclectic personalities. When I began college, I knew that I would want to teach when I was done, and that feeling has never left. I know that this is the right profession for me, and I am so excited to learn more about how to do it well.

A good teacher is flexible, creative, enthusiastic, and a hard worker, and I believe that I have displayed all of these characteristics as I have moved through my previous schooling. In my education classes, when I plan lessons, I see myself in my mind's eye, teaching them. I have learned so much in class, and now I feel I am ready to get the on the ground training that any successful teacher needs, as a student teacher in a real classroom.

One of my strengths is my ability to connect with kids. I have always loved children, and feel that I talk to them well and that they respond positively to me. I know that being a teacher means having a certain remove from one's students in order to maintain classroom management and order, but my natural rapport with my students, willingness to go the extra mile to help them succeed, and my creativity in lessons will, I hope, put me in good stead as a student teacher. I also have strong communication skills, which is important first of all for communicating information to students. However, students are not the only people that one communicates with as a teacher: parents, colleagues, and other school stakeholders are also people one must interact with, and I believe that I can do that positively and professionally.

Of course, while I am optimistic about my success in the arena of student teaching, there are certainly areas in which I feel unprepared. One of these is the arena of classroom management, which I know is a challenge for many beginning teachers. While I have general ideas on how to manage a classroom, and even some specific strategies I want to try, I know that this is something I will have to learn on my feet to a great extent. There are many resources available to me in terms of books like Harry Wong's First Days of School. Another way to address these is to talk to teachers I know, both veteran and younger: what did they do that worked, and what should I avoid? Using other teachers as a professional development resource will hopefully allow me to avoid some of the pitfalls of classroom management and to be effective from my very first day in the classroom.

I know that student teaching will be a wonderful experience in many ways, but my specific goal is to gain experience in the day to day running of a classroom. Establishing procedures for how the class will go, balancing review and assessment with the acquisition of new material, and differentiating instruction for students with different learning styles and needs are all things that I cannot learn entirely from a textbook. The next step to make me a good teacher is student teaching. It's a step I can't wait to take.

Business School - MBA Admissions Statement

As a child, I worried my parents with my quest for perfection-everything needed to be exactly right, especially the work that I did at school and at home, from chores to homework. My parents rose from having very little to be able to give me and my siblings a wonderful childhood, and this inspired me to constantly be working toward bettering myself. This need to do my absolute best has never left me, and luckily it has always served me well. While I am young, I am driven to succeed and excel, and I know that for me, the next step is getting an MBA.

Although many students who desire MBA degrees have been long out of school, one thing that stands out about my resume is that I graduated in May of 2012. However, this does not mean I'm not ready for the world of business: far from it! In fact, I worked full-time the entire time I was in school, maintaining a 3.81 in-major GPA while studying Health Science, and making the Dean's List for two semesters. As one might imagine, this led to a lot of multi-tasking, since I had to judge the responsibilities of my career with my demanding schoolwork. All this has done is whet my appetite for more: I know that I can take on the challenge of graduate school at this point in life, and I can't wait to try.

While I was busy studying as well, my career path followed an exciting trajectory. I began at my current job as a temp in the mail room. I was soon promoted to working in customer service, and people began referring to me as 'the sponge," because of my zeal for soaking up information about my new responsibilities. I took on extra work, covering many people's desks when they were absent and even helping to train new personnel, and was promoted again. As the current Billing Manager, I do far more than what my job title implies-I am the go to person for many business functions in the office, and recently organized a multi-million dollar collection effort to settle many of our accounts. However, the same multi-tasking instinct that led me to work and go to school at the same time is still in place, since I'm also in charge of everything from renting facilities to training new staff!

As much as I have loved my time in my current workplace, it feels to me as if I have learned all I can there. My ongoing need for improvement and to challenge myself has me looking for a new outlet. While getting my MBA, I would like to focus in Executive Management, and take advantage of my electives in order to get some accounting classes. Since accounting is such an important part of any successful business, this gives me a solid foundation after which I can be flexible. Eventually, I see myself opening my own business, perhaps doing accounting and billing for health-care services or contracting with an insurer to use the skills I have already honed during my undergraduate career, as well as those I will acquire during my MBA.

While I am driven by my career and academic goals, one of the ways in which I have striven to lead the best life I can, and this includes making it a well-rounded life. I have many hobbies, including volunteering-last summer I worked with an animal rescue organization called Last Hope, and in my last semester of undergraduate study I organized a campus-wide blood drive. I also enjoy playing softball.

I am lucky to have everything that I do, and my need to succeed has served me well, driving me onward to new challenges, from extracurricular to work activities. Now, I am ready for my next challenge: an MBA at the Darden School of Business. This is the path I feel will drive me to be my best both personally and professionally, and it is a journey I cannot wait to begin.

Want to Be an Art Teacher - Admissions Essay

Given my passion for art education, I am thoroughly excited at the opportunity to apply to the universities Art Education program. Throughout my life, I have come to appreciate all mediums of art. I love to create art, and aspire to teach high school students through artistic expression. I believe that every student, no matter how artistically inclined, has the ability to learn, express themselves, and grow through artwork. Furthermore, my academic and extracurricular experiences have shown me that I enjoy teaching, educating, leading, and mentoring.

As a swim instructor and literacy educator, I have developed a love for teaching and guiding. I have taught swim lessons with the Red Cross Program, working with children of all age groups (including mentally and physically handicapped individuals). I also served as a peer literacy tutor to younger students at my school. Many of the children I mentored had behavioral, mental, or physical disabilities. My experience working with handicapped students has taught me compassion, empathy, and patience. I have developed a gentle and effective method of dealing with difficult students. When I become a teacher, I hope to work in an inclusive classroom that allows me to teach disabled students through art. I desire to help special needs students gain confidence and build self esteem through their own personal artistic expressions.

My extracurricular activities have also taught me valuable leadership and mentorship skills. During high school, I was team captain on various sports teams including basketball, soccer, and volleyball. I was assigned the task of doing warm-ups, and beginning practices. Additionally, I took a leadership 120 class in which I learned how to lead and mentor groups of students. As part of the seminar, I preformed 35 hours of community volunteer work. I have also participated in myriad other extracurricular activities including theater, photography, film, school fashion shows, and university radio. However, my most rewarding extracurricular activity to date has been the youth leadership camp I attended.

Out of many qualified applicants, I was selected to represent my high school at the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Leadership Camp at Mt. Allison University. The leadership conference taught me the importance of team work, time management, and assertiveness. During my 10 day camp experience, I prepared detailed lesson plans and taught my peers, all the while learning how to lead. The conference taught me the importance of being a strong leader who coaches and motivates without being domineering and authoritarian. I learned that an effective leader inspires through encouragement and positive reinforcement, while an inefficient "boss" relies on fear and intimidation.

My camp experience taught me that a first-rate teacher must also be an excellent leader. Students learn best when teachers use positive methodology and work on building confidence and fostering creativity. Through my leadership conference, I also learned that a successful teacher must have outstanding written and oral communication skills. As I obtained the highest score on the NB English Proficiency Test in my district (required by all high school students in order to graduate), I am self-assured that I will be able to effectively communicate with even the most difficult students. Overall, I aspire to create a safe classroom environment where all students can feel inspired and unencumbered. I am excited to extend my leadership camp experience into the classroom.

In the years to come, I hope to continue improving my skills with the goal of becoming an exceptional art teacher. I want to motivate my students, while giving them a sense of purpose and confidence. As an outgoing and energetic artist, I have the ability show my students that everyone can express themselves through art, without exception.

Mothers Back in College

I had always heard that becoming a mother was a life-changing experience and had believed in it too - very much in the careless way in which you believe in gravity or the fact that seasons change - how much life-changing it really is, I found out when I had my daughter. After dropping out from community college around eight years ago, I never completed my studies thinking that there were goals in life more important and promising more fun than studies. My daughter changed all that as she changed our very outlook towards life. Now both I and my husband are driven to be not just better parents for her but also more accomplished. I am now more focused and motherhood has made me more responsible, single-minded and determined than ever. Seeing our group of friends becoming established in life and leading productive lives has given us a morale boost and we are now firmly headed towards altering the direction of our lives towards a more promising terrain. After the miracle that is our daughter, I have come to believe very strongly in the power of human will and I believe that with strength, courage and determination I can achieve everything.

My daughter carries my husband's undergraduate catalogue around the house proudly proclaiming "Look, it's Daddy's school". I would be very glad if I get the chance to say to her, "It's Mommy's school too." Whenever I visit the campus of SMU Cox School of Business, where my husband is currently enrolled, I experience a hopeful elation as I feel a conviction that through effort and resolution one can climb further up the ladder of success and bring more positive changes in life. After our baby, it was our conscious decision to give ourselves and our daughter a better chance in life and we are ever more determined to ensure that we become recognized as responsible, productive members of the society and a source of pride for our child. Above all, I wish to be a source of pride for myself.

A chance to study in the most prestigious school in Dallas will be a dream come true and a natural and obvious step towards my ultimate goal - that of becoming a teacher. My daughter not only defined and gave a new direction to my life, she also helped me realize my true calling. I have discovered how wonderful it is to build a relationship with children and help them explore new horizons everyday. Helping them discover the beauty in the world through education is my true goal and after becoming a mother, I believe I am better equipped to be a competent teacher. I also very strongly believe that SMU Cox is the most absolute suitable choice and the one institute that could train and groom me in the relevant field. I can end by claiming that being at SMU Cox has been a childhood dream or that being a teacher an old ambition but I will not do so. Instead, I will share a simple truth. Being a teacher is my newfound dream and one that I am certain beyond doubt that I can achieve successfully - not just through hard work and determination, but also through the force of my genuine passion and sincere zeal.

Further Studies for a Teaching Profession

Being accepted into the middle childhood mathematics program is very important to me. First, I am always looking to better myself both professionally and academically and I feel admittance into this outstanding program would serve as a great enhancement in both areas. Ever since I was a child, I have heard a countless number of stories as to how vital receiving a great education is to my success in the future. With that said, I feel I am an excellent candidate for this program for a wide array of reasons.

To illustrate, I am committed to furthering my education. I understand what a powerful gift education is and I am constantly looking for ways to better myself. I acknowledge that although I did not pass my college precalculus class two times, I did not allow that to serve as a setback that would inhibit my performance in the future. I made a promise to myself that I would exhaust all my resources and do everything in my power to pass such an important and worthwhile class. Therefore, I took a large majority of any leisure time I could find and put all my energy into focusing on passing the class. I am thankful to say that on my third attempt in the class, I passed and knew all my hard work paid off. It became evident to me that through hard work and dedication, I would be able to apply myself toward reaching any goal I set my mind to, which is why I know I would excel in this graduate program. I embrace any challenges that enrollment into this program may throw my way and look forward to both the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards associated with bettering myself and overcoming obstacles.

Moreover, it is important that I point out that my GPA is a 2.982, which is a small amount under the required minimum of a 3.0. However, my first two years of college were a tough transition and I was very unsure as to what career I would like to pursue. After changing my major two times, I realized teaching is a passion of mine and I attempted to do everything I could to bring my GPA to a score I could be proud of. Although my GPA still is not at the level required by this program, I feel that my dedication to bettering myself will allow me to grow academically and obtain an excellent GPA. Because I changed my major two times, I wanted to ensure that I would enroll myself into a program I knew I could be successful at and I feel teaching is the best choice for me.

Lastly, I am completely certain that pursuing my dream of becoming a teacher would be a rewarding experience which will prove very fulfilling. I have worked closely with teachers in my educational experiences to better myself and learn to my full potential. As a result, I have gained a better understanding in regards to some of what it takes to become a successful teacher. I am confident that my love for the profession will allow me to become a teacher that will be able to prepare students academically. I understand that learning does not come easy for some and it is my mission to make my classroom a positive learning environment for all. It is my understanding that there is no greater gift than watching a student learn and grow. I can imagine that if I played a part in preparing a student for his/her future, I would be taking part in a fulfilling profession that cannot be matched. With that said, I am certain that I would be an excellent asset to the middle childhood mathematics program and look forward to the challenges, lessons, and rewards this distinguished program has to offer.