Consortium Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025
The Consortium’s mission is to increase representation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans in top MBA programs and throughout the US workforce. For more than 50 years, The Consortium has provided a streamlined application process to leading business schools. The Consortium’s ranks continue to grow with the addition of Duke Fuqua and Chicago Booth as new members this year. When you apply to business schools through The Consortium, the individual schools decide whether to admit you to their program, and The Consortium decides whether to accept you as a Consortium member.
As a member, you have access to the organization’s Orientation Program before you begin your MBA experience, and you will be part of an amazing network throughout the MBA program and beyond. In addition, you have the opportunity to earn full-scholarship Consortium Fellowships and will be one of more than 1,200 active members and 12,000 alumni. To apply, you must write a core goals essay, school-specific essays, and membership application essays, and you may write an optional essay, as well, if you choose. Schools will review your core goals essay, core optional essay, and school-specific essays. The Consortium will review your membership application essays to assess your fit with its overall mission. If you support The Consortium’s mission, you should consider applying through the organization; to learn more about this option, read Top Seven Reasons Why You Should Apply Through The Consortium. And if you have decided to apply, here is what you should consider when approaching the essays.
Core Essay 1: Please describe your short- and long-term goals post-MBA. How has your professional experience shaped these goals and influenced your decision to pursue an MBA degree? (2,000 characters)
Think of this as a pretty typical goals essay. Consider starting with a story that answers the question in the second part of the prompt, relating a professional experience that helped inform your goals. Then explain what you want to do based on this professional experience. If your experience informs your short-term goal, then start there, and spell out how it will lead to your long-term goal. Or, if your story informs your longer-term aspiration, explain what first step you need in your career post-MBA to achieve that aspiration. End with what you need from an MBA to be successful. This helps to show you’ve done the necessary research and introspection on the MBA’s role in helping you achieve your goals.
Core Essay 2: (Optional Essay): Is there any other information you would like to share with us that is not presented elsewhere in your application? (1,000 characters)
This question needs to be addressed only if there are gaps in your employment or some specific situation about which providing some background or context would be helpful. Other reasons you might want to write this optional essay are if your recommender is not your direct supervisor or your transcript includes some obvious holes or bad grades. No matter what the issue is, there is no need to make this essay any longer than it needs to be to explain your answer.
If you have any special extracurricular causes or work that you believe would help further explain who you are, and that might not be evident from the other parts of your application, this could be a good place to help the committee learn about this aspect of you.
Membership Application Essays: Our mission, through the strength of our growing alliance and extended network, is to enhance diversity and inclusion in global business education and leadership by striving to reduce the significant underrepresentation of African Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans in both our Member Schools’ enrollments and the ranks of global management across the following sectors: For- profit corporations, Nonprofit corporations, Government agencies and contractors, and Entrepreneurial ventures in both for-profit and nonprofit environments.
*Please address the three questions noted below. Please use specific examples pertaining to our target populations and clearly articulate your involvement, actions and results.
1. How have you positively impacted our target demographics (i.e. African Americans, Hispanic Americans or Native Americans) in your business, personal or academic life pre-MBA? Please provide specific examples. (2,000 characters)
2. How will you demonstrate your commitment to The Consortium’s mission while enrolled in your MBA program? (2,000 characters)
3. How will you demonstrate your continued commitment to The Consortium’s mission with respect to community service and leadership involvement post-MBA? (1,000 characters)
All three of these essay questions ask for examples and specifics about how you have supported The Consortium’s mission in the past and how you will do so in the future, during your MBA experience and post-MBA life and career. Start by thinking about what you have done to support The Consortium to date. Maybe there is a story that shows your inspiration or that highlights an impact you are proud of having had in furthering The Consortium’s goals. You could organize your essay chronologically, by business/personal/academic area, or according to another theme that befits your story. Be specific about the organizations you’ve been involved with, the nature of your involvement, and the impact you’ve had in and/or on those organizations as well as the specific populations you have supported.
Next, think about what you will do during your MBA experience to not just support but also extend The Consortium’s mission. What connections will you bring with you? Without being school specific, think about any experiences you’ve had that you might apply to an affinity club or experiential opportunity that could further the mission. Did you mentor underrepresented youth in your area? Were you a part of Teach for America and hope to volunteer in schools local to your program? Have you supported underrepresented entrepreneurs, and can you identify how business school will help you expand that reach?
Finally, think about the impact you want to have throughout your life — personally and professionally — supporting inclusion and diversity. What can you get involved in with your future company? If you mentored youth, can you extend this mentorship to high school or college students? How might you help The Consortium find future members? And how would you spread The Consortium’s mission?
For each part of the essay question, be specific. Identify organizations and target populations you have a history with and/or actions you have taken or will take. But don’t stop there; also convey the impact you have made or still plan to make.
School Specific Essays
You will also have the opportunity to write school-specific essays for each program you apply to. There is now a sliding scale for the application fee, based on how many schools you apply to through The Consortium. Make sure you look at all the questions that are required and optional in The Consortium application; these might differ slightly from what is in your target schools’ applications.