UPDATE: This article was originally posted on October 14, 2022. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
For an increasing number of students worldwide, Rotman School of Management is at the top of their business school target list.
However, with impressive recruiting statistics, a visa program for MBA graduates, and the Creative Destruction Lab, the competition to join Rotman’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever.
Driven by their interest in attending one of the world’s most diverse business schools, many applicants dedicate countless hours writing Rotman’s admissions essays only to fail to fully prepare for the video essay component of the application.
This is a huge mistake.
The video essay is an essential part of the Rotman application, as it allows committee members to determine if your communication style and values are a good fit with the Rotman community.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you understand how the Rotman video essay works and have shared a list of Rotman MBA video essay questions to ensure you put your best foot forward!
Why does Rotman require a video essay?
When we first started working with Rotman applicants many years ago, the video essay component had not yet been introduced. However, since its launch, the video essay has quickly become a critical part of the application.
That’s because it gives the admissions committee the chance to truly “meet” candidates — as well as identify red flags in potential members of the Rotman community. In their words, “Ultimately, our goal in introducing this new component is for our admissions committee to make better decisions about which candidates are the strongest match with the Rotman program.”
With that in mind, it’s extremely important to make sure you fully understand this component of the application.
How does the Rotman video essay work?
The way the video essay works is very simple.
After submitting your application, you will receive an email from a company called Kira Talent. This email will contain a link that allows you to access the video essay platform.
After signing in and starting the session, you will get two spoken questions in total, one at a time.
After receiving each question, you will have 30 seconds to think and 90 seconds to answer. There are no opportunities to redo the question, and you only get one chance to speak and provide your answer.
Then, you will receive one written question. You will receive a prompt and will have 10 minutes to answer. You’re expected to write about 250-500 words. The prompt for the written answer is meant to test how you would communicate in writing in a real-life business or educational context.
The questions are random, but we’ve included a list of questions previous applicants have received below, so you can practice!
Technical requirements
To complete the video interview, you need a microphone, camera, and strong internet connection. Though the platform states you can complete the video essay on your mobile device, we have found that this does not consistently work.
Furthermore, given past applicants’ issues with the iPad version of the application, we strongly suggest you record your answer on a computer.
If you do end up experiencing technical issues, access the support page here.
Deadlines
Regardless of when you submit your application, you need to submit your video essay response within two weeks of submitting your application. This can be no later than 2 weeks after the deadline for your target round. However, you should attempt to submit the video essay sooner, since your application will only be reviewed after your video essay is complete.
Once you submit the application, you will gain access to the Kira link to record your video interview. Don’t wait to submit your application last minute, however, since you will not receive extra time for your video interview! Find Rotman’s most current application deadlines here.
Which types of questions are asked?
Rotman asks 2 video questions and 1 written question. We have provided real examples of questions applicants have received for both types of questions below.
Video questions
The Rotman MBA video essay questions allow the admissions committee to learn additional information about you that wasn’t included in your essay and are meant to simulate a “live” conversation with someone from admissions. Rotman has two question banks (each has a particular topic) and you will receive one question from each bank. Rotman calls these “first date questions” and believes they can be answered with no previous preparation.
To do well in these questions, it’s great to draw on examples, and to be clear and to the point.
Sample questions
- Who is your mentor outside your family and why?
- What is your mobile wallpaper and why that image?
- Apart from money, what else would keep you in your current organization?
- What is your favorite emoji and why?
- What is one good thing that you have done in your life?
- What is one good habit and what is one bad habit of yours?
- If had to delete all apps but 3 from my phone, which ones would I keep and why?
- Would you rather be perfect and late or good and on time?
- If got a chance, what subject would you teach?
- Out of the 4 seasons, which do you like the most and why?
- If you had an extra hour every day, what would you do with this time?
- Who is your role model outside of your family?
- What is one good habit and one bad habit that you have?
- Tell us about a failure. What did you learn from it?
- If you had no financial downsides from quitting your job, what job would you prefer to be doing?
- If you wanted to stop aging, at what age would you stop and why?
- If you could be a clothing brand, which would be and why?
- Tell me about something that you’re good at.
- Which of the following aspects of your life are you most in touch with: emotional, spiritual, or physical?
- If you could have anyone over for dinner, who would it be?
Written question
Unlike many other schools, you will also be required to complete a written question for the Rotman Video Interview. According to the admissions committee, “The question will begin by providing some context to help explain why it is relevant for a Rotman student, and our applicants will have a total of 10 minutes to read and reply to the question. This is not videotaped but is delivered ‘live’ with one opportunity to write/edit/submit.”
Once you receive the question, you will have 10 minutes to complete your answer. You should expect to write about 500-1000 words. We suggest leaving yourself 2 minutes at the end to proofread and edit, since we all make typos!
Remember there are no right answers to this question. Rotman simply wants to see how you communicate in writing and how you structure your thoughts. As long as you answer the question and have a clear flow from idea to idea, you’ve done a great job!
TOP TIP: Though you might be tempted to just put the question into ChatGPT and copy/paste the text, we highly advise against this. Yes, AI can be a great tool for brainstorming written texts. However, here, you don’t have enough time to use the AI-generated answer as a jumping-off point for your own unique answer. Furthermore, most schools consider copy/pasting AI-generated content plagiarism, so it’s best just to write your own text here. Yes there may be a few mistakes, but it’s better to have a few mistakes and have it be your own work than be dinged.
Sample written response questions
- Write an email to a hiring manager you met at a recent networking event requesting a follow-up meeting.
- Write a blog post telling incoming students why you chose to apply to Rotman.
- Write a LinkedIn post sharing your 1st-year experience and what you see ahead for your 2nd year.
- Write an email to a Rotman alumnus/alumna asking for his/her time for a coffee chat.
- Write a paragraph introducing yourself to the adcom.
- Write a blog post for incoming students who are just starting their Rotman MBA.
- Write a letter of resignation to your office telling them about your MBA plans
- A year has passed since graduating from your Rotman MBA. Write a LinkedIn post summarising your past and what you look forward to doing in the future.
- Write a letter introducing yourself to your career coach and scheduling your first appointment.
- Which of the student club(s) would you like to join as an active member and why?
- Write an email to a Rotman student ambassador asking them questions to learn more about the MBA program.
- Write about your favorite club during your Rotman MBA.
- Write an email to a second-year Rotman student whose career path aligns with your own.
- Write an elevator pitch introducing yourself to a recruiter.
The difference between a good and great Rotman MBA video essay
Given the importance of the video essay in your University of Toronto Rotman application, it’s crucial to make sure you don’t just have a good video essay, but that you have a great video essay.
Now that you’ve learned how the video essay will work, we’ve gathered our top 5 tips here to ensure your video essay performance brings you one step closer to reaching your goal of attending Rotman.
Make sure you get into the Rotman MBA
You have stressed about every aspect of your Rotman application, and now you are ready to record your video essay! With the right preparation, this can be your chance to shine and get a highly-coveted spot at Rotman.
However, maybe you don’t know where to start in preparing, or maybe you ramble on and lose your focus while answering. Maybe you’ve even downloaded the sample questions and written out your answers. The problem is, when you try to apply these templates to your own story, it doesn’t quite work.
Our video essay prep focuses on helping you determine how to present yourself to Rotman while using appropriate, impact-driven language without being artificial, or worse, robotic.
That’s why 98.9% of our clients pass into at least one of their top choice business schools, like our client Carlos, who recently secured admissions to Rotman with a $25k scholarship.
“For anyone who’s applying to top business schools and wants to create a brilliant MBA application, get thoughtful feedback and guidance during the application process, and work with a friendly team of MBA application experts, look no further: I’d highly recommend working with Ellin & her team, as they deliver an incredible value through their unique personalized service.
I was blown away by the quality of the service in general and the amount of value that she added to my application. I can confidently say that working with Ellin was one the best choices I made during my application process, and it made a huge difference to ultimately getting accepted at Rotman.”
Want to put the Ellin Lolis advantage to work for you? Schedule your preparation session with our team of interview experts today!
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
