Stanford Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why? (750 words)

Stanford Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them? (450 words)

Stanford Essay 3: Short Essays Options 1-4. Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years. (300 words each)

Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.

Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.

Option C: Tell us about a time when you motivated others to support your vision or initiative.

Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

We read the essays to get to know you as a person and to learn about the ideas and interests that motivate you. We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write and this is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams. In your short answer responses, we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations. Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.

Essay Length & Format: Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words. Each of you has your own story to tell, so please
allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.

* Use a 12-point font, double spaced
* Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each essay
* Number all pages
* Upload all four essays as one document

Stanford Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?

Stanford Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?

As a Stanford MBA student, you will be assigned a team of advisors who will guide both your academic experience and your personal development. Your team will include a faculty advisor, a career counselor, and a leadership coach. Use Essay B to help you prepare for your first conversations with these mentors.

Stanford Essay C: Short Essays Options 1-4. Answer two of the questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

1: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team.

2: Tell us about a time when you felt most effective as a leader.

3: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating.

4: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write. Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us. This is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams. In your short answer responses, we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations.

Essay Length & Format: Your answers for all 3 essay questions cannot exceed 7 pages in total, double spaced using a 12-point font. Each of you has your own story to tell, so be sure you allocate these 7 pages among the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or little as you like on any question, as long as you do not exceed 7 pages total. Essay A: 3 pages, Essay B: 2 pages, Essay C: 1 page each. Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each essay. Number all pages.

Stanford Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? 3 pages

Stanford Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve these? 2 pages As a Stanford MBA student, you will be assigned a team of advisors who will guide both your academic experience and your personal development. Your team will include a faculty advisor, a career counselor, and a leadership coach. Use Essay B to help you prepare for your first conversations with these mentors.

Stanford Essay C: Answer 2 of the questions listed below. In answering both questions in Essay C, tell us not only what you did, but also how you did it. Tell us the outcome and describe how people responded. Describe only experiences that have occurred during the last three years.  1 page each

1: Tell us about a time when you empowered others.

2: Tell us about a time when you had a significant impact on a person, group or organization.

3: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating.

4: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

Please answer essay questions A, B, and C. We provide recommended lengths for each essay, but these are only guidelines. Most applicants will find 7-11 pages (in total) sufficient. If your responses total more than 11 pages, you need to upload the remaining pages in the Additional Information section [of your online application].

Stanford Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (Recommended length is 3-4 pages, double-spaced)

Stanford Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve these? (Recommended length is 2-3 pages, double-spaced)

Stanford Essay C: Short Essays—Options 1-4

Please answer two of the questions below. In answering each question, please tell us not only what you did, but also how you did it. Describe what you felt, said, and thought during these experiences. Tell us the outcome, and describe how people responded. Your responses should describe experiences that have occurred within the last three years.

Option 1: Tell us about a time when you did something that was not established, expected, or popular. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

Option 2: Tell us about a time when you felt effective or successful. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

Option 3: Tell us about a time when you had a significant effect on a group or individual. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)

Option 4: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)