Essay 1. What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. In other words, what activity are you most passionate about and why it means so much to you?
Berkeley Haas is a school that puts lots of emphasis on cultural fit and getting to know its admits deeply. With this question too, they are attempting to understand who you are and what makes you - you?
It really doesn't matter what you talk about but connecting that to your deeper values and desires will be critical for a good answer. The why part of the question matters more than the what.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, use this essay also to highlight your uniqueness and market your candidature.
Essay 2. At Berkeley Haas, we are redefining leadership.
We value different opinions and perspectives, recognizing that we always have more to learn about others’ lived experiences and histories.
We encourage speaking up and listening, and courageously use our power to address barriers and drive change for positive impact.
Tell us how a Berkeley Haas MBA would enhance your leadership profile, incorporating specific examples. (300 words max)
Essay 2 Tips. This essay is a career goals essay in disguise- with a strong focus on leadership.
Your task here is to first think clearly about your professional aspirations and career vision and connect it with the leadership skills you would need going forward.
In the next step- think about what resources and opportunities the Haas MBA will bring to help you enhance you skills.
For example you can talk about taking leadership roles in student clubs, organizations, conferences. Or you might be more keen on developing your cross-cultural leadership skills and highlight examples accordingly.
Essay 1. What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. In other words, what activity are you most passionate about and why it means so much to you?
Berkeley Haas is a school that puts lots of emphasis on cultural fit and getting to know its admits deeply. With this question too, they are attempting to understand who you are and what makes you - you?
It really doesn't matter what you talk about but connecting that to your deeper values and desires will be critical for a good answer. The why part of the question matters more than the what.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, use this essay also to highlight your uniqueness and market your candidature.
Essay 1. Tell us a six-word story that reflects a memorable experience in your life-to-date. Elaborate on why it is meaningful to you. (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The first part of this Berkeley Haas essay seems to be inspired by Ernest Hemingway's six-word tales- most famous being "For sale: baby shoes, never worn,”. Brevity is an art and craft of good communication. Haas wants to see how you are able to convey an important point in just a few words.
Your first step here should be to think about a story that is very meaningful to you. If you are wondering what should you tell the adcom?
Here is a tip given by Haas: "Together, the story and explanation will share a specific and personal experience that helps the reader get to know you better, giving insight into your character, values, or how you would uniquely contribute to the Berkeley-Haas community."
To help them know you better and get a glimpse into your character, values and more, you could talk about an achievement, a failure and your learning from it.
You could also write about an important memory and its effect on you. Pick a story that is interesting, unique and positions your strengths and impressive attributes.
Berkeley Haas takes pride in their values and the culture they have established. They clearly mention that "We've designed our admissions process to identify candidates who embody the Berkeley Haas Defining Leadership Principles. So, before you shortlist the story, it would be prudent to go through the four Berkeley Haas defining principles.
Once you have finalized the story, write it down. To arrive at the six-word version, re-write it as briefly as possible. Then shorten it further. Shorten it more. And more. Till you are left with only - yes you guessed it right - six words!
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, if you can demonstrate genuine passion, 50% of your work is done.
Essay 1. Tell us a six-word story that reflects a memorable experience in your life-to-date. Elaborate on why it is meaningful to you. (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. A successful six-word story will pique the reader’s interest in the forthcoming explanation. Together, the story and explanation will share a specific and personal experience that helps the reader get to know you better, giving insight into your character, values, or how you would uniquely contribute to the Berkeley-Haas community. View sample six-word stories and video tips from the admissions committee.
The principal focus should be on what YOU are: what story you select and why that is memorable for you speaks a lot about you. So what do you want to communicate to the adcom? What kind of person you would like to come across as? There might be many memorable experiences in your life, pick one that is interesting, unique and positions your strengths and impressive attributes.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion, 50% of your work is done. Write a full throated essay!
Go for it!
Essay 2. Please respond to ONE of the following prompts: (250 words maximum)
- Describe a significant obstacle you have encountered and how it has impacted you.
Essay 2 Tips. Haas wants to know your core values, the fundamental principles by which you live your life. This essay is asking you to reveal to adcom your unique and personal outlook on life in face of difficulty and challenge.
When choosing an experience for this essay, you can pick a work or non-work related story. Whichever story you pick, make sure the you clearly describe the context, the exact circumstances of the obstacle, how you handled and its affect on you.
Approach this essay in three parts: Before, Change, and After. It would be helpful to set a context of the original situation, and then talk about the obstacle and why it was a significant one. When talking about the actions you took, show the reader your thought process, show how you struggled, what steps you took and why. Involve the reader and take them through your mental and emotional journey. The impact on you could be in several ways - perhaps the experience helped you become a more positive, realistic, practical, grounded, or humble person?
Again treat this as part of the whole brand you are planning to showcase, so use this opportunity to showcase your key strengths that you want Haas adcom to notice. And if you find an overlap with Haas’ key principles- don’t hesitate to show them why you are a good fit for Haas and vice versa. Like all other essays, this one is also your self-marketing opportunity!
- Describe how you have cultivated a diverse and inclusive culture.
Essay 2 Tips. Haas keeps the focus on understand how you deal with diversity. Till last year they used to ask "Describe a time when you were challenged by perspectives different from your own and how you responded."
Although this year the phrasing is changed, the essence remains the same. Haas adcom wants to know how you have handle diversity of perspectives and cultures and how you have built within yourself an open-minded, mature, inclusive culture. You can either talk about themes in your life or focus on specific examples to build a convincing narrative.
- Describe a leadership experience and how you made a positive and lasting impact.
Essay 2 Tips. Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position and which ideally reflects different facets of your leadership style and leadership strengths. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that helps you highlight your leadership achievement, while effectively underlining your leadership skills.
Preferably seek out a story that does not go too far back in time - typically a leadership achievement that occurred in the last 2-3 years would be ideal.
Essay 3. Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goals. (50 words maximum)
How have prior experiences motivated and prepared you to pursue these goals? (250 words maximum)
Tip: You are encouraged to reflect on both what you want to do professionally after business school and why this path interests you.
Essay 3 Tips. Drastically cutting down the word limit on the goals essay, Haas wants you to be very clear and focused in your answer.
Your task here is to delineate clearly your professional journey in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking how your past experience lead to your future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Optional/Reapplicant Essay. Use this essay to share information that is not presented elsewhere in the application, for example: Explanation of employment gaps or academic aberrations, Quantitative abilities, For reapplicants, improvements to your candidacy
Optional/Reapplicant Essay Tips. The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your Haas application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why? (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The principal focus should be on what YOU are: the song choice and the reasons behind it become almost automatic after that. Choose aspects of the song based on what is tells about you: it could be the cultural/personal associations of the song, the meaningful and relevant lyrics, the singer's passion/style or anything at all connected with the song as long it connects emotionally and personally to the kind of human being you are.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion, 50% of your work is done. Write a full throated essay!
Go for it!
Essay 2. Please respond to ONE of the following prompts: (250 words maximum)
Essay 2. Tips 1. Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world and how it transformed you.
Haas wants to know your core values, the fundamental principles by which you live your life. This essay is asking you to reveal to adcom your unique and personal outlook on life.
When choosing an experience for this essay, you can pick a work or non-work related story. Whichever story you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something very deep. This experience could be one of the defining moments of your life.
Approach this essay in three parts: Before, Change, and After. It would be helpful to set a context of the original situation, and then talk about a catalyst or trigger that initiated the change and forced you to think differently. While talking about the change, show the reader your thought process, show how you struggled, what challenges you faced, and why you decided to change your outlook. Involve the reader and take them through your mental and emotional journey. The After picture would be most likely a better version of you: perhaps a more positive, realistic, practical, grounded, or humble you.
If possible also use this opportunity to showcase your key strengths that you want Haas adcom to notice. And if you find an overlap with Haas’ key principles- don’t hesitate to show them why you are a good fit for Haas and vice versa. Like all other essays, this one is also your self-marketing opportunity!
2. Describe a significant accomplishment and why it makes you proud.
Berkeley aims to understand what you value as important and also gauge your potential for success at Haas and beyond. While you describe the accomplishment, you should make it explicit why this particular incident/ achievement makes you proud of yourself.
Though the essay asks you what is your accomplishment, it is very important for you to also show how you achieved this success. So pick something challenging, pick something recent and possibly where you can highlight your leadership and team working skills. You could start by describing the context and the challenges that you had to overcome. Remember a conflict /challenge makes the impact of an accomplishment stand out, so always clearly describe the challenges and how you conquered them.
If you can, also show the reader how this particular incident impacted people around you such as your family, your team, your client, your organization. Show them the stakes were high and the clock was ticking. And how YOU- the hero/heroine of the story- saved the world! Show with clear examples what you did and briefly mention why that was important and useful. Finally mention the outcome of the situation and specifically outcome for you. How did the experience transform you? And how did others see you? Showing that others also recognized your efforts adds a more objective point of view and makes your story stronger and more believable.
3. Describe a difficult decision you have made and why it was challenging.
One key element of writing this type of essay is the main challenge or dilemma. The entire impact of the essay hinges on the magnitude of your difficulty. So pick a time when the stakes were high and you had to make an extremely difficult choice. This could be about professional or personal setting.
Essay 3. Tell us about your path to business school and your future plans. How will the Berkeley-Haas experience help you along this journey? (500 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay. Your task here is to delineate clearly your professional journey in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Berkeley Haas. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals. Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Before you start answering the 2nd part of the question, if you can answer the following questions in your mind, it will greatly help with your writing. How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another application made for bettering the odds?
Optional/Reapplicant Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven't addressed elsewhere. (Reapplicant Essay. We strongly recommend that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information.) (500 words maximum)
Essay 1. If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why? (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The principal focus should be on what YOU are: the song choice and the reasons behind it become almost automatic after that. Choose aspects of the song based on what is tells about you: it could be the cultural/personal associations of the song, the meaningful and relevant lyrics, the singer's passion/style or anything at all connected with the song as long it connects emotionally and personally to the kind of human being you are.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion, 50% of your work is done. Write a full throated essay!
Go for it!
Essay 2. Please respond to ONE of the following prompts: (250 words maximum)
Essay 2. Tips 1. Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world and how it transformed you.
Haas wants to know your core values, the fundamental principles by which you live your life. This essay is asking you to reveal to adcom your unique and personal outlook on life.
When choosing an experience for this essay, you can pick a work or non-work related story. Whichever story you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something very deep. This experience could be one of the defining moments of your life.
Approach this essay in three parts: Before, Change, and After. It would be helpful to set a context of the original situation, and then talk about a catalyst or trigger that initiated the change and forced you to think differently. While talking about the change, show the reader your thought process, show how you struggled, what challenges you faced, and why you decided to change your outlook. Involve the reader and take them through your mental and emotional journey. The After picture would be most likely a better version of you: perhaps a more positive, realistic, practical, grounded, or humble you.
If possible also use this opportunity to showcase your key strengths that you want Haas adcom to notice. And if you find an overlap with Haas’ key principles- don’t hesitate to show them why you are a good fit for Haas and vice versa. Like all other essays, this one is also your self-marketing opportunity!
2. Describe a significant accomplishment and why it makes you proud.
Berkeley aims to understand what you value as important and also gauge your potential for success at Haas and beyond. While you describe the accomplishment, you should make it explicit why this particular incident/ achievement makes you proud of yourself.
Though the essay asks you what is your accomplishment, it is very important for you to also show how you achieved this success. So pick something challenging, pick something recent and possibly where you can highlight your leadership and team working skills. You could start by describing the context and the challenges that you had to overcome. Remember a conflict /challenge makes the impact of an accomplishment stand out, so always clearly describe the challenges and how you conquered them.
If you can, also show the reader how this particular incident impacted people around you such as your family, your team, your client, your organization. Show them the stakes were high and the clock was ticking. And how YOU- the hero/heroine of the story- saved the world! Show with clear examples what you did and briefly mention why that was important and useful. Finally mention the outcome of the situation and specifically outcome for you. How did the experience transform you? And how did others see you? Showing that others also recognized your efforts adds a more objective point of view and makes your story stronger and more believable.
3. Describe a difficult decision you have made and why it was challenging.
One key element of writing this type of essay is the main challenge or dilemma. The entire impact of the essay hinges on the magnitude of your difficulty. So pick a time when the stakes were high and you had to make an extremely difficult choice. This could be about professional or personal setting.
Essay 3. Tell us about your path to business school and your future plans. How will the Berkeley-Haas experience help you along this journey? (500 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay. Your task here is to delineate clearly your professional journey in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Berkeley Haas. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals. Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Before you start answering the 2nd part of the question, if you can answer the following questions in your mind, it will greatly help with your writing. How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another application made for bettering the odds?
Optional/Reapplicant Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven't addressed elsewhere. (Reapplicant Essay. We strongly recommend that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information.) (500 words maximum)
Essay 1. Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world. How did this transform you? (400-500 word maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Haas wants to know your core values, the key principles by which you live your life. This essay is asking you to reveal to adcom your unique and personal outlook on life.
When choosing an experience for this essay, you can pick a work or non-work related story. Since Essay 2 is explicitly asking for a professional story, for this one you might want to show your personal side. Whichever story you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something very deep. This experience could possibly be one of the defining moments of your life.
Approach this essay in three parts: Before, Change and After. It would be helpful to set a context of the original situation, then talk about a catalyst or trigger that initiated the change and forced you to think differently. While talking about the change, show the reader your thought process, show how you struggled, what challenges you faced, and why you decided to change your outlook. Involve the reader and take them through your mental and emotional journey.
The After picture would be most likely a better version of you: perhaps a more positive, realistic, practical, grounded, or humble you.
If possible also use this opportunity to showcase your key strengths that you want Haas adcom to notice. And if you find an overlap with Haas’ key principles- don’t hesitate to show them why you are a good fit for Haas and vice versa. Like all other essays this one is also your self-marketing opportunity!
Essay 2. What is your most significant professional accomplishment? (200-300 word maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. Berkeley aims to understand what you value as important and also gauge your potential for success at Haas and beyond. Though the essay asks you what is your accomplishment, it is very important for you to also show how you achieved this success.
Pick something challenging, pick something recent and possibly where you can highlight your leadership and team working skills.
You could start by describing the context and the challenges that you had to overcome. Remember a conflict /challenge makes the impact of an accomplishment stand out, so always clearly describe the challenges and how you conquered them.
Show the reader why this particular incident was so important to you, to your team, your client, your organization. Show them the stakes were high and clock was ticking. And how YOU- the hero/heroine of the story- saved the world! Show with clear examples what you did and briefly mention why that was important and useful. Finally mention the outcome of the situation and specifically outcome for you. How did the experience transform you? And how did other see you-did you receive a promotion, a raise, or maybe a special thanks from the CEO?! Showing that others also recognized your efforts adds a more objective point of view and makes your story stronger and more believable.
Essay 3. What is your desired post-MBA role and at what company or organization? In your response, please specifically address sub-questions a., b., and c. (500-600 word maximum for 3a, 3b, and 3c combined)
Essay 3 Tips. A very unique and somewhat daunting essay question. Good part about this question though is that it forces you to clarify your short-term goals to nuts and bolts and makes you really think hard on why you will be successful in achieving your goal. If you can’t clearly articulate an answer to this questions, perhaps you should go back and think about your goals and need for an MBA.
When explaining your post-MBA goal, specify what function and what industry you will like to pursue and then name an organization. Haas knows this might not turn out to be your post-MBA job, but they want to see your focus, clarity, and the credibility of your goals. If the company you want to write about, doesn't come to Haas campus for recruiting, at some point mentioning your understanding of this fact will be helpful.
a) In case you are planning to stay in the same industry/function- talk about how your past experience, domain expertise and industry knowledge will make you an attractive candidate for this company. One the other hand if you are an aspiring career changer, then draw on your transferable skills as a means to show how you will add value to this company.
b) Speak about 1-2 strengths you believe are unique to you that will help you make an impact that possibly other employees can not. If you have already done that in past- show with examples. Explain that among people with similar qualifications and skill sets, you were able to outshine because of your attitude, perspectives, visions and you will bring the same traits to this company.
c) This is your chance to talk about Haas MBA. Showcase the key aspects of the Berkeley Haas program, community and setting that will take you nearer your goals. The objective is to implicitly and explicitly demonstrate that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in Haas: so please ensure that the points you mention do not apply equally to other major b-schools as well! Show them you have done research and Haas MBA is your only means to succeed at this dream job!
Optional Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you have not addressed elsewhere. (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay 1. Tips The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your Haas application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Reapplicant Essay Please note that this optional essay is also the Haas Reapplicant Essay. "We strongly recommend that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information."
Optional Essay 2. If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 words maximum)
Optional Essay 2. Tips Quantitative proficiency is a prerequisite for admission to Haas. "All applicants should have completed, at a minimum, a college-level mathematics or statistics course. Haas faculty who teach quantitative courses will assume you have mastered the basic material. Therefore, the Admissions Committee looks carefully at quantitative proficiency when making its admissions decisions."
Engineering, Mathematics and (most) science graduates could give this a miss. However if your undergraduate degree and/or work experience indicates a shortfall in quantitative skills please use this essay to exhibit your strong quantitative abilities. Examples to showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be the best way to illustrate this. Courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities are also welcome.
Go for it!
Essay 1: If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why? (250 words maximum)
While this is not an exact rephrasing of either the 2010-2011 question "What are you most passionate about? Why?" or of the 2011-2012 prompt "What brings you the greatest joy? How does this make you distinctive?", the objective might be very similar. The principal focus should be on what YOU are: the song choice and the reasons behind it become almost automatic after that.
Choose aspects of the song based on what is tells about you: it could be the cultural/personal associations of the song, the meaningful and relevant lyrics, the singer's passion/style or anything at all connected with the song as long it connects emotionally and personally to the kind of human being you are.
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write, if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion, 50% of your work is done.
Write a full throated essay!
Go for it!
Essay 2: What is your most significant accomplishment? (250 words maximum)
A mainstay of the Berkeley Haas essay pack, this prompt is being repeated almost without change for the fourth year now.
You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic. The choice of which achievement to choose for this Haas essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are just some of the qualities that the incident could reflect on.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that shortly follows, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - ensure that there are no contradictions there.
Go for it!
Essay 3: Describe a time in the last three years when you overcame a failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development? (250 words maximum)
A simpler phrasing of this prompt would be "Describe a failure that has helped shape your development". The three year limitation is new - urging you to find more recent events and give the essay a more topical flavor.
This is a "failure" essay - and as in all failure essays the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience. Begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be made much easier for you.
As a first step, find a failure you experienced that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Try to demonstrate the value of the "development" by quoting later successes using the learning from the failure.
The Berkeley Haas failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success. Let that show.
Go for it!
Essay 4 a) What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How have your professional experiences prepared you to achieve these goals? b) How will an MBA from Haas help you achieve these goals? (750 words maximum for 4a and 4b)
This is a straightforward goals essays - with career goals, career progression and "why Haas" components. While shorter than last year's goals essay by 250 words it still offers ample scope and space for doing a thorough job. As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay can be an important guide to its importance, and 750 words is pretty long.
The task here is to clearly delineate your career development in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
a) Clearly mention your post-Haas short-term and long-term career goals. Think deeply about your goals and be realistic and passionate while detailing your post-Haas goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. This essay is a test of the credibility, practicality and achievability of your dreams and you better construct a error-proof narrative that leaves no loose ends. In the second section of the essay underline how your professional experiences so far - and the qualities, skills, knowledge, exposure etc that you gained from it - will help you achieve your goals. The 2010-2011 question "How do your professional experiences relate to these goals?" might help.
b) Convincingly explain why the Haas MBA is critical to you. Showcase the key aspects of the Berkeley Haas program, community and setting that will take you nearer your goals. The objective is to implicitly and explicitly demonstrate that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in Haas: so please ensure that the points you mention do not apply equally to other major b-schools as well! A short response to last year's question, omitted this time around, "what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA?" is apt here.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay 1: Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you have not addressed elsewhere. (500 words maximum)
The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your Haas application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay.
Reapplicant Essay Please note that this optional essay is also the Haas Reapplicant Essay. "We strongly recommend that you submit a statement outlining how you have improved your candidacy since your last application, as the Admissions Committee will be looking for substantive change in your qualifications. You can use the optional essay question to provide this information."
Optional Essay 2. If not clearly evident, please discuss ways in which you have demonstrated strong quantitative abilities, or plan to strengthen quantitative abilities. You do not need to list courses that appear on your transcript. (250 words maximum)
Optional Essay 2 Tips. Quantitative proficiency is a prerequisite for admission to Haas. "All applicants should have completed, at a minimum, a college-level mathematics or statistics course. Haas faculty who teach quantitative courses will assume you have mastered the basic material. Therefore, the Admissions Committee looks carefully at quantitative proficiency when making its admissions decisions."
Engineering, Mathematics and (most) science graduates could give this a miss. However if your undergraduate degree and/or work experience indicates a shortfall in quantitative skills please use this essay to exhibit your strong quantitative abilities. Examples to showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be the best way to illustrate this. Courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities are also welcome.
Go for it!
Short Essay 1: What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 word maximum)
There are two approaches you can take.
First: Let your passion dovetail with the second required "goals essay" such that this essay automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the "goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach, reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift the more prosaic industry/statistics driven reasons for your future career choices to that essay.
Second: Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute to it and perhaps too how you are impacted and bettered by it.
Either way the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. If this essay does not reveal the person with a ticking heart behind this application, write again!
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion 50% of your work is done.
Simple?
Short Essay 2: Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic.
The choice of achievement for writing this Berkeley Haas essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three qualities that the incident could reflect on.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that shortly follows, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there.
Short Essay 3: At Haas, our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — question the status quo; confidence without attitude; students always; and beyond yourself. Give an example of when you have demonstrated one of these principles. (250 words maximum)
Before everything else, check out Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles of questioning the status quo through innovation, acting with confidence but without attitude or arrogance, being lifelong students always and leading ethically and responsibly, with larger interests beyond yourself. While you are about it, you could also read alumnus Sabrina Simmons' commencement address which should provide inspiration, if not content, for the essay.
Now, having comprehensively understood the question, shift the focus to the hero of the story - YOU. Identify an achievement/event/situation that focuses on your creativity/innovation or confident yet humble leadership or continuous learning skills or ethical leadership. Choose the story and thematic presentation of the same, based on the quality (among the ones given) that represents you most accurately.
Use this opportunity from Berkeley Haas to narrate a story that specifically highlights one of the attributes given above. Feel free to choose from your personal or professional life, but try to bring a personal tone to the essay.
Go get 'em!
Short Essay 4: There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250 word maximum)
Key Essay Tip: If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Haas. Berkeley Haas takes campus visits seriously and being in USA and not visiting, is in my book a straight 25% off for this essay.
Regardless of whether you visit Haas or not, this essay does require some investment of time and effort.
The Berkeley Haas essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another application made for bettering the odds.
Required Essay 1: Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position and which ideally reflects different facets of your leadership style and leadership strengths.
Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that helps you highlight your leadership achievement, while effectively underlining your leadership skills.
Preferably seek out a story that does not go too far back in time - typically a leadership achievement that occurred in the last 2-3 years would be ideal.
Required Essay 2: What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 word maximum)
This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay.
And you cannot complain about lack of space either! As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay is an important guide to its importance. The task here is to clearly delineate your career development in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Berkeley Haas. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay 1: Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
We can be accused of taking a partisan role in the question of optional essays. We stand against optional essays in almost all cases. We feel that the first question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive contribution or quality that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. Maybe there is a particularly important aspect of your personality, career or life that you want the Haas admissions committee to know about. In that case you can consider writing the optional essay.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider yet again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Short Essay 1. What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 1. Tips There are two approaches you can take.
First: Let your passion dovetail with the second required "goals essay" such that this essay automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the "goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach, reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift the more prosaic industry/statistics driven reasons for your future career choices to that essay.
Second: Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute to it and perhaps too how you are impacted and bettered by it.
Either way the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. If this essay does not reveal the person with a ticking heart behind this application, write again!
Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion 50% of your work is done.
Simple?
Short Essay 2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 2. Tips You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic.
The choice of achievement for writing this Berkeley Haas essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three qualities that the incident could reflect on.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that shortly follows, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there.
Short Essay 3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe a time when you created positive change in a group or an organization. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 3. Tips Good question!
This is a rare chance, since almost no other Business School application exclusively devotes an entire essay to your creativity and/or innovation.
Use this opportunity from Berkeley Haas to specifically address your creative side with examples that highlight your out-of-the-box thinking. Since "a group or an organization" is explicitly mentioned highlight how your idea/initiative impacted the group/organization. Try to bring a personal tone to the essay, especially in the part of the essay where you formulate the idea. Choose from your personal or professional life.
Short Essay 4. There are many ways to learn about our program, what steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 4. Tips Key Essay Tip: If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Haas. Berkeley Haas takes campus visits seriously and being in USA and not visiting, is in my book a straight 25% off for this essay.
Regardless of whether you visit Haas or not, this essay does require some investment of time and effort.
The Berkeley Haas essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another application made for bettering the odds.
Required Essay 1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
Required Essay 1. Tips Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position and which ideally reflects different facets of your leadership style and leadership strengths.
Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that helps you highlight your leadership achievement, while effectively underlining your leadership skills.
Preferably seek out a story that does not go too far back in time - typically a leadership achievement that occurred in the last 2-3 years would be ideal.
Required Essay 2. What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 word maximum)
Required Essay 2. Tips This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay.
And you cannot complain about lack of space either! As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay is an important guide to its importance. The task here is to clearly delineate your career development in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Berkeley Haas. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and logic than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. We can be accused of taking a partisan role in the question of optional essays. We stand against optional essays in almost all cases. We feel that the first question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive contribution or quality that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. Maybe there is a particularly important aspect of your personality, career or life that you want the Haas admissions committee to know about. In that case you can consider writing the optional essay.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider yet again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Short Essay 1. If you could change one thing you've done in your life, what would it be, and how would you do it differently? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 1 Tips. OK. Easy approach: treat this as a "failure essay". Select a failure that has impacted your career/life critically. Choose a substantial episode as an inconsequential one would beg the question of why that is the one thing that you want to change. As in any failure essay, the learning from the episode would be the key aspect of the essay, not the failure as such. While some might be tempted to use this as a substitute for the optional essay explaining a low GMAT score or a gap in your resume, it is recommended that you avoid the temptation.
Another approach is to select any one aspect of your personality such as leadership, team skills, decision making etc. that you feel has developed significantly in the last few years. Having chosen the right episode/"thing" your main task in this essay would be to show how you would use your new skill set or improved abilities to achieve different and better results given the benefit of hindsight.
Short Essay 2 Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 2 Tips. You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic.
The choice of achievement for writing this Berkeley Haas essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three qualities that the incident could reflect on.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that shortly follows, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there.
Short Essay 3 At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe an innovative solution you have created to address a specific challenge. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 3 Tips. Good question!
This is a rare chance, since almost no other Business School application exclusively devotes an entire essay to your creativity-innovation.
Use this opportunity from Berkeley Haas to specifically address your creative side with examples that highlight your out-of-the-box thinking. The scenario of the "specific challenge" should be used to give a sense of urgency or a personal tone to the essay. Choose from your personal or professional life.
Short Essay 4 What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program, and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 4 Tips. Key Essay Tip: If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Haas. Berkeley Haas takes campus visits seriously and being in USA and not visiting, is in my book a straight 25% off for this essay.
Regardless of whether you visit Haas or not, this essay does require some investment of time and effort.
The Berkeley Haas essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application is a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another application made for bettering the odds.
Required Essay 1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
Required Essay 1 Tips. Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that is not only a definite success in the context of team objectives but also helps in effectively underlining your leadership skills. The incident can go back in time but should preferably have occurred in the last 2-3 years.
Required Essay 2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)
Required Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay.
And you cannot complain about lack of space either! As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay is an important guide to its importance. The task here is to clearly delineate your career development in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question and so is "Why Haas now"; answer both parts of the question. Usually "Why Now" is much easier to handle if you try to think of why not 1-2 years earlier or 1-2 years later. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility, logic and realism than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. We can be accused of taking a partisan role in the question of optional essays. We stand against optional essays in almost all cases. We feel that the first question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Berkeley Haas optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays.
Do not submit your Berkeley Haas optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive contribution or quality that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. Maybe there is a particularly important aspect of your personality, career or life that you want the Haas admissions committee to know about. In that case you can consider writing the optional essay.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider yet again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Optional Essay 2 [Scholarship]. If you wish to be considered for the Haas Achievement Award (for individuals who have achieved success in spite of significant economic, educational, health-related and/or other obstacles), please use this space to address the obstacles you have overcome. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay [Scholarship] Tips. Applying for a scholarship is almost always advisable (you have little to lose and something to gain). Write a scholarship essay that ties in with your application and essay package, without contradicting any part of what you have already written about yourself. Since the scholarship process is separate from the admissions process in most schools do not be afraid of repeating information that defines your strong candidature.
Please present an honest, believable and robust picture of your economic, educational, health-related or other handicaps and tell them how you have triumphed over them so far.
Go for it!
Short Essay 1. If you could have dinner with one individual in the past, present, or future, who would it be and why? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 1 Tips. I am certain that you do not lack for people whom you admire or whose position you covet: a famous personality from any field of human endeavor from any time in history, or even a lesser known personality whom you have good reasons to admire. Given the multitude of choices, the decision making process about who to choose would be crucial.
Choose an interesting person who is relevant to your value system and/or career goals. Choose a person who might be recognizable by the Haas admissions committee. Choose a person whose life and work can be used to highlight your own best traits and your qualities. There are millions of beautiful people who have lived in this world. If you choose the right one, 30% of your work for this essay is done. Simple?
Extremely critical is the last word of the question - WHY? The "why" hides the truth about why you are writing this essay in the first place. It can reveal your personality, passions, vision and strengths, in ways that can make the Berkeley admissions committee sit up and take notice of you (in a good way!). Do not forget that the ultimate hero of the story in this essays as well is actually YOU. Consider the essay package as a whole and use elements in this essay that complement stories, examples and ideas elsewhere in your Berkeley Haas application package.
Short Essay 2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 2 Tips. You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic.
The choice of achievement for writing this Berkeley Haas essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three qualities that the incident could reflect on.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that shortly follows, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there.
Short Essay 3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe an innovative solution you have created to address a specific challenge. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 3 Tips. Good question!
This is a rare chance, since almost no other Business School application exclusively devotes an entire essay to your creativity and innovation.
Use this opportunity from Berkeley Haas to specifically address your creative side with examples that highlight your out-of-the-box thinking. The scenario of the "specific challenge" should be used to give a sense of urgency or a personal tone to the essay. Choose from your personal or professional life.
Short Essay 4. What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program, and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 4 Tips. Key Essay Tip: If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Haas. Berkeley Haas takes campus visits seriously and being in USA and not visiting, is in my book a straight 25% off for this essay.
Regardless of whether you visit Haas or not, this essay does require some investment of time and effort.
The Berkeley Haas essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another applications to lower the odds.
Required Essay 1. Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
Required Essay 1 Tips. Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that is not only a definite success in the context of team objectives but also effectively underlines your leadership skills. The incident can go back in time but should preferably have occurred in the last 2-3 years.
Required Essay 2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)
Required Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this Business School" essay.
And you cannot complain about lack of space either! As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay is an important guide to its importance. The task here is to clearly delineate your career development in the context of your short-term and long-term goals, while also linking the Berkeley Haas MBA with your past, present and future. Finding and expressing a logical, credible link between the three phases is the key to this essay.
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question and so is "Why Haas now"; answer both parts of the question. Usually "Why Now" is much easier to handle if you try to think of why not 1-2 years earlier or 1-2 years later. Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility, logic and realism than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay 1. Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay if you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive contribution or quality that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. Maybe there in as a particularly important aspect of your personality, career or life that you want the Haas admissions committee to know about. In that case you can consider writing the optional essay.
Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent, interesting and credible.
Optional Essay 2. If you wish to be considered for the Haas Achievement Award (for individuals who have achieved success in spite of significant economic, educational, health-related and/or other obstacles), please use this space to address the obstacles you have overcome. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. While applying for a scholarship is almost always advisable (you have little to lose and something to gain), writing the Scholarship essay is not. Write a scholarship essay that ties in with your application and essay package, without contradicting any part of what you have already written about yourself. Since the scholarship process is separate from the admissions process in most schools do not be afraid of repeating information that defines your strong candidature.
Please present an honest, believable and robust picture of your economic, educational, health-related or other handicaps and tell them how you have triumphed over them so far.
Go for it!
Short Essay 1. What is your favorite quote, and why is it meaningful to you? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 1 Tips. A quote is often the favorite essay kickoff mode for many applicants. Berkeley Haas has probably received too many irrelevant quotes and now wants a change!
Choose an interesting quote that is relevant to your value system and/or career goals. Choose the quote of a person who might be recognizable by the Haas admissions committee. Choose a quote that can highlight your best traits and your personality/career development. Preferably choose a quote that is not directly or negatively comparative - any negativity in your essays, especially those of individual or specific groups, rubs off on you.
There are millions of beautiful quotes just a click or a look away. If you choose the right one, 30% of your work for this essay is done. Simple?
Short Essay 2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 2 Tips. As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. Write accordingly. For example, there is a bigger leadership essay that will follow, so choose the achievement carefully. Also, within the context of your Berkeley Haas essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there.
Short Essay 3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. How have you demonstrated these qualities in your professional or personal life? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 3 Tips. Good question!
This is a rare chance, since (in my knowledge) no other B School is willing to exclusively devote an entire essay to your creativity and innovation.
Short Essay 4. If you have visited Haas, please let us know what about your visit made the most lasting impression on you. If you have not visited Haas, what steps have you taken to familiarize yourself with our MBA program? (250 word maximum)
Short Essay 4 Tips. Key Essay Tip: If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Haas. Being in USA and not visiting, is in my book a straight 25% off for this essay.
Regardless of whether you visit Haas or not, this essay does require some investment of time and effort.
The Berkeley Haas essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission at Berkeley Haas? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Haas? Have you talked to current Berkeley Haas students or alumni? Have you visited Haas or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Berkeley Haas application a reflection of your specific interest in Haas and not just another applications to lower the odds.
Required Essay 1. Give us an example of a time when you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
Required Essay 1 Tips. As we keep saying in our mba essay tips the recommended length of the essay is an important guide to its importance. On that score this Berkeley Haas essay is definitely important.
Recollect and write about an experience that witnessed you in a leadership position. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that is not only a definite success in the context of team objectives but also effectively underlines your leadership skills.
The incident can go back in time but should preferably have occurred in the last 2-3 years.
Required Essay 2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)
Required Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward career progression, career goals and "why this B School" essay.
And you cannot complain about lack of space either!
"Why Haas" is an important part of the question and so is "Why Haas now"; answer both parts of the question.
Remember that you can blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story since your career is intricately connected to your personal life and personal goals.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. (Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Berkeley Haas optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider yet again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)
Essay 1 Tips. YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals and how they connect you to the Chicago Booth MBA.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long-term and short-term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice and demonstrate (perhaps with short, relevant examples) that you have the vision, skill-set and determination to make it happen. While the short-term goals can be more "practical", greater vision and impact will be welcome in the longer-term goal. Both goals have to be logical and credible; to this mix, if you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
"Why Chicago Booth?" has to be dealt with the application, research, and intelligence. To compellingly illustrate that the Chicago Booth MBA is the best option for you to move forward successfully you might need to go both backward and forwards into your career and show how the Booth MBA will strengthen and enhance your career. Personalize your answer as much as possible and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Chicago Booth (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
250 words minimum allows you to explore and reveal your ideas and vision to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that spurs admiration and credibility.
Essay 2. Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum)
Essay 2 Tips. Top Business schools such as Chicago Booth provide an intense learning environment within the classroom as well as beyond the classroom. You will have access to innumerable opportunities to explore the varied professional and personal offerings. How will you make a choice? Booth wants to know what will drive you and what path you will take when you join their community. And to get an understanding of the same, they want to understand the rationale behind the choices you have made in your life till date.
When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally, all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. And do the same for your personal choices.
Essay 1. How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)
Essay 1 Tips. YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals and how they connect you to the Chicago Booth MBA.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long-term and short-term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice and demonstrate (perhaps with short, relevant examples) that you have the vision, skill-set and determination to make it happen. While the short-term goals can be more "practical", greater vision and impact will be welcome in the longer-term goal. Both goals have to be logical and credible; to this mix, if you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
"Why Chicago Booth?" has to be dealt with the application, research, and intelligence. To compellingly illustrate that the Chicago Booth MBA is the best option for you to move forward successfully you might need to go both backward and forwards into your career and show how the Booth MBA will strengthen and enhance your career. Personalize your answer as much as possible and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Chicago Booth (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
250 words minimum allows you to explore and reveal your ideas and vision to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that spurs admiration and credibility.
Essay 2. Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum)
Essay 2 Tips. Top Business schools such as Chicago Booth provide an intense learning environment within the classroom as well as beyond the classroom. You will have access to innumerable opportunities to explore the varied professional and personal offerings. How will you make a choice? Booth wants to know what will drive you and what path you will take when you join their community. And to get an understanding of the same, they want to understand the rationale behind the choices you have made in your life till date.
When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally, all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. And do the same for your personal choices.
Essay 1. How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)
Essay 1 Tips. YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals and how they connect you to the Chicago Booth MBA.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long-term and short-term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice and demonstrate (perhaps with short, relevant examples) that you have the vision, skill-set and determination to make it happen. While the short-term goals can be more "practical", greater vision and impact will be welcome in the longer-term goal. Both goals have to be logical and credible; to this mix, if you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
"Why Chicago Booth?" has to be dealt with the application, research, and intelligence. To compellingly illustrate that the Chicago Booth MBA is the best option for you to move forward successfully you might need to go both backward and forwards into your career and show how the Booth MBA will strengthen and enhance your career. Personalize your answer as much as possible and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Chicago Booth (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
250 words minimum allows you to explore and reveal your ideas and vision to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that spurs admiration and credibility.
Essay 2. Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum)
Essay 2 Tips. Top Business schools such as Chicago Booth provide an intense learning environment within the classroom as well as beyond the classroom. You will have access to innumerable opportunities to explore the varied professional and personal offerings. How will you make a choice? Booth wants to know what will drive you and what path you will take when you join their community. And to get an understanding of the same, they want to understand the rationale behind the choices you have made in your life till date.
When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally, all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. And do the same for your personal choices.
Using one of the photos provided, tell us how it resonates with your own viewpoint on why the Booth community is the right fit for you.
Essay 1 Tips. Interpreting a picture is a very subjective process. What you see in a snapshot and what aspect resonates with you is very personal and expresses your viewpoints and attitude. Once you have decided on the approach for the content, you will begin to see what format would be more suitable for you. The format should also depend on your abilities and strengths. If you are good with words, maybe you should express yourself in the essay form, if you like playing with pictures and graphics and being 'creative' in that way- choose a PowerPoint or another mode. Infographic anyone?!
There is a lot you can tell Booth and in interesting ways but make sure to not go overboard in terms of length. A basic guideline could be to think in terms of how much time it would take to go through your material. 3-5mins should be your best bet. If you are thinking about writing an essay, we suggest not exceeding 750 words, for PowerPoint slides 3-6 should work. Booth instructs that maximum size allowed is 16MB. If you decide on PowerPoint, note that the slides might be printed out for viewing, so use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Optional Essay. Is there any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? If so, please address in an optional essay. (300-word maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even when you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Chicago Booth optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Chicago Booth optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. With 2500 words and a complete PowerPoint presentation at your disposal, you better not take this route!
You can use the Chicago optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. The Chicago optional essay is also acceptable if you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
Essay 1. Using one of the photos provided, tell us how it resonates with your own viewpoint on why the Booth community is the right fit for you.
Essay 1 Tips. Interpreting a picture is a very subjective process. What you see in a snapshot and what aspect resonates with you is very personal and expresses your viewpoints and attitude. Having said that, as former MBA student, let's try to give you some guidelines on what each picture could represent in the context of a student experience at B-schools. Note that these are simply few pointers and not at all exhaustive directions.
Photo 1: Fellow classmates cheer on members of TransparentC as they are announced the winners of the 2016 Edward L. Kaplan, '71, New Venture Challenge. Run by @polskycenter, #ChicagoNVC is an experiential learning program that helps students turn their ideas into viable businesses. Celebrating its 20th year, NVC is recognized as the top-ranked university accelerator program in the nation, where more than 140 companies got their start.
Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Or you have an entrepreneurial spirit? How do you think the experiential learning aspect of Booth will be valuable for you? Think about what Booth offers you in terms of your career aspirations and make a rocking presentation! (or essay or..whatever format you choose!)
Photo 2. A group of students travel together through Colombia. Each year, hundreds of Booth classmates have the opportunity to travel around the world, visiting destinations from Argentina to Vietnam. International opportunities like Random Walks, the International Business Exchange Program, and Industry Treks result in lifelong memories and lasting friendships.
All the Top B-school provide several avenues for international experience and exposure. Booth clearly tells you about the opportunities they have, now you have to see if you are excited by this potential (we are!). Perhaps you haven't had much international experience and are looking to gain that kind of exposure! OR perhaps you have already worked in a diverse setup and you want to continue building on that global experience.
Photo 3. second-year student helps the incoming class develop their individual leadership styles as a part of Leadership Effectiveness and Development (LEAD), the cohorted course every Booth student takes at the beginning of their first year. As LEAD Facilitators, second years have an opportunity to further practice those leadership skills and pay it forward to the next generation of Booth students.
Very often students write about gaining leadership skills from MBA program. However, Booth goes two steps ahead and give you a real glimpse into how the training is imparted and how you can immerse yourself in being a wonderful leader.
Photo 4. Walking in front of the Charles M. Harper Center, a student is captured during a quiet moment before the beginning of a day on campus
What does being at Booth mean to you? Having this opportunity, this ocean of possibilities - what does it mean to you? When you get admitted, your each day on campus will be different and exciting. What does that dream signify for you?
Photo 5. Faculty are thought leaders whose ideas influence markets and politics in industries across the globe. Their research delves deep into the foundations of economics and behavioral sciences that underline how markets work, businesses function, and people make decisions
Most top schools boast of excellent faculty. Many are published authors and thought leaders in their respective fields. Same with Booth. But again, what does this mean for you? What does this really mean for YOU?!
Photo 6. students visit a village in India as part of a Global Social Impact Practicum led by the Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI). The program explores the potential for bamboo-based power and its impact on employment in rural India. #BoothSEI supports similar efforts through #ExperientialLearning opportunities in communities around the globe
A good MBA program doesn't only give you a business education but also teaches you about being a socially responsible citizen and as a future business leader how to give back to the society. Think about the causes you care about and how Booth could help you make a difference in your focus areas?
Photo 7. A team of #ChicagoBooth alumni compete in the 2015 Global MBA Trophy regatta in Athens, Greece. The sailing race draws accomplished alumni from top business schools around the world. Annual events such as these happen globally, bringing alumni together to connect, collaborate, and share in new moments.
Being part of Booth's community will give access to worldwide alums and thrilling opportunities for decades to come. You will not only network with Booth alums but also alums from other top B-schools. Your growing network will further open up new professional and personal opportunities. Great isn't it?! But why is that important to you?
Photo 8. On the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, cofounder and CEO Matt Maloney, ’10, is joined by food mascots to help ring the opening bell as his company @GrubHub lists its initial public offering in April, 2014. Shares of the company, valued at the time at $2 billion, climbed more than 30% the first day of its IPO.
Where will Booth take you? Every school prides itself in creating visionary businessmen of the future. Tell Booth what goals you want to reach, what skies you want to conquer, how far you want to go and how Booth can take you there!
Photo 9. Students speak with Chairman and Co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, David Booth, ’71, whose unprecedented donation in 2008 led to renaming the school in his honor. The opportunity for business leaders to bring insights from their careers to students is an invaluable complement to Booth’s world-class academics.huge amount of B-school learning happens outside the classroom- often with guest speakers, alumni lectures and several other meetups. Why are these important for you? How will you leverage your time at Booth to enrich yourself? And how will you, as an alum, engage with the Booth community? Have you done the same with your previous universities?
Photo 10. Nearly 100 #ChicagoBooth students put on a massive flash mob to surprise the Class of 2017 admitted students visiting #HarperCenter in February, 2015. The choreographed performance of the hit “Uptown Funk,” was organized by members of the Booth Dance Club, one of 80 student groups on campus
Social life at every top B-school is vibrant and one of the important components is the numerous club activities. A school like Booth provide you several options to choose from. You can be assured you will find an active club in your area of interest. And just in case there is none, you can launch a new club! (yeah, most schools give you,with certain restrictions that freedom!)
Once you have decided on the approach for the content, you will begin to see what format would be more suitable for you. The format should also depend on your abilities and strengths. If you are good with words, maybe you should express yourself in the essay form, if you like playing with pictures and graphics and being 'creative' in that way- choose a PowerPoint or another mode. Infographic anyone?!
There is a lot you can tell Booth and in interesting ways but make sure to not go overboard in terms of length. A basic guideline could be to think in terms of how much time it would take to go through your material. 3-5mins should be your best bet. If you are thinking about writing an essay, we suggest not exceeding 750 words, for PowerPoint slides 3-6 should work. Booth instructs that maximum size allowed is 16MB. If you decide on PowerPoint, note that the slides might be printed out for viewing, so use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Goal Questions. What is your immediate post-MBA goal? (250 characters max)
What is your long-term post-MBA career goal? (250 characters max)
Goal Questions Tips. Hidden in a new 'Chicago Booth and You' part of the online application are Booth's mini goal essays. This is a new trend with many b-schools lately to ask career-goal related questions in different parts of online application. Though not labeled as Essays, make sure you present your thoughts as carefully and clearly as you would in an essay.
In addition the mini essays, you will be required to pick intended post-MBA industry and function from drop down menus. So use the descriptive part to elaborate about your choices and decision in a focused and precise manner.
For short-term goals, write about why you are targeting the given industry and function. If you can name a company or two, that might be even better and show your focus and clear vision. Do your research and find out that the companies you are targeting indeed come to Booth for campus placement. If you are planning a career switch, you should address succinctly how your experience has prepared you for an alternate career track.
While writing about your long-term goal, make sure they are realistic and connect with your short term goals. That goes without saying, but be clear to show the reasons for Booth MBA and short-term goals. For example if you want to build a technology venture in your home country, how will studying, working and networking in the US help you? Don’t leave it to Adcom to connect the dots of your past, present and future. Do it for them!
Essay 1. Using one of the photos provided, tell us how it resonates with your own viewpoint on why the Booth community is the right fit for you.
Essay 1 Tips. Interpreting a picture is a very subjective process. What you see in a snapshot and what aspect resonates with you is very personal and expresses your viewpoints and attitude. Having said that, as former MBA student, let's try to give you some guidelines on what each picture could represent in the context of a student experience at B-schools. Note that these are simply few pointers and not at all exhaustive directions.
Photo 1. Booth students engaged in teamwork outside of the classroom. At nearly every B-school, you will have numerous opportunities to interact with your classmates in rather informal settings. The school creates such activities to foster bonds and help your leadership development (hint: the caption on the Tshirts!)
Photo 2. The site of Chicago skyline and the majestic awe inspiring Cloud Gate or The Bean as referred fondly by the locals. So what does pursuing your MBA from a big city like Chicago means to you? Is it important for you? Why?
Photo 3. Do you enjoy reflecting in solitude and coming up with creative solutions? What kind of opportunities at Booth will be given to you in this regard and how will you utilize them?
Photo 4. An enormous part of your MBA coursework will involve teamwork and frequent presentation in front of your class/ batch. Are you comfortable and eager about this aspect of Booth's learning environment?
Photo 5. It is graduation! There is glitter of hope and bright future in your eyes and the air! You are on the way to embark on an exciting career. How does this image inspire you?
Photo 6. The Booth brand will stay with you for a lifetime. Wherever you go, whenever you accomplish something, whatever your path will be- the brand will stay with you. Will you be proud to carry Booth's name with you?
Photo 7. Like many top schools, Booth also values diversity and celebrates its expression in various forms. How does that make you feel? Do you value that kind of community? How important is it for you?
Photo 8. A business school that encourages freedom of expression and ability to question and argue could be an excellent environment to groom you for your career as a leader. Would this be the most important element for you?
Photo 9. One huge advantage of being accepted into a top B-school is the access to industry experts and thought leaders. Sitting in the same room as the legends and accomplished businessmen could be a dream come true for some. Is it for you?
Photo 10. Would you feel more at home in a school that values and encourages community service? Are you actively looking for opportunities where you can do good and give back to the society?
Photo 11. The spirit of the school stays with you wherever you go. You are one part of a whole - the class- that makes Booth. What you stands for will define Booth. You become integral to the school's identity. Is this an idea that excites you?
Photo 12. All b-schools aim for a classroom experience that is inquisitive and thought provoking yet friendly and amicable. Is your dream to study with batch mates who will listen to you with an open mind and respect your viewpoints? Are you willing to offer the same to your batchmates?
Photo 13. The newly-constructed transparent ceiling of Booth represents a mindset that is open and welcoming. Another way to look at it could be the state-of-the-art facilities that await you at Booth. How important are these aspects for you?
Photo 14. Again a celebration of cultural diversity and a glimpse of the element of fun that permeates Booth's culture. Is this a place you are eager to call your home for next two years?
Photo 15. The Dean of Booth School of Business is taking a selfie with the school and invited the speaker. What does this picture say about Booth's culture? Do you value an informal and approachable community feeling? Have you had it in past? Or perhaps you missed it in your previous educational institutions?
Photo 16. Do you have high regard for an established institution that has stood the test of time? A business school that has maintained top rank throughout due to its dedicated faculty and the rigor of its curriculum? How important is the repute and authority of Booth School of Business for you?
Once you have decided on the approach for the content, you will begin to see what format would be more suitable for you. The format should also depend on your abilities and strengths. If you are good with words, maybe you should express yourself in the essay form, if you like playing with pictures and graphics and being 'creative' in that way- choose a PowerPoint or another mode. Infographic anyone?!
There is a lot you can tell Booth and in interesting ways but make sure to not go overboard in terms of length. A basic guideline could be to think in terms of how much time it would take to go through your material. 3-5mins should be your best bet. If you are thinking about writing an essay, we suggest not exceeding 750 words, for PowerPoint slides 3-6 should work. Booth instructs that maximum size allowed is 16MB. If you decide on PowerPoint, note that the slides might be printed out for viewing, so use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Goal Questions. What is your short-term post-MBA goal? (700 characters or less)
What is your long-term post-MBA goal? (700 characters or less)
Goal Questions Tips. Hidden in the Professional Experience part of the online application are Booth's mini goal essays. This is a new trend with many b-schools lately to ask career-goal related questions in different parts of online application. Though not labeled as Essays, make sure you present your thoughts as carefully and clearly as you would in an essay.
700 characters would come to approx. 130-150 words, so you have very less space to be unfocused and vague.
For short-term goals, tell them about what particular role within a desired industry and what function you are targeting and briefly explain why. If you can name a company or two, that might be even better and show your focus and clear vision. Do your research and find out that the companies you are targeting indeed come to Booth for campus placement? If they don’t, mention in your essay your understanding of this fact and that you have a plan to pursue a self-directed job search. If you are planning a career switch, you should address succinctly how your experience has prepared you for an alternate career track.
While writing about your long-term goal, make sure they are realistic and connect with your short term goals. That goes without saying, but be clear to show the reasons for Booth MBA and short-term goals. For example if you want to build a technology venture in your home country, how will studying, working and networking in the US help you? Don’t leave it to Adcom to connect the dots of your past, present and future. Do it for them.
Essay 1. Chicago Booth Presentation/Essay: Chicago Booth values adventurous inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas. This is us. Who are you?
Essay 1 Tips. An option to present anything about you without a word limit and in any way you like (mostly) could sure make one befuddled and lost! OR it could open gates of infinite creative possibilities and options to take interesting paths! Make the best of this unique opportunity.
First and foremost, decide on the content you want to show in this space and then think about what format is best suited as mode of your expression. With regards to the length, don’t let the absence of word limit mislead you. Keep it succinct and short.
So let’s talk about what you should write.
Booth already knows about your academics, career paths and goals, your interests and other active pursuits. They know a lot but all these are facts about you, the 'Whats' about you. Booth still doesn’t know the 'Hows' and 'Whys' of your achievements, your struggles, your visions. So one way to utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of Who are you?
Another approach could be to showcase a few of your key strengths that you are proud of and that resonate with you deeply. Through them show with examples what you value, what your passions are, what you care about. Work is one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will give Booth exactly what they want to know.
You can take multiple approaches and think about revealing many parts of you, but it will help to consider what will make you an attractive candidate for Booth. There is a fine line between trying to show what you believe the Adcom wants to see and demonstrating a good fit with the school. Ideally the school should be a good fit for you and you won't have to force it, if not, why are you even applying to Booth?
Like every other essays, this is also your opportunity to market yourself. You want to show that you have got all that it takes to excel at Booth and beyond and they will be lucky to have you. So pick themes and stories and pictures that specifically highlight those qualities that will make the Booth Adcom say "Hey, I want him/her at my school!!"
Once you have decided on the approach for the content, you will begin to see what format would be more suitable for you. The format should also depend on your abilities and strengths. If you are good with words, maybe you should express yourself in the essay form, if you like playing with pictures and graphics and being 'creative' in that way- choose a PowerPoint or another mode. Infographic anyone?!
There is a lot you can tell Booth and in interesting ways but make sure to not go overboard in terms of length. A basic guideline could be to think in terms of how much time it would take to go through your material. 3-5mins should be your best bet. If you are thinking about writing an essay, we suggest not exceeding 750 words, for PowerPoint slides 3-6 should work. Booth instructs that maximum size allowed is 16MB. If you decide on PowerPoint, note that the slides might be printed out for viewing, so use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Goal Questions. What is your short-term post-MBA goal? (700 characters or less)
What is your long-term post-MBA goal? (700 characters or less)
Goal Questions Tips. Hidden in the Professional Experience part of online application are Booth's mini goal essays. This is a new trend with many b-schools lately to ask career-goal related questions in different parts of online application. Though not labeled as Essays, make sure you present your thoughts as carefully and clearly as you would in an essay.
700 characters would come to approx. 130-150 words, so you have very less space to be unfocussed and vague.
For short-term goals, tell them about what specific role within a desired industry and what function you are targeting and briefly explain why. If you can name a company or two, that might be even better and show your focus and clear vision. Do you research and find out that the companies you are targeting indeed come to Booth for campus placement. If they don’t, mention in your essay your understanding of this fact and that you have a plan to pursue a self-directed job search. If you are planning a career switch, you should address succinctly how your past experience have prepared you for an alternate career track.
While writing about your long-term goal, make sure they are realistic and connect with your short term goals. That goes without saying, but be clear to show the reasons for Booth MBA and short-term goals. For example if you want to build a technology venture in your home country, how will studying, working and networking in the US help you? Don’t leave it to Adcom to connect the dots of your past, present and future. Do it for them.
Optional Essay. If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here. (300 word max)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even when you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Chicago Booth optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Chicago Booth optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. With 2500 words and a complete PowerPoint presentation at your disposal, you better not take this route!
You can use the Chicago optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. The Chicago optional essay is also acceptable if you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
Reapplicants Essay. Reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)
Reapplicants Essay Tips: While the question only asks you to describe changes in your "thinking" your aim should be to go well beyond that and present all the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for Chicago Booth.
You have to succinctly answer "what has changed since Chicago dinged me last time?" State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. Detail the steps have you taken to strengthen your Chicago Booth application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the Chicago reapplicant essay. Proactive Chicago-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Chicago Booth, might prove the trump card.
If you have gained new perspectives about your career goals or new "fit-points" with Chicago that did not appear in your earlier application this is the place to mention it.
Short Answer Essay a. My favorite part of my work is... (250 words maximum)
Short Answer Essay a Tips. An entirely new question, this essay prompt is the only direct professional question in this year's Booth application pack. However, this is also one of the most intimate work related essay prompts you will find. Thus, balancing these two elements will be critical to writing a good essay.
Choose a 'favorite part' that reflects your skills or attitude that are a strong part of your candidature. Even if not explicitly mentioned, these qualities should ideally transferable and easily linkable to your post-MBA aspirations.
Avoid qualities or actions that are specific to function or industry - UNLESS your post-MBA goal too is definitely in the same function/industry.
Despite the short length, try to include 2-3 short examples that illustrate your theme. Ideally achievements would make the best examples, though a touch of humor is welcome too.
Keep it short - 'cos you don't have a choice.
Go for it!
Short Answer Essay b. I started to think differently when... (250 words maximum)
Short Answer Essay b Tips. A rephrasing of last year's prompt "Tell us about something that has fundamentally transformed the way you think.", this short essay demands deep self-exploration and succinct self-expression.
The catalyst to the change can be an event, a person, a book, a movie, a challenge - anything that forced you to re-establish your intellectual moorings. The greater focus should be on the process of how your thinking changed - showcasing your intellect, passion for thinking and maturity.
Once you have clearly delineated your thought process and established that the transformation was logical/intelligent (even courageous), clearly describe the how this changed mindset transformed your life with quick examples.
Keep it short.
Go for it!
Presentation/Essay. The Chicago experience will take you deeper into issues, force you to challenge assumptions, and broaden your perspective. In a four-slide presentation or an essay of no more than 600 words, broaden our perspective about who you are. Understanding what we currently know about you from the application, what else would you like us to know?
Presentation/Essay Guidelines: We have set forth the following guidelines: The content is completely up to you. There is no right, or even preferred, approach to this essay. Feel free to use the software with which you are most comfortable. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint, Word, or PDF. However, we suggest converting your file to a PDF to preserve your intended formatting. There is a strict maximum of four pages (presentation) or 600 words (essay), though you can provide fewer if you choose. All content must fit within four pages (presentation) or 600 words (essay). The file size is limited to 16 MB. The document will be viewed electronically, but we cannot support embedded videos, music, hyperlinks, or motion images. The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise.
Presentation/Essay Tips. Same a last year, the key change in the Presentation/Essay here is that the presentation allows you to 'use the software with which you are most comfortable' moving away from the PowerPoint focus of earlier years. Though differently phrased and presented, the essay prompt remains rooted to the famed Chicago Booth perennial knot-twister that offers you a blank canvas and almost limitless freedom. 2011-2012: Considering what you've already included in the application, what else should we know about you? In a maximum of four slides, tell us about yourself.
2010-2011: At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with a blank page in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
2009-2010: We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you to tell us about yourself. In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?
This was one of the very first visual presentations demanded by a leading business school application (though you can cop out and write a 600 words essay), and retains its unlimited scope for themes and approaches.
You can choose between two approaches. In the first, you simply realize that your bewilderment is justified, you sulk and do your worst.
The second approach involves understanding that a difficult question can be turned into a great competitive advantage. You will have to take a leap of thought and understand that there are very few questions in any MBA essay package that MOST applicants will be completely befuddled by. Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago Booth presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.
On to some "real" tips.
First and foremost, take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not start wondering if there should be more pictures or less text or this color or that background - and concentrate on the basic question. What else and what more would you like the Chicago Booth admissions committee to know about you that has not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the "presentation" options.
You can use the presentation to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. Of course if you can show creativity, humor and insight through the presentation style you will score more - and have some fun too. Since the slides might be printed out for viewing, use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Please take the sensible step of converting your presentation to PDF to maintain your formatting elements.
Finally, if the presentation repeatedly (repeatedly!) turns out to be a complete dud, feel free to use 600 words straight essay option.
Go for it!
Reapplicants Essay. Reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)
Reapplicants Essay Tips. While the question only asks you to describe changes in your "thinking" your aim should be to go well beyond that and present all the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for Chicago Booth.
You have to succinctly answer "what has changed since Chicago dinged me last time?" State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. Detail the steps have you taken to strengthen your Chicago Booth application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the Chicago reapplicant essay. Proactive Chicago-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Chicago Booth, might prove the trump card.
If you have gained new perspectives about your career goals or new "fit-points" with Chicago that did not appear in your earlier application this is the place to mention it.
Essay 1. What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will a Chicago Booth MBA help you reach them? (600 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Historically the Chicago Booth admissions committee opens with a multi-part goals essays and is extremely interested in EACH section of this flagship application essay.
2010-2011: a. Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? b. Define your short and long term career goals post MBA. c. What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals?
2009-2010: How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time?
2007-2008 and 2008-2009: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals.
2006-2007: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?
2005-2006: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision? What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed? Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?
YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals and how they connect you to the Chicago Booth MBA.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long term and short term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice and demonstrate (perhaps with short, relevant examples) that you have the vision, skill-set and determination to make it happen. While the short term goals can be more "practical", greater vision and impact will be welcome in the longer term goal. Both goals have to be logical and credible; to this mix if you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
"Why Chicago Booth?" has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. To compellingly illustrate that the Chicago Booth MBA is the best option for you to move forward successfully you might need to go both backwards and forwards into your career and show how the Booth MBA will strengthen and enhance your career. Personalize your answer as much as possible, and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Chicago Booth (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
While 600 words is not as generous last year, it still allows you to explore and reveal your ideas and vision to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that spurs admiration and credibility.
Go for it!
Reapplicants Essay 1 a. Reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application?
Reapplicants Essay 1 a. Tips. While the question only asks you to describe changes in your "thinking" your aim here should be to go well beyond that and present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for a Chicago Booth admit than in your last application.
You have to succinctly answer "what has changed since Chicago dinged me last time?". State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your Chicago Booth application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the Chicago reapplicant essay. Proactive Chicago-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Chicago Booth, might prove the trump card.
In case you have new perspectives about your career goals or new "fit-points" with Chicago that did not appear in your earlier application this is the place to mention it.
Go for it!
Essay 2. At Chicago Booth, we believe each individual has his or her own leadership style. How has your family, culture, and/or environment influenced you as a leader? (maximum of 750 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Leadership is possibly the most influential human factor in society. It is also the most focused-on single trait across b-schools and in business. This Booth essay prompt reinforces that fact.
Begin by assembling your most significant leadership experiences till date and trying to define your approach towards leadership. Your behavior in these leadership stories might help you define your leadership strengths and leadership style. Ideally the examples should not only be impressive but should also have helped define the kind of a leader you are today. Do not limit your vision or the examples to the professional arena; how you lead in a small informal group, in your family, in your neighborhood will help underline your dynamic leadership qualities.
Evaluate your essay by checking if the following questions are answered impressively with succinct examples. What does leadership mean to you? What is your leadership attitude and approach? How has your leadership philosophy and style developed over time and experiences? How have people, environment and events influenced your growth as a leader? How dynamic are your leadership skills? Are you a good learner?
This is a straightforward essay that if written well can help you outrank your MBA admissions competitive pool.
Do your best!
Essay 3 [Slide Presentation]. Considering what you've already included in the application, what else should we know about you? In a maximum of four slides, tell us about yourself.
Essay Question 3 Guidelines: We have set forth the following guidelines: The content is completely up to you. There is no right, or even preferred, approach to this presentation. There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF. The document will be viewed electronically, but we cannot support embedded videos, music, or motion images. Additionally, all content MUST be included in the four pages; hyperlinks will not be viewed. The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
Essay 3 [Slide Presentation] Tips. Though differently phrased and presented, this is similar to the famed Chicago Booth perennial knot-twister that offers you a blank canvas and probably has you sputtering and wincing.
2010-2011: At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with “blank pages” in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
2009-2010: We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you to tell us about yourself. In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?
Actually the sputtering and wincing is the usual first reaction because not only is this one of the few mandatory visual presentations demanded by a leading business school application, this also has an unlimited scope in themes and options.
There are two approaches to this dilemma. In the first, you have to assume that your bewilderment will be shared by the other applicants. So simply sulk and do your worst. After all you have company! The second option involves understanding that a difficult question can actually be turned into a great competitive advantage. This would of course require more effort. You will have to take a leap of thought and try to understand that there are very few questions in any MBA essay package that MOST applicants will be completely befuddled by. Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago Booth PowerPoint/PDF presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.
On to some "real" tips.
First and foremost, take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not bother thinking about whether there should be more pics or less text or this color or that background. The basics still remain the same. What else and what more (even of the same) would you like the Chicago Booth admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the razzle-dazzle options [since only static slides are accepted there really can't be much of that].
You can use the presentation to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. Of course if you can show creativity, humor and insight through the presentation style you might score more - and have some fun too. Since the slides might be printed out for viewing, use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Go for it!
MBA Essay 1. 1. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you on both a personal and professional level. Please answer the following (maximum of 300 words for each section):
a. Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life?
b. Define your short and long term career goals post MBA.
c. What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals?
d. Reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application?
Essay 1 Tips. As in earlier years the Chicago Booth admissions committee opens with a multi-part goals essays to kick off the essay package and is extremely interested in EACH section of this flagship application essay.
2009-2010: How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time?
2007-2008 and 2008-2009: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals.
2006-2007: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?
2005-2006: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision? What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed? Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?
YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals, the reasons that connect Chicago Booth with your past, present and future, and why a full-time MBA is the logical next step for your future success.
a. To compelling illustrate that a full-time MBA is the best (perhaps only?) option for you at this stage of your career you might need to go both backwards and forwards into your career and show how an MBA would strengthen and enhance your career prospects. Desist from generalizations of why an MBA is god's gift (its a given!); instead focus on your career progression and why the 2010-2011 Chicago Booth intake is the perfect time for pursuing your MBA. If you are an older candidate please present cogent, persuasive reasons for why a part-time MBA will be inadequate.
b. Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long term and short term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice and demonstrate (perhaps with short, relevant examples) that you have the vision, skill-set and determination to make it happen. Ensure that this section (like all the rest) is perfectly complementary to a. and c. responses.
c. "Why Chicago Booth?" is the question and it has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Personalize your answer as much as possible, and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Chicago Booth (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
d (reapplicants). While the question only asks you to describe changes in your "thinking" your aim here should be to go well beyond that and present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for a Chicago Booth admit than in your last application. You have to succinctly answer "what has changed since Chicago dinged me last time?". State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your Chicago Booth application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the Chicago reapplicant essay. Proactive Chicago-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Chicago Booth, might prove the trump card. In case you have new perspectives about your career goals or new "fit-points" with Chicago that did not appear in your earlier application this is the place to mention it.
With 900 words at your disposal endeavor to push yourself to look beyond a straightforward career narration; feel free to explore and reveal your personality to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that incites admiration and credibility.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Chicago Booth is a place that challenges its students to stretch and take risks that they might not take elsewhere. Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you learned from that experience (maximum of 750 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Note: Please bear in mind that just because Chicago Booth has asked this question you do not have to suddenly transform into a mad, risk taker. Be honest and credible and intelligent in your response.
This is the only Chicago essay you have (discounting the Slide presentation) where an exclusively personal portrait of you possible. So, paint a portrait that not only addresses the "risk" aspect of the question, but underlines your key traits and qualities. You have the freedom to select a professional or personal instance.
Ensure that while the essay demonstrates your risk appetite, it also exemplifies the characteristics that you feel make you a good person/professional/candidate. Show how and why you made your choices, what leadership actions you took that made the risk taking worthwhile, how you evaluated risks and rewards and what your attitude was towards uncertain situations.
Depending on the specific example, allot space for "what you learned from the experience"; if the story is strong and has showcased well perhaps the learning section could be short. Nevertheless, despite the length, illustrating how the experience changed you for the better, grew you and taught you lessons that you hold dear to you today, would be of great help.
Go for it!
Chicago Booth MBA Essay 3 [Slide Presentation]. At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with “blank pages” in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
Essay 3 [Slide Presentation] Tips. Though differently presented, this is similar to the famed Chicago Booth perennial knot-twister that offers you a blank canvas and probably has you sputtering and wincing. Actually that is the usual first reaction because this is probably the only mandatory visual presentation demanded by a leading business school application.
There are two approaches to this dilemma. In the first, you have to assume that your bewilderment will be shared by the other applicants. So simply sulk and do your worst. After all you have company!
The second option involves far more effort. You will have to take a leap of thought and try to understand that this is a godsend [atheists can ignore that - I do!] opportunity. There are very few questions in any MBA essay package that MOST applicants will be completely befuddled by. Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago Booth PowerPoint/PDF presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.
On to some "real" tips. First and foremost, take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not bother thinking about whether there should be more pics or less text or this color or that background. The basics still remain the same. What else and what more (even of the same) would you like the Chicago Booth admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the razzle-dazzle options [since only static slides are accepted there really can't be much of that].
You can use the presentation to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. Of course if you can show creativity, humor and insight through the presentation style you might score more - and have some fun too. Since the slides might be printed out for viewing, use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As in earlier years the Chicago Booth admissions committee has a multi-part goals essay to kick off the essay-pack and is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay.
2007-2008 and 2008-2009: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals.
2006-2007: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?
2005-2006: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision? What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed? Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?
YOUR objective remains as clear as ever - describe, specifically and at length, your career progression, and the reasons that connect Chicago Booth with your past, present and future. Apart from connecting the Pre-Chicago, Chicago and Post-Chicago phases of your career (and life), this essay demands a clear focus on the importance of your latest job (or internship). Articulate the reasons why your current/latest professional experience is critical to attaining your career goals, mention how the experience has improved and enhanced you, and connect it if possible/necessary with your earlier professional experience.
With 1000 words at your disposal endeavor to push yourself to look beyond a straightforward career narration; feel free to explore and reveal your personality to the Chicago Booth admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation.
Be realistic and be as specific as you need to be while detailing your Post-Chicago Booth long term and short term career goals (both about the industry and the functional role). "Why Chicago Booth?" and "Why Chicago Booth now?" have to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Personalize your answer as much as possible, and link your career goals with Chicago Booth as closely as possible. Please try to go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago Booth website. Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above and also show why the 2009-2010 Chicago Booth intake is the perfect time for your MBA, you may have got it made.
Go for it!
Essay 1.a. (reapplicant essay). FOR REAPPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)
Essay 1.a. (reapplicant essay) Tips. While the question only asks you to describe changes in your "thinking" your aim here should be to go beyond and present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for a Chicago Booth admit than in your last application.
You have to succinctly answer "what has changed since Chicago dinged me last time?". State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your Chicago Booth application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the Chicago reapplicant essay. Proactive Chicago-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Chicago Booth, might prove a trump card.
In case you have new perspectives about your career goals or new "fit-points" with Chicago that did not appear in your earlier application this is the place to mention it.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Please select one of the following (500-750 words)
2.a. Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
or
2.b. Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?
Essay 2.a. Tips. 2.a. Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
Take a moment to reflect on why you are writing this Chicago Booth essay. I am sure you understand that demonstrating how you realized, learnt from and rectified the mistake is the objective of this essay; giving a straight description of how you made a fool of yourself will win you few points.
The success of this story hinges on how well your leadership/learning/decision-making/people skills are used to rectify the situation. While you certainly start off with a failure/mistake by the time your ideal essay ends, all the reader remembers would be your great comeback actions.
Beginning your thought process from the second part of the question will make things much easier for you. Never forget that this Chicago Booth mistake essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt/improved/rectified a mistake and readied yourself for future successes. Let that show.
Go for it!
Essay 2.b. Tips. 2.b. Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised? Once again the object of the essay is not to tackle the questions straight on but to show how and what you did after the feedback and the surprise.
The most obvious theme for this essay is "Learning". Using the essay to delve into how you got a feedback and improved yourself based on it, and focusing on your capacity for learning and self-improvement would be a good idea. After all learning and self-improvement are the very skills needed to make your presence in the Chicago Booth MBA class worthwhile.
Having said that I need to point out that the essay prompt is quite open ended and can be used to talk about a variety of occasions/incidents, without limiting yourself to a "learning and improvement" story. In case you use a different approach, clarity about the theme of the essay should illuminate every part of this essay.
After writing this story read the essays again and evaluate each point in your Chicago Booth application essays in relation to the rest of the essays and the recos (if you have access to them). Your application should present a single unified face - there is absolutely no room for internal contradictions.
Go for it!
Essay 3 [Slide Presentation]. We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you to tell us about yourself. In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?
Essay 3 [Slide Presentation] Tips. I am sure this Chicago Booth perennial knot-twister has many of you sputtering and wincing. Actually that is the usual first reaction because this is probably the only mandatory visual presentation demanded by a leading business school application.
There are two approaches to this dilemma. In the first, you have to assume that your bewilderment will be shared by the other applicants. So simply sulk and do your worst. After all you have company!
The second option involves far more effort. You will have to take a leap of thought and try to understand that this is a godsend [atheists can ignore that - I do!] opportunity. There are very few questions in any MBA essay package that MOST applicants will be completely befuddled by. Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago Booth PowerPoint/PDF presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.
On to some "real" tips. First and foremost, take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not bother thinking about whether there should be more pics or less text or this color or that background. The basics still remain the same. What else and what more (even of the same) would you like the Chicago Booth admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the razzle-dazzle options [since only static slides are accepted there really can't be much of that].
You can use the presentation to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. Of course if you can show creativity, humor and insight through the presentation style you might score more - and have some fun too. Since the slides might be printed out for viewing, use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even when you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the Chicago Booth optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Chicago Booth optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. With 2500 words and a complete PowerPoint presentation at your disposal, you better not take this route!
You can use the Chicago optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. The Chicago optional essay is also acceptable if you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
Essay 1. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1500 word maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The Chicago GSB admissions committee is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay question. Each year Chicago has decreased the size of the question while retaining the expected response from you! In 2005-2006 they had a three part 85 word question, in 2006-2007 a 51 word question and now in 2007-2008 a 37 word question.
2006-2007: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?
2005-2006: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision? What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed? Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?
But YOUR objective remains as clear as ever. Describe, specifically and at length, your career progression, and the reasons that connect Chicago GSB with your past, present and future. The question clearly expects you to delve into the Pre-Chicago, Chicago and Post-Chicago phases of your career (and life). This whopper of an essay is equal to 2-3 essays from another Business School; so endeavor to push yourself to look beyond a straightforward career narration - explore and reveal your personality to the Chicago GSB admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation.
"Why Chicago GSB" is to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago GSB website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Please select one of the following two questions to answer. (1000 word maximum)
Option 1: a) Please provide an example of a time when you had to make a choice between two equally important obligations. How did you decide which obligation deserved your attention? b) Did you try and predict other people's reactions to your decision? If so, how accurate were you? Why do you think you were or were not accurate in your prediction? c) Reflecting on this experience, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process?
or
Option 2: a) Have you ever made a decision that caused you to go against popular opinion? Please describe that situation and your rationale for you decision. b) Did you feel at any point that people misperceived your motives? Explain. c) In retrospect, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB would have affected your decision?
Essay 2 Option 1 Tips. Recount a dilemma you faced in choosing between diverging calls to duty. Your decision making and reasoning process while resolving the impasse would be the critical factor in part a) of the question.
Part b) would deal with how you make your judgments about people, specifically the methods you adopt to understand and predict the reactions of others who are close to you or to a project that you are involved in. Your ability to assess stakeholder/team opinion, identify trends and predict behavior can be the main areas of focus.
Use your research on Chicago GSB and the reasons you have chosen to apply to their program to identify the myriad ways in which an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process. As usual information for this question can be gained from campus visits, discussions with Chicago GSB alumni/students and web research about the program.
Go for it!
Essay 2 Option 2 Tips. Selecting the specific situation for the essay might be aided by identifying general circumstances in which a person might find himself/herself fighting popular opinion. It could be the result of an innovative idea or a principled stand. The motivations and reasons that support your decision will be the foundation of this essay.
It is not essential that this be a "success" story where ultimately everyone agrees with your point of view. A display of your strength of character, robust value system and/or intellectual courage might be adequate to polish off the essay. However it will be even better if you can additionally showcase your diplomatic communication and effective reasoning - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!).
Go for it!
Essay 3. We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you tell us about yourself. Using four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.
Essay 3 Tips. Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago GSB PowerPoint/PDF presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.
First and foremost take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not bother thinking about whether there should be more pics or less text or this color or that background. The basics still remain the same. What else and what more (even of the same) would you would like the Chicago admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the razzle-dazzle options [since only static slides are accepted there really can't be much of that].
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.
Essay Tips. You can use the Chicago optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. The Chicago optional essay is also acceptable if you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
Essay 1. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1500 word maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. YOUR objective remains as clear as ever. Describe, specifically and at length, your career progression, and the reasons that connect Chicago GSB with your past, present and future. The question clearly expects you to delve into the Pre-Chicago, Chicago and Post-Chicago phases of your career (and life). This whopper of an essay is equal to 2-3 essays from another Business School; so endeavor to push yourself to look beyond a straightforward career narration - explore and reveal your personality to the Chicago GSB admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation.
Go for it!
Essay 2. If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day, who would it be and why? (500 word maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. This is the kind of question that makes the Chicago GSB essay package a challenge and a joy.
You will not lack for people whom you admire or whose position you covet: a famous personality from any field of human endeavor from any time in history, or even a lesser known personality whom you have good reasons to admire. Given the multitude of choices, the decision making process about who to choose would be crucial.
Even more critical, will be the last word of the question - WHY? The why hides the truth about why you are writing this essay in the first place. It can reveal your personality, passions, vision and strengths, in ways that might not be fully possible in Chicago GSB Essay 1. Since the hero of the story in both essays 1 and 2 (and also in the following PowerPoint presentation) is actually the same person - YOU - it is essential to consider the essay package as a whole and use elements in this essay that complement stories, examples and ideas elsewhere in your Chicago GSB application package.
Go for it!
Essay 3. We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application. In this portion of the application, we invite you to tell us about yourself using a non-traditional application format - a PowerPoint presentation. In four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.
Essay 3 Tips. You can use the PPT to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. Of course if you can show creativity, humor and insight through the presentation style you might score more - and have some fun too. Since the slides might be printed out for viewing, use clear text and bold pictures - and check the output in monochrome before finalizing the work.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Complete all parts below. (1500 word maximum) Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?
Essay 1 Tips. Chicago GSB is seriously interested in EACH part of this application essay question. In fact, the earlier essay question was actually broken into discrete parts as given below.
1. Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision?
2. What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed?
3. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?
Though the question is shorter, Chicago GSB's intent is very clear. Quite simply describe your career progression, and the reasons that connect Chicago GSB with your past, present and future. The question clearly expects you to delve into the Pre-Chicago, Chicago and Post-Chicago phases of your career (and life). This whopper of an essay is equal to 2-3 essays from another Business School.
"Why Chicago GSB" is to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago GSB website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.
"Specifically". Remember that word when explaining your Post-Chicago GSB long term and short term career goals. Be realistic and be as specific as you need to be (both about the industry and the functional role). Find as many matches between what the Chicago GSB "specifically" offers you and your future goals. Having said that please remember that perfect links are acceptable but not at the expense of credibility.
Essay 2. Choose one of the following questions. (500 word maximum)
1. If the admissions committee were to interview one of your closest colleagues, what aspect of your personal development would this person say is especially important for the admissions committee to know?
2. You have been asked to write an editorial about the most pressing issue facing humanity. Please identify the issue and justify why you have selected it.
Essay 2 Tips. Unpack your decision making tools, because unlike most multiple choice essays this Chicago GSB essay offers two widely differing subject matters.
The first option offers you a chance to explore your development as a professional, team member and leader (hopefully). Since the point of view expected is that of a colleague, the situations and incidents would certainly pertain to your career.
The second option seeks a very different type of response - specifically an issue that has universal ramifications and which (hopefully) will find at least a local and partial solution through you. The latter is not explicitly stated in the question, but is implicit - after all this is not an essay writing competition!
Deciding which option to choose would depend to a large extent on the ground you have covered in the Chicago GSB first essay. Identify significant aspects of your career, personality or life which have not found place in the rest of the application and try to fashion that information into the Chicago GSB essay two.
Essay 3. Complete each of the following questions. (100 word maximum for each question below)
1. What is the one thing that most people do not know about you?
2. What book, play, or movie would you recommend to the admissions committee? Why?
3. It is your first day of business school and people are selecting study groups. How would you describe the value you will bring to a study group?
Essay 3 Tips. These delectable short essays are some of the best in the game. Have fun!
What is the one thing... Whichever trait or characteristic you mention, the relevance to application should be clear. It can be funny or serious, conservative or colorful, but the overall value of your Chicago GSB application package must by your 100 words.
What book, play, or movie... A wonderful (and rare) opportunity to talk about what really makes you tick. This essay can be used to give an sharper picture of your self or to act as a supporting pillar for a vital feature of your personality. If the significance of your choice to Chicago GSB, to you or the world at large can be made clear, this 100 word battle would have been won.
It is your first day... Rate and describe yourself as a team player. How and what value can you add to any group (perhaps more specifically in a learning environment)? Is there some way you can make it Chicago GSB specific? Do your worst!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 Words)
Essay 2 Tips. "Why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you" has to be dealt with research and intelligence. How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and resources are critical to your success? Please go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the CBS website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specific while linking your career goals with Columbia's MBA programme, alumni, students, faculty, special programs, clubs, etc. Put to use all the research you have done on Columbia and state specifics about skills and knowledge that you hope to pick up at CBS. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni, and capturing your understanding of the program in this essay can make a huge difference to your candidacy.
Essay 3. Tell us about your favorite book, movie or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Another quirky question!
In answering about your favorite book, movie, or song, you reveal your values and ideals and character, and that is what school is interested in learning about you. Equally important is the second part of the question - so make sure you have strong and deep reasons. If possible, give examples from your life to support your reasons!
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 Words)
Essay 2 Tips. "Why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you" has to be dealt with research and intelligence. How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and resources are critical to your success? Please go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the CBS website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specific while linking your career goals with Columbia's MBA programme, alumni, students, faculty, special programs, clubs, etc. Put to use all the research you have done on Columbia and state specifics about skills and knowledge that you hope to pick up at CBS. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni, and capturing your understanding of the program in this essay can make a huge difference to your candidacy.
Essay 3. Who is a leader you admire, and why? (250 Words)
Essay 3 Tips. A simple question, but the biggest point to remember here is that - even while talking about another person you admire, the essay must focus on YOU.
In answering WHY you admire a person, you reveal your values and ideals and character, and that is what school is interested in learning about you.
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. How will you take advantage of being "at the very center of business" (250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. You are expected to do thorough research to make a compelling argument how you will indeed make use of all that CBS offers you. Also, note that CBS expects you to be proactive in taking advantage of its offerings, so build you tone accordingly.
A good approach is to think about this essay as a continuation of Essay1. You have described your career goals, now pick a few of the aspects of CBS program and clearly articulate how they connect tightly with your aspirations. It would be very easy but mostly futile to write in generic terms and in similar sounding ideas that you get from the website. So go deep, reflect and be very specific to your own context.
One of the best ways to understand how CBS benefits will truly work out for you is to connect with current students and alums. Talk to them and learn how they were enriched by and leveraged being at the ‘center of business’. If you can get insights from the insiders and incorporate them in your thoughts, that will bring unique depth to your answer and will truly make you stand out.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please provide an example of a team failure of which you have been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (250 words)
Essay 3 Tips. A typical failure example essay should include the context of the situation, what actions were taken and how the failure happened. Once you have decribed the context, next analyse it and show insightfully - what exactly went wrong and why. This will bring us to the 2nd part of the question.
When you are picking an example, chose a story that is significant enough but doesn't place undue stress on your position as contributing to the failure. Don't forget -this is NOT your personal failure story- this is about a team failure, and CBS wants to know how you look at teams and teamwork and how you will ensure that your teams at CBS work together successfully.
Short Answer Question. What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. Columbia has been constantly reducing the word limit on this one. Last year the limit was 75 characters and this year with 50 characters, you are forced to be think clearly and write concisely. Be laser focused in your goal as well as your expression. With this answer you are setting tone for the longer and more meatier Essay 1 so make sure the two tie in well together.
Some of the example from CBS site include:
“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. The full-time MBA experience includes academics, recruiting, and networking. What are your personal priorities and how do you anticipate allocating your time at Columbia Business School? (250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. A new question this year gives you an opportunity to think about this very important question. CBS is known to recruit focused applicants who know what they want. The same approach and attitude is reflected in their question.
Quite like the essay 2 in 2016 and 2017, for this essay too, you must conduct thorough research about what all opportunities CBS offers you and how will be taking advantage of its offerings.
A good approach is to think about this essay as a continuation of Essay1. You have described your career goals, now pick a few of the aspects of CBS program and clearly articulate how they connect tightly with your aspirations. You would need to go deep, reflect and be very specific to your own context.
To truly understand the details of CBS experience we reconnect connecting with current students and alums. Talk to them and learn about their how they utilized the opportunities and managed their priorities. If you can get insights from the insiders and incorporate them in your thoughts, that will bring unique depth to your answer and will truly make you stand out.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please select and answer one of the following essay questions: (250 words)
a. Please tell us what you feel most passionate about in life.
Essay 3a Tips. Nearly all B-schools look for a cultural fit and this set of questions is CBS' attempt to understand your personality and motivations in life to discover that fit. Take this opportunity to show your authentic self while keeping it professional.
b. If you were given a free day and could spend it anywhere, in any way you choose, what would you do
Essay 3b Tips. Though it might seem a rather light question for a b-school application, don't take it lightly. Give it a good thought because what you choose to talk about will reveal (and should reveal) your deeper self- even if it is an hobby, an interest, a long-held plan, anything! Make it interesting, memorable and stand out.
Go for it!
Short Answer Question. What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. Columbia has been constantly reducing the word limit on this one. Last year the limit was 75 characters and this year with 50 characters, you are forced to be think clearly and write concisely. Be laser focused in your goal as well as your expression. With this answer you are setting tone for the longer and more meatier Essay 1 so make sure the two tie in well together.
Some of the example from CBS site include:
“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. Columbia Business School’s location enables us to bridge theory and practice in multiple ways: through Master Classes, internships, the New York Immersion Seminars, and, most importantly, through a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. You are expected to do thorough research to make a compelling argument how you will indeed make use of all that CBS offers you. Also, note that CBS expects you to be proactive in taking advantage of its offerings, so build you tone accordingly.
A good approach is to think about this essay as a continuation of Essay1. You have described your career goals, now pick a few of the aspects of CBS program and clearly articulate how they connect tightly with your aspirations. It would be very easy but mostly futile to write in generic terms and in similar sounding ideas that you get from the website. So go deep, reflect and be very specific to your own context.
One of the best ways to understand how CBS benefits will truly work out for you is to connect with current students and alums. Talk to them and learn how they were enriched by and leveraged being at the ‘center of business’. If you can get insights from the insiders and incorporate them in your thoughts, that will bring unique depth to your answer and will truly make you stand out.
Go for it!
Essay 3. CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3 Tips An intriguing and effective way to know your on a deeper level and assess your fit with CBS culture. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would surprise them and give them a glimpses into you? Surprise will arise from a some kind of unexpected discovery, so think about what is unusual in your background. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Columbia. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
There is a fine balance in revealing a rather personal and sensitive information and avoiding revealing too much information that could be construed inappropriate for professional context. Maintain that balance.
Short Answer Question. What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. Columbia has been constantly reducing the word limit on this one. Last year the limit was 75 characters and this year with 50 characters, you are forced to be think clearly and write concisely. Be laser focused in your goal as well as your expression. With this answer you are setting tone for the longer and more meatier Essay 1 so make sure the two tie in well together.
Some of the example from CBS site include:
“Work in business development for a media company.”
“Join a strategy consulting firm.”
“Launch a data-management start-up.”
Essay 1. Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A usual approach to structure a goal essay is to talk about your background and then build on your career vision. However, as rightly pointed by CBS, they can refer most of the information about your background in other aspects of your application. Keep this essay entirely about your future and why CBS MBA.
One suitable approach would be to paint your career vision and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie-in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Essay 2. Columbia Business School’s location enables us to bridge theory and practice in multiple ways: through Master Classes, internships, the New York Immersion Seminars, and, most importantly, through a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. You are expected to do thorough research to make a compelling argument how you will indeed make use of all that CBS offers you. Also, note that CBS expects you to be proactive in taking advantage of its offerings, so build you tone accordingly.
A good approach is to think about this essay as a continuation of Essay1. You have described your career goals, now pick a few of the aspects of CBS program and clearly articulate how they connect tightly with your aspirations. It would be very easy but mostly futile to write in generic terms and in similar sounding ideas that you get from the website. So go deep, reflect and be very specific to your own context.
One of the best ways to understand how CBS benefits will truly work out for you is to connect with current students and alums. Talk to them and learn how they were enriched by and leveraged being at the ‘center of business’. If you can get insights from the insiders and incorporate them in your thoughts, that will bring unique depth to your answer and will truly make you stand out.
Go for it!
Essay 3. CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3 Tips An intriguing and effective way to know your on a deeper level and assess your fit with CBS culture. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would surprise them and give them a glimpses into you? Surprise will arise from a some kind of unexpected discovery, so think about what is unusual in your background. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Columbia. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
There is a fine balance in revealing a rather personal and sensitive information and avoiding revealing too much information that could be construed inappropriate for professional context. Maintain that balance.
In addition to learning about your professional aspirations, the Admissions Committee hopes to gain an understanding of your interests, values and motivations through these essays. How you answer these essays is at your discretion, there are no right answers and we encourage you to answer each question thoughtfully and honestly.
Short Answer Question. What is your post-MBA professional goal? (75 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. Columbia has been constantly reducing the word limit on this one. Given the word limit, you don't have the liberty to be unfocussed and vague. So do your research, think clearly and write concisely.
Remember to mention both function and industry and if you can, give a brief description of the context. Examples from the Columbia site are: 'After my MBA I want to join a consulting firm specializing in renewable energy and power companies.' 'I hope to work in business development for a media company that is expanding its reach in Asia.' 'My goal is to work for an investment firm that focuses on community development projects.'
With this answer you are setting tone for the longer and more meatier Essay 1 so make sure the two tie in well together.
Essay 1. Given your individual background and goals, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Columbia is giving you a great template to think about all your goal essays!
You will need to show a journey from your past to present to future passing through CBS MBA.
This questions has three parts so make sure you answer all of them. 1. Why MBA?. 2. Why Columbia? 3. Why now? The best approach would be to use your post-MBA goals to anchor your story and tie in all the three parts together. It would be wise to address the answers to first two questions together instead of making a long case for MBA and a smaller one for Columbia. Emphatically and clearly state your reasons for pursuing a CBS MBA.
You can take many different approaches to answer this question. You could start showing your past experiences and take the reader through your career progression and where you want to go in future tying in Columbia MBA intricately along the way. Or you can paint your career vision to begin with and then show them why you want that and how you are capable and ready now to take the next step in your career. If you are planning to change your industry or function or geography- clearly address that too.
When talking about why Columbia, please go as granular as you can. It could be about the curriculum, the campus experience, the culture, the programs- make sure that whatever reasons you mention for pursuing CBS must nicely tie in with your career goals. Remember at all times, you are convincing adcom that CBS is your means to reach your career goals.
Your reasons for ‘why now’ could be personal or professional or financial reasons. Maybe it is your readiness to relocate to NY now, or perhaps you have learnt a lot from your current job and now ready to take the next step, or that you have saved enough moolah to fund your expensive CBS education without taking student loans. Or it could be that you have done lots of research on business schools and have found that CBS is your top choice and you feel ready to take the leap. What you consider a right time for a logical next step speaks about your judgment and preparedness so think through this part carefully.
Essay 2. Please view the video The Center. How will you take advantage of being at the very center of business? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. CBS has put a lot of thought into telling you what all you can gain from a Columbia MBA, now it is up to you to show them how being at the center of Opportunity, Knowledge, Access, Convergence, Community, Entrepreneurship and
Global impact will enrich you and take you closer to your career goals.
Note that this year’s video essay’s scope is much bigger than last year’s. This essay is not only about New York city location, but about a very unique and powerful environment Columbia Business School offers you. A huge part of that is related to being in NYC, but that is not the primary focus. Another change is that CBS expects you to be proactive in taking advantage of its offerings, so build a tone accordingly.
A good approach is to think about this essay as a continuation of Essay1. You have shown them your career goals, now pick a few of the benefits mentioned in video (or beyond) and clearly articulate how they connect tightly with your aspirations. It would be very easy but mostly futile to write in generic terms and in similar sounding ideas that you get from video and website. So be focused and very specific.
One of the best way to understand how CBS benefits will truly work out for you is to connect with current students and alums. Talk to them and learn how they were enriched by and leveraged being at the ‘center of business’. If you can get insights from the insiders and incorporate them in your thoughts, that will bring unique depth to your answer and will truly make you standout.
Essay 3. What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3 Tips. If you are not yet aware, learn about Columbia's cluster system.
An engaging answer to this question will make you stand out and spark adcom’s further interest in your profile. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would surprise them and give them a glimpses into you? Surprise will arise from a some kind of unexpected discovery, so think about what is unusual in your background.
An engaging answer to this question will make you stand out and spark adcom’s further interest in your profile. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would surprise them and give them a glimpses into you? Surprise will arise from a some kind of unexpected discovery, so think about what is unusual in your background.
Optional Essay. Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history. (Maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips. You can utilize this space if you have to address a possible weakness in your application OR if you want to highlight your strengths that you could not effectively capture in other essays, resume and other parts of application.
Do not submit a Columbia optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Some of the possible weaknesses that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other Columbia essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted
Note that you will be also judged on how you manage the freedom to utilize this optional space, so at times not writing this essay might be the best thing you can for your application!
Reapplicant Essay. How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied, and address how you plan to achieve your post-MBA and long-term professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay Tips. Writing the Columbia reapplicant essay is a two-step process.
Step 1: Discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Step 2: Demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back.
The first step is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not quite true but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: A weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal which is unfortunately unsubstantiated elsewhere in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or canned "Why Columbia" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays. It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong.
Step 2 is to convince the CBS admissions committee that this new Version 2.00 of you is better, brighter, worthier.
> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant. The one year period for the Columbia reapplication leaves little time for massive profile upgrades, but give it your best shot.
> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Columbia illustrate how you can contribute better to CBS, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
> Goals: Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, you better have good reasons as you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
> Columbia: While "Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals" are no longer part of the essay prompt, how CBS - SPECIFICALLY CBS - will help you reach your goals is an essential part of the reapplicant essay. Detail aspects of Columbia's learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that will aid the achievement of your goals. If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
> Word Limits: Shorter by 250 words this year, the 500 word limit is a definite challenge in the Columbia reapplication essay. Resist the urge to write mammoth essays far beyond the word limit. Bad idea. Stick to 500 words.
> APPLY EARLY: Just in case I was not shouting loud enough - unless you can achieve something magical in those extra 4-5 months APPLY EARLY for the EARLY DECISION.
Go for it!
The Columbia essay package has been further shortened but retains most of its structure - a super short goals question, a video-viewing exercise essay and a cluster-related/personal question. The opening tiny goals essay - even SHORTER this time - is an instant classic, and a role model for how to approach the goals essay. The Goal-Why-CBS question seems simple but needs the greatest attention. The New York oriented essay should ideally have been part of the goals essay while the forced combination of a Columbia Cluster and a personal "surprise" should have been untwined.
Short Answer Question. What is your post-MBA professional goal? (100 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. EVEN shorter than last time's 200 character limit, this extreme conciseness is an excellent method to extract a clear, concise answer from the applicant. This tiny (~20 words) essay shows the way forward for other b-schools and ALL applicants). Think clearly, write concisely, be focused.
Write a brief, direct, credible response with concentrated focus on your short term post-CBS goal. Write this essay in tandem with Columbia's first essay, to avoid contradiction and to ensure connectivity.
Examples from the Columbia site are: 'After my MBA I want to join a consulting firm specializing in renewable energy and power companies.' 'I hope to work in business development for a media company that is expanding its reach in Asia.' 'My goal is to work for an investment firm that focuses on community development projects.'
Go for it!
Essay 1. Given your individual background, why are you pursuing a Columbia MBA at this time? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straightforward career Goals and "Why CBS" essay that invites you to paint a picture of how your past, present and future fit together. It is very similar to last year's "Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career, and how do you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals?" and to the first part of the 2011-2012 prompt "Considering your post-MBA and long term professional goals, why you are pursuing an MBA at this point in your career?".
This forward-looking goals question allows you to briefly present your career progression, your personal background and use it to convincingly illustrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment to achieve your stated post-MBA goals. Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your post-Columbia career goals and show what motivates you to succeed in your goal. Exhibit passion for the industry and/or role of your choice. Add specific (preferably unique) information to enhance the credibility and authenticity of your application and to help differentiate your candidature.
Underline how the Columbia MBA will help you achieve your goals by highlighting Columbia's strengths/programs that are critical to your success? Go beyond cutting and pasting info from the CBS website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specific while linking your career goals with Columbia's MBA program, alumni, students, faculty, special programs, clubs etc. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni and explaining your fit with Columbia effectively in this essay can make a huge difference to your candidacy.
Why "at this time" seeks to know why NOW, rather than later (or earlier). Try to persuasively explain how in terms of maturity, exposure, opportunity and learning this is the ideal time for you to pursue the Columbia MBA. Apart from taking the obvious path of finding links with the MBA and your career, this is also a chance to demonstrate how maturely, differently and clearly you envision your career and/or the larger business landscape.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Columbia Business School is located in the heart of the world's business capital - Manhattan. How do you anticipate that New York City will impact your experience at Columbia? Please view the videos New York City - limitless possibilities and New York City - fast paced and adaptable. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips Videos: For the past couple of years Columbia has made viewing its promotional videos a mandatory part of its application process. While an unwelcome move, the video are short and even useless - so take a look at them. Researching and forming rough responses for essay questions 1 through 3 before you view the videos might help increase the uniqueness of your response.
New York City is one of the key USPs that Columbia offers an applicant. The focus of this question is to ensure that each applicant understands it - and expresses it from their individual perspective.
As always this MBA application essay too is about YOU. So use each New York "impact" to highlight a specific aspect of your candidature: be it goals or interests. Illustrate how each of the New York City offerings will enhance you professionally and personally. If possible, past achievements can be briefly linked with the New York aspects you are highlighting.
It is far too easy to write generic responses to this essay: the key to success will be to address PRECISE aspects of your goals/interests and demonstrate how YOU will SPECIFICALLY find Columbia's New York location an answer to your dreams.
Ensure than this content supports and enhances Essay 1.
Go for it!
Essay 3. What will the people in your Cluster be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Demonstrate differentiation.
Show uniqueness.
Write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays. Hobbies, interests or social activities that highlight qualities like leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage etc. that make you a strong Columbia applicant could be chosen. While the limited space forbids rambling stories, one or two succinct anecdotes would help the cause.
Learn about Columbia's cluster system and maybe even view last year's application video on the Columbia community, to understand how can contribute to Columbia's diverse learning teams. While your theme need not be directly linked to the Cluster system, a quality/interest that will aid and augment the effectiveness of your Cluster is welcome.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.) (Maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips Attempt the Columbia optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit a Columbia optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Columbia optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are some potential points. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend more space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other Columbia essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy...
...Go for it!
How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied, and address how you plan to achieve your post-MBA and long-term professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Writing the Columbia reapplicant essay is a two-step process.
Step 1: Discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Step 2: Demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back.
The first step is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not quite true but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: A weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal which is unfortunately unsubstantiated elsewhere in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or canned "Why Columbia" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays. It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong.
Step 2 is to convince the CBS admissions committee that this new Version 2.00 of you is better, brighter, worthier.
> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant. The one year period for the Columbia reapplication leaves little time for massive profile upgrades, but give it your best shot.
> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Columbia illustrate how you can contribute better to CBS, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
> Goals: Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, you better have good reasons as you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
> Columbia: While "Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals" are no longer part of the essay prompt, how CBS - SPECIFICALLY CBS - will help you reach your goals is an essential part of the reapplicant essay. Detail aspects of Columbia's learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that will aid the achievement of your goals. If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
> Word Limits: Shorter by 250 words this year, the 500 word limit is a definite challenge in the Columbia reapplication essay. Resist the urge to write mammoth essays far beyond the word limit. Bad idea. Stick to 500 words.
> APPLY EARLY: Just in case I was not shouting loud enough - unless you can achieve something magical in those extra 4-5 months APPLY EARLY for the EARLY DECISION.
Go for it!
The Columbia essay package has seen a welcome expansion this year. Overall the three essays, and the minuscule short answer, offer wide latitude to express your candidature from both professional and personal perspectives. While the second question is clearer than earlier in its focus on the personal, the new choice questions, though overlong, offer greater flexibility.
Short Answer Question. What is your post-MBA professional goal? (200 characters maximum)
Short Answer Question Tips. This tiny essay (~35 words) is as clear (and short!) a goals essay as one can expect.
Give a concise, direct, credible response with focus on your short term post-CBS goal. Write this essay in tandem with Columbia's first essay, to avoid contradiction and ensure connectivity.
Examples from the Columbia site follow. “After my MBA I want to build my expertise in the energy sector and learn more about strategy and decision making by joining a consulting firm specializing in renewable energy and power companies.” “After my MBA I hope to work in business development for a media company that is expanding its market share in Asia.” “My short term goal is to work with an investment firm that utilizes public private partnerships to invest in community development projects.”
Go for it!
Essay 1. Considering your post-MBA and long term professional goals, why you are pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Additionally, why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you? (Maximum 750 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straightforward career goals and "why CBS" essay that invites you to paint a picture of how the YOU, your dreams and Columbia are intricately and fittingly enmeshed.
While this is a forward-looking goals question and your past is not asked for, briefly presenting your career progression and using your past to quickly illustrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment to achieve your goals might be useful. However, the bulk of the essay should be about your future. Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your Post-Columbia mid-term and long-term career goals. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice. Add specific (even unique) information to enhance the credibility and authenticity of your application and to help differentiate your candidature.
Why "an MBA at this point" seeks to know why NOW, rather than later (or earlier). Try to persuasively write how in terms of maturity, exposure, opportunity and learning this is the ideal time for pursuing your MBA. Apart from taking the obvious path of finding links with the MBA and your career, this is also a chance to demonstrate how maturely, differently and clearly you can see your career and/or the business landscape.
"Why is Columbia Business School a good fit for you" has to dealt with application, research and intelligence. How will Columbia's program help you achieve your goals? Which of Columbia's strengths and programs are critical to your success? Please go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the CBS website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Be specific while linking your career goals with Columbia's MBA programme, alumni, students, faculty, special programs, clubs etc. Put to use all the research you have done on Columbia and state specifics about skills and knowledge that you hope to pick up at CBS. Researching the school, speaking with students and alumni and explaining your fit with Columbia effectively in this essay can make a huge difference to your candidacy.
Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above, you may have got it made.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Describe a life experience that has shaped you. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Often in the hectic race to complete long, time-consuming MBA applications, we miss the best of what we can contribute to our candidature and our essays, and exactly the kind of stuff that the admissions committee awaits with bated breath - a true moment of insight into a lurking beauty within oneself. This, the most personal of the Columbia essays, is one such occasion.
Choose an instance that is personal and enduringly life changing, and explain how it effected you and made you the person you are today. Look back at your life to identify crucial milestones to uncover the basic theme for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on important personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This exercise, extremely difficult if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction plus life story essay or an anecdotes driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Unlike the other essays we could go farther back in time to explore occasions of epiphany.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Select and answer one of the below questions:
Essay 3a. The annual A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition is a student initiative managed and run by the Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO). The competition encourages Columbia MBA students to explore creative entrepreneurial ideas that are sufficiently ambitious in scope and scale to be considered “outrageous.” Students explore these ideas while learning firsthand what goes into the development and presentation of a solid business proposal. Develop your own “outrageous” business idea. In essay form, compose your “elevator pitch.” (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3a Tips. This is an exciting question - and deserves a thrilling, entrepreneurial response.
Columbia Business School considers the entrepreneurial mindset to be integral to its success. So start at the CBS site's essential introduction to A. Lorne Weil Outrageous Business Plan Competition. Please do not misinterpret "outrageous" as crazy, bizarre or outlandish; what is sought is "ambitious in scope and scale", visionary in impact and forward looking in conception.
The creative process of discovering opportunities and defining business solutions to come up with a winning business plan might be helped by research on new ideas or by tapping your entrepreneurial dreams. A look at past competition winners could act a guideline to begin the thought process. It is imperative that the basic value proposition be visionary and "outrageous" in scope. The relative brevity of the essay makes it even more critical to get the fundamental idea right since other aspects of the business plan which could be winning factors in an actual business pitch (such as Financial Plan, Operational Model, Marketing Plan) might have less value here. Apart from a dazzling value proposition, further information on the product/service, the market, revenue model, and scalability of operations is welcome.
This is your opportunity to demonstrate your entrepreneurial spirit, your innovation and your ability to think big. The CBS entrepreneurship page says that entrepreneurship "is about identifying, valuing, and capturing opportunities." Capture this one!
The decision about choosing this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. If you are entrepreneurial and/or have a great idea this might be a good choice.
Go for it!
Columbia Essay 3b. Columbia deeply values its vibrant student community, the building of which begins at orientation when admitted students are assigned to clusters of 65 to 70 fellow students who take most of the first-year core classes together. During the first weeks of school, each cluster selects a Cluster Chair. Further strengthening the student community are the nearly 100 active student organizations at Columbia Business School, ranging from cultural to professional to community service-oriented. Leadership positions within the cluster and/or clubs offer hands-on management and networking opportunities for students as they interact with fellow students, administrators, faculty members, alumni, and practitioners. You are running for either Cluster Chair or a club leadership position of your choosing. Compose your campaign speech. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3b Tips. Whichever CBS choice question you choose the place to start would be the basic research on the Columbia website. Learn about Columbia's cluster system, the Graduate Business Association and understand how it works. Check out the student organizations and the over 100 groups at Columbia.
Having learned enough about the group/cluster, choose one that fits your interests, passions and skill set. While your leadership approach and seriousness about Columbia (judged through how good your knowledge/research is) are why this essay is asked, the choice of the club/cluster is important since your interest in that sector might need to be demonstrated in the rest of the application and/or in the interview. Research well; several of the clubs have dedicated websites or web pages - use them. In the course of talks that you might have with alumni/students talk about the club/cluster as well.
Next, evolve a vision and devise a strategy that illustrates how effective and differentiated your leadership is. Lay out your manifesto and prepare a campaign speech that sells you as an effective, intelligent leader and includes your vision, your eligibility, your skills, your past exposure and research/knowledge.
Try to display leadership, vision, learning/research skills and a clear understanding of CBS through this short essay. A willingness to identify specific areas and actions that will make a definable difference to the Columbia community will be hugely appreciated.
The decision about choosing this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. If you want to display your leadership vision and/or your deep knowledge about Columbia this might be a good choice.
Go for it!
Essay 3c. Founded nearly three decades ago, the Executives in Residence Program at Columbia Business School integrates senior executives into the life of the School. Current executives in residence include more than a dozen experts in areas ranging from media and investment banking to private equity and management. A hallmark of the program is one-on-one counseling sessions in which executives advise students about their prospective career choices. Select one of the current executives in residence with whom you would like to meet during your time at Columbia. Explain your selection and tell us how you would best utilize your half hour one-on-one session. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3c Tips. Yes, once again the first thing you do is research. Study Columbia's Executives in Residence Program and do a little background research on each of the Resident Executives.
Given the multitude of choices, the decision making process about who to choose would be crucial. And this choice would depend on the theme you choose for this essay.
The theme that obviously suggests itself for the half hour session and the essay would be your post-MBA goals. Talking to a business leader in an industry or function you want to succeed in might be extremely productive. You are accountable for how well you use the half hour in essay-world - his (just the one lady that I could see in the executives in residence list) time, his experience, his knowledge, his network, his insights etc.
However, you can certainly go beyond the obvious - and look beyond the apparent goal theme. No limits! Whichever path you take, please remember that this essay is still about you: the essay has to reveal your personality, showcase your passion, your approach to seeking knowledge, your method of relationship building and/or any other skill/quality that you feel this essay should highlight. If you have the right theme feel free to showcase
The decision to choose this essay should obviously be made after giving some thought to the other choices. At first glance this seems the least attractive of the three essays - especially if there is a further focus on the goals (presumably having written enough about it earlier in the application). But if you can present a new perspective through this essay, go right ahead!
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.) (Maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Columbia optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a Columbia optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Columbia optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other Columbia essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. (Applicants who are reapplying within 12 months of a previous application for admission are required to write only a single reapplicant essay.) How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community. (Maximum 750 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Writing the Columbia reapplicant essay is a two-step process.
First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back.
Step 1 is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not quite true but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: A weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or canned "Why Columbia" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays.
It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Try to take stock.
Step 2 is to convince the CBS admissions committee that this new Version 2.00 of you is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.
> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.00 applicant. The one year period for the Columbia reapplication leaves little time for massive profile upgrades – but give this your best shot.
> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Columbia illustrate how you can contribute better to CBS, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
> Goals: Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
> Columbia: How will CBS - SPECIFICALLY CBS - help you reach your goals? What are the aspects of learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that you will find only at Columbia and that will aid the achievement of your goals? If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
> Columbia Community: "how (do) you plan to participate in the Columbia community" is not explicitly a part of the main essay pack. But a good essay response would have answered it directly (in Essays 1 and 3) and indirectly (in essay 2 and probably the optional essay). Try to include your outside-of-work passions/activities/hobbies and specify how you will participate in the varied student activities at Columbia - some research might be called for here. Try to focus on areas where your inputs have been high in the last 12 months. And yes, keep it short!
> Word Limits: One challenge in the Columbia reapplication is that you get to submit only this one 750 words essay. Perhaps for that reason many Columbia reapplicants seem to write mammoth essays far beyond the 750 words limit. Bad idea. Stick to 750 words.
and FINALLY
> APPLY EARLY: Just in case I wasn't shouting loud enough - unless you can achieve something magical in those extra 4-5 months APPLY EARLY for the EARLY DECISION.
Go for it!
Essay 1. At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. How do you intend to make an impact during the next several years of your education and/or career? (350 words maximum).
Essay 1. Tips from Cornell: This essay is designed to explore the intersection of engagement and community culture. Whether during the program or following graduation, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. To help you explore your potential for impact, we encourage you to engage with our students, alumni, faculty, and professional staff. You may choose to connect with them via email or phone or in person during one of our on campus or off campus events. As you seek their input and insight, please be respectful of their time and prepare a few discussion points or questions in advance (350 words maximum).
We suggest focusing on a forward-thinking approach and descrbing in details what kind of positive impact you want to make at Cornell and in your career goals few years after completing MBA. If you can connect the same with some of your past community or impact stories at work- that would be great!
Essay 2. The front page of your resume has given us a sense of your professional experience and accomplishments as well as your academic summary and extracurricular involvement. If the back page reflects “the rest of your story,” please help us get to know you better by sharing the experiences that will give us insight into your character, values, and interests.
Essay 2.Tips. Cornell says this essay is an opportunity to present yourself as an individual. We encourage you to think about your proudest accomplishments, interests and passions, and personal highlights that will help us to get to know you as a person and potential community member. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube, etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum file size is 5 MB. If you choose to submit a written essay, please limit your submission to 350 words or fewer. Multimedia submissions should be under 3 minutes.
When selecting a story - try to pick one that holds special significance in your life's journey and how that has shaped the rest of the flow of your life.
Essay 1. At Cornell we value, students who create impact. Please indicate the opportunities for impact that you’ve identified through engagement with our community and describe how what you learned has influenced your decision to apply to Johnson. Please limit your response to 350 words or fewer.
Essay 1.Tips. Cornell says this essay is designed to explore the intersection of engagement and community culture. Whether during the program or following graduation, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. To help you explore your potential for impact, we encourage you to engage with our students, alumni, faculty, and professional staff. You may choose to connect with them via email or phone or in person during one of our on campus or off campus events. As you seek their input and insight, please be respectful of their time and prepare a few discussion points or questions in advance (350 words maximum).
We suggest focusing on a forward-thinking approach and descrbing in details what kind of positive impact you want to make at Cornell and in your career goals few years after completing MBA. If you can connect the same with some of your past community or impact stories at work- that would be great!
Essay 2. The front page of your resume has given us a sense of your professional experience and accomplishments as well as your academic summary and extracurricular involvement. If the back page reflects “the rest of your story,” please help us get to know you better by sharing the experiences that will give us insight into your character, values, and interests.
Essay 2.Tips. Cornell says this essay is an opportunity to present yourself as an individual. We encourage you to think about your proudest accomplishments, interests and passions, and personal highlights that will help us to get to know you as a person and potential community member. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube, etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum file size is 5 MB. If you choose to submit a written essay, please limit your submission to 350 words or fewer. Multimedia submissions should be under 3 minutes.
When selecting a story - try to pick one that holds special significance in your life's journey and how that has shaped the rest of the flow of your life.
Essay 1. At Cornell we value, students who create impact. Please indicate the opportunities for impact that you’ve identified through engagement with our community and describe how what you learned has influenced your decision to apply to Johnson. Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.
Essay 1.Tips. Cornell says this essay is designed to explore the intersection of engagement and community culture. Whether during the program or following graduation, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. To help you explore your potential for impact, we encourage you to engage with our students, alumni, faculty, and professional staff. You may choose to connect with them via email or phone or in person during one of our on campus or off campus events. As you seek their input and insight, please be respectful of their time and prepare a few discussion points or questions in advance (500 words maximum).
We suggest focusing on a forward-thinking approach and descrbing in details what kind of positive impact you want to make at Cornell and in your career goals few years after completing MBA. If you can connect the same with some of your past community or impact stories at work- that would be great!
Essay 2. The front page of your resume has given us a sense of your professional experience and accomplishments as well as your academic summary and extracurricular involvement. If the back page reflects “the rest of your story,” please help us get to know you better by sharing the experiences that will give us insight into your character, values, and interests.
Essay 2.Tips. Cornell says this essay is an opportunity to present yourself as an individual. We encourage you to think about your proudest accomplishments, interests and passions, and personal highlights that will help us to get to know you as a person and potential community member. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube, etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum file size is 5 MB. If you choose to submit a written essay, please limit your submission to 500 words or fewer. Multimedia submissions should be under 5 minutes.
When selecting a story - try to pick one that holds special significance in your life's journey and how that has shaped the rest of the flow of your life.
Essay 1. You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please create the table of contents for the book in the space provided or upload it as an attachment. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum file size is 5 MB. We recommend that you upload your submission in MS Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format. We cannot accept .zip or .exe files. If you choose to submit a written Table of Contents, please limit your submission to 500 words or fewer.
One of a kind, this is an interesting way to talk about yourself and showcase distinctive aspects of your life!
As we suggested last year, the question says 'Your Life Story,' you need not take it to mean chronological way of describing your entire life. Instead, it might be more interesting and engaging if you can take a thematic approach.
Think about your core strengths and values, think about what defines you: these are the qualities that have shaped the 'story' of your life. Present yourself in terms of what you stand for will give adcom an authoritative statement of your character and personality.
Another approach could be to show a part of your life, a phase that holds special significance in your life's journey and how that has shaped the rest of the flow of your life. You could think in terms of a memoir, instead of an autobiography.
If you want to take (the easier?) route of writing an essay, it might be better to write this essay in a word (or similar) software, format it to make it look like table of contents of a book and upload that file.
Essay 2. What are your short and long term goals and how do you see the Cornell MBA enabling you to achieve both? Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.
Essay 2 Tips. Again a change from last year in terms of scope of your future career vision. Last year Cornell was only interested in knowing about your 'job that you would like to have immediately upon graduating with your MBA'. This year, however, they also want to understand your larger career vision. Demonstrate to the adcom that you are clear, focused and realistic about your goals. One of the parameters on which schools are ranked is the employability of their students within 3months post-graduation, so it's important for Cornell to know they will be able to place you successfully in your dream job.
Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Cornell). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that precisely so Cornell knows that you will be pursuing the off-campus job search.
You have enough space here also to show the adcom why your past experiences and knowledge gained from Cornell will be useful for this job. If you are a career changer then talk about transferable skills, you will bring to this role.
This question doesn't explicitly asks but please do address the need for Cornell MBA to reach your dream job and why you think only Cornell can take you there.
Essay 1. You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please create the table of contents for the book in the space provided or upload it as an attachment. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. Maximum file size is 5 MB. We recommend that you upload your submission in MS Word, PowerPoint, or PDF format. We cannot accept .zip or .exe files. If you choose to submit a written Table of Contents, please limit your submission to 500 words or fewer.
Essay 1 Tips. One of a kind, this is an interesting way to talk about yourself and showcase distinctive aspects of your life!
As we suggested last year, the question says 'Your Life Story,' you need not take it to mean chronological way of describing your entire life. Instead, it might be more interesting and engaging if you can take a thematic approach.
Think about your core strengths and values, think about what defines you: these are the qualities that have shaped the 'story' of your life. Present yourself in terms of what you stand for will give adcom an authoritative statement of your character and personality.
Another approach could be to show a part of your life, a phase that holds special significance in your life's journey and how that has shaped the rest of the flow of your life. You could think in terms of a memoir, instead of an autobiography.
If you want to take (the easier?) route of writing an essay, it might be better to write this essay in a word (or similar) software, format it to make it look like table of contents of a book and upload that file.
Essay 2. What are your short and long term goals and how do you see the Cornell MBA enabling you to achieve both? Please limit your response to 500 words or fewer.
Essay 2 Tips. Again a change from last year in terms of scope of your future career vision. Last year Cornell was only interested in knowing about your 'job that you would like to have immediately upon graduating with your MBA'. This year, however, they also want to understand your larger career vision. Demonstrate to the adcom that you are clear, focused and realistic about your goals. One of the parameters on which schools are ranked is the employability of their students within 3months post-graduation, so it's important for Cornell to know they will be able to place you successfully in your dream job.
Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Cornell). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that precisely so Cornell knows that you will be pursuing the off-campus job search.
You have enough space here also to show the adcom why your past experiences and knowledge gained from Cornell will be useful for this job. If you are a career changer then talk about transferable skills, you will bring to this role.
This question doesn't explicitly asks but please do address the need for Cornell MBA to reach your dream job and why you think only Cornell can take you there.
Optional Essay. Complete this essay if you would like to add additional details regarding your candidacy. For instance, if you believe one or more aspects of your application (e.g., undergraduate record or test scores) do not accurately reflect your potential for success at the Johnson School. (2000 character limit, including formatting characters).
Optional Essay Tips. Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Essay 1. You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. In 2000 characters (including formatting characters) or less, please write the table of contents for the book in the space provided or upload it as an attachment. Note: approach this essay with your unique style. We value creativity and authenticity.
Essay 1 Tips. One of a kind, this is an interesting way to talk about yourself and showcase distinctive aspects of your life.
Although the question says Your Life Story, you need not take it to mean chronological way of describing your entire life. Instead it might be more interesting and engaging if you can take a thematic approach. Think about your core strengths and values, think about what defines you: these are the qualities that have shaped the story of your life so present yourself in terms of what you stand for.
Another approach could be to show a part of your life, a phase that holds special significance in your life's journey. Think about this as a memoir, not an autobiography.
Technically you could type your responses in the online application, but it might be better to write this essay in a word (or similar) software, format it to make it look like table of contents of a book and upload that file.
Essay 2. What is the job that you would like to have immediately upon graduating with your MBA? (2000 character limit, including formatting characters)
Essay 2 Tips. Cornell wants to know if you are clear, focused and realistic about your goals. The adcom also want to check your employability after graduating from Johnson School of Management. One of the parameters on which schools are ranked is the employability of their students within 3months post graduation, so it's important for them to know they will be able to successfully place you in your dream job.
Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Cornell). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Cornell knows that you will be doing off-campus job search.
You have enough space here to also show the adcom why your past experiences and knowledge gained from Cornell will be useful for this job. If you are a career changer then talk about transferable skills you will bring to this role.
This question doesn't explicitly asks but please do address the need for Cornell MBA to reach your dream job and why you think only Cornell can take you there.
Optional Essay. Complete this essay if you would like to add additional details regarding your candidacy. For instance, if you believe one or more aspects of your application (e.g., undergraduate record or test scores) do not accurately reflect your potential for success at the Johnson School. (2000 character limit, including formatting characters).
Optional Essay Tips. Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Reapplicant Essay. How did you strengthen your application since you last applied to the Johnson School? (400 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. The key to a reapplicant essay is simple: demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were when you last applied and convince the admissions committee that this new Version 2.0 of you is better, brighter, worthier.
Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant.
Identify your key experiences and achievements since your last application and directly/obliquely convey how this makes you better candidate who is better placed to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, feel free to go with them but you better have good reasons for the change.
Explain - more convincingly than last time - why the Cornell MBA is the best option for helping you attain your goals. Demonstrating why Cornell specifically is your choice is an essential part of the reapplicant essay. Detail aspects of Cornell's learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that will aid the achievement of your goals.
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Optional Essay. Please add any other information that you believe may influence your application.(200-400 words)
Optional Essay Tips. You could use this opportunity to address any weaknesses or highlight any strengths that have not been covered in other parts of your application.
Some of the areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective, and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Like most goal essays, this essay too is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA a necessary next step in your career.
One way to approach this essay could be by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till date and then describing where you want to go in future. That way you will be able to make a persuasive argument for the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA.
Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The adcom expects to understand your leadership potential and how you will perform in the Cranfield MBA program and beyond in the corporate world.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. One most common format is STAR: Situation, Task, Action, and Results structure. Start by explaining the context, what you did as part of the roles you held and what actions you took. Don't forget to highlight your accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings.
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. How you decide to answer this question will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by providing the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable. Go for it!
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for the dilemma. Talk to the adcom about decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand did you take? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you i.e. what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Optional Essay. Please add any other information that you believe may influence your application.(200-400 words)
Optional Essay Tips. You could use this opportunity to address any weaknesses or highlight any strengths that have not been covered in other parts of your application.
Some of the areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective, and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Essay 1. Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them. (200-400 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A goal essay is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA as your means to get to your goals. Start by clearly describing your short and long term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Cranfield MBA an important next steps to achieve them.
You could approach this essay by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need of for an MBA. Another approach could be to paint your grand vision of the future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future.
Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience? (200-400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Cranfield wants to know your leadership potential and how you will perform in the business school and beyond.
While describing positions of responsibility, give context about the organization, purpose, your role and some information about your team. Explain what you did as part of the roles you held and if you can highlight a few accomplishments along with writing about your gains/learnings, that would be icing on the cake!
Essay 3. What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement? (200-400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that have taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply and possibly in some ways also relates to your career vision.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay 4. Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. How did you manage the situation? (200-400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
As always in describing an anecdote, start with context and show the reason for dilemma. Talk to adcom about what decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand you took? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Show what you thought, act, did and what was the outcome.
If you can show how others responded to your stance, that will give adcom another viewpoint to observe you. If you can have your recommender talk about this event, that might be even better!
Essay 5. Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community. (200-400 words)
Essay 5 Tips. While talking about a rather non-serious aspect of your life, keep in mind this is your serious chance to market yourself to the business school. Whatever activity you decide to talk about, show why that is important to you and how it positively impacts you- what you gain from it and if possible how it helps you contribute to other people.
If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Have fun with this one!
Optional Essay. Please add any other information that you believe may influence your application.(200-400 words)
Optional Essay Tips You could use this opportunity to address any weaknesses or highlight any strengths that have not been covered in other parts of your application.
Some of the areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Essays. Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you - personal, professional or both.
Essay 1 Tips. Several schools ask about you to introduce yourself to the classmates or share note worthy facts about you. Why do they do that? It is done to help them understand very quickly- what are the unique aspects of your profile and what you consider to be your strengths. Also, the way you'd describe about yourself reflects your creativity, personality, and ability to communicate when you join the b-school. So pick aspects of your profile that are strong, impressive, unique, and memorable. And present them in an interesting and engaging manner
"Darden strives to identify and cultivate leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact. (200 words) (200 words)
Every MBA program seeks achievers and doers who have made positive impact on the world around them. It is what they look for in your resume, letters of recommendations, interview as well as the essays.
For this question, you can choose either a professional or personal story- but make sure that the impact is significant and it is personally meaningful for you too. Also try to show that only you, amongs several others, were able to create such impact.
"Each year, Darden connects with over 80 countries. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to go with Darden? And why?" (50 words)
This is an intersting way for Darden to sell their diverse community and in turn understand your motivation and global ambition. Your answer must be aligned with your career goals - ideally both short and long term goals.
"What is your short-term, post-MBA career goal and why?" (150 words)
A simple straightforward question about your goals. Here in adition to mentioning your target function, industry, location - you must also show rationale for WHY you want to pursue this career path. You don't have much scope to give length explainations, so keep it focused.
Essays. Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you - personal, professional or both.
Essay Tips. Several schools ask about you to introduce yourself to the classmates or share note worthy facts about you. Why do they do that? It is done to help them understand very quickly- what are the unique aspects of your profile and what you consider to be your strengths. Also, the way you'd describe about yourself reflects your creativity, personality, and ability to communicate when you join the b-school. So pick aspects of your profile that are strong, impressive, unique, and memorable. And present them in an interesting and engaging manner
"Each year, Darden connects with over 80 countries. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to go with Darden? And why?" (50 words)
This is an intersting way for Darden to sell their diverse community and in turn understand your motivation and global ambition. Your answer must be aligned with your career goals - ideally both short and long term goals.
"Darden strives to identify and cultivate leaders who follow their purpose. At this stage, how would you describe your evolving leadership style and please provide an example." (200 words)
Leadership is a highly sought-after trait by most business schools, but Darden goes a step further and asks you to reflect on your style and also how it is changing/ evolving. It is not an easy question and warrants a deep thoughtful introspection. Firstly you must understand your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and then find an example that captures all that succintly and impactfully.
"Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact." (200 words)
Every MBA program seeks achievers and doers who have made positive impact on the world around them. It is what they look for in your resume, letters of recommendations, interview as well as the essays.
For this question, you can choose either a professional or personal story- but make sure that the impact is significant and it is personally meaningful for you too. Also try to show that only you, amongs several others, were able to create such impact.
"What is your short-term, post-MBA career goal and why?" (150 words)
A simple straightforward question about your goals. Here in adition to mentioning your target function, industry, location - you must also show rationale for WHY you want to pursue this career path. You don't have much scope to give length explainations, so keep it focused.
Essays. Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you - personal, professional or both.
Essay Tips. Several schools ask about you to introduce yourself to the classmates or share note worthy facts about you. Why do they do that? It is done to help them understand very quickly- what are the unique aspects of your profile and what you consider to be your strengths. Also, the way you'd describe about yourself reflects your creativity, personality, and ability to communicate when you join the b-school. So pick aspects of your profile that are strong, impressive, unique, and memorable. And present them in an interesting and engaging manner
"Each year, Darden connects with over 80 countries. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to go with Darden? And why?" (50 words)
This is an intersting way for Darden to sell their diverse community and in turn understand your motivation and global ambition. Your answer must be aligned with your career goals - ideally both short and long term goals.
"Darden strives to identify and cultivate leaders who follow their purpose. At this stage, how would you describe your evolving leadership style and please provide an example." (200 words)
Leadership is a highly sought-after trait by most business schools, but Darden goes a step further and asks you to reflect on your style and also how it is changing/ evolving. It is not an easy question and warrants a deep thoughtful introspection. Firstly you must understand your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and then find an example that captures all that succintly and impactfully.
"Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact." (200 words)
Every MBA program seeks achievers and doers who have made positive impact on the world around them. It is what they look for in your resume, letters of recommendations, interview as well as the essays.
For this question, you can choose either a professional or personal story- but make sure that the impact is significant and it is personally meaningful for you too. Also try to show that only you, amongs several others, were able to create such impact.
"What is your short-term, post-MBA career goal and why?" (150 words)
A simple straightforward question about your goals. Here in adition to mentioning your target function, industry, location - you must also show rationale for WHY you want to pursue this career path. You don't have much scope to give length explainations, so keep it focused.
Essay 1. "When preparing for class at Darden, students formulate an opinion on each case before meeting with their learning teams and class sections. When encountering different views and perspectives from their own, opinions frequently shift. Tell us about a time when your opinion evolved through discussions with others." (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. There are a few aspects of the 'feedback' that you should capture. Firstly, it should be about a significant aspect of your area of improvement (weakness). However, pick an area that doesn't horribly impact your chances of being successful as an MBA student at Darden. Secondly, the feedback you talk about should possess a delicate balance of being candid and reflective yet not being very negative about the person who delivered it to you.
Essay 1. Describe the most important professional feedback you have received and how you responded to this feedback. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a very good question from Darden! A very practical situation that arises when the B-school curriculum is being delivered through a case method. In that approach discussion is an important element and one has to have certain strengths in personality and certain traits that will help you survive and that's what Darden is looking to see in your experiences. To be successful in a case-method approach, you have to be open-minded, you must have enough curiosity and be able to voice your opinion while challenging the opposing viewpoints ]in a polite and respectful manner. Do you have all that?
Although on the surface this might seem like a generic teamwork question it is NOT. It is specifically asking you to give examples where your viewpoint changed after discussion with others. It's not so much about what you did but how you interacted with your teammates, the people in your group and how it was able to open your mind or possibly shape your perspectives. The narrative must show from where you started and where you finished with your perspective/ understanding. It could be a very simple issue or it could be a complicated big problem, whatever it was you must show that you started with a certain view, what was your opposing view and how you embraced that and how you perhaps contributed from your side to the overall benefit of the team.
Optional Essay. If there is further information you believe would be helpful to the Admission Committee, please provide it. (250 words)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Darden optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Darden optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. Describe the most important professional feedback you have received and how you responded to this feedback. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. There are a few aspects of the 'feedback' that you should capture. Firstly, it should be about a significant aspect of your area of improvement (weakness). However, pick an area that doesn't horribly impact your chances of being successful as an MBA student at Darden. Secondly, the feedback you talk about should possess a delicate balance of being candid and reflective yet not being very negative about the person who delivered it to you.
Devote about 40-50% of your essay to how you have responded to the feedback- in the immediate response as well as how you have addressed or plan to address it.
Optional Essay. If there is further information you believe would be helpful to the Admission Committee, please provide it. (250 words)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Darden optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Darden optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. Describe the most important professional feedback you have received and how you responded to this feedback. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. There are a few aspects of the 'feedback' that you should capture. Firstly, it should be about a significant aspect of your area of improvement (weakness). However, pick an area that doesn't horribly impact your chances of being successful as an MBA student at Darden. Secondly, the feedback you talk about should possess a delicate balance of being candid and reflective yet not being very negative about the person who delivered it to you.
Devote about 40-50% of your essay to how you have responded to the feedback- in the immediate response as well as how you have addressed or plan to address it.
Optional Essay. If there is further information you believe would be helpful to the Admission Committee, please provide it. (250 words)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Darden optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Darden optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. Describe the most courageous professional decision you have made or action you have taken. What did you learn from that experience? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Darden believes in responsible leadership. This essay and the detailed recommendation questions are the avenues through which Darden will evaluate your character.
You could start the essay by giving the context of situation and explaining the challenge(s). Ideally it should be a high-stakes situation where you stood up for what you believed in despite the personal risks involved. This moment/ decision/ action should ideally be one of the defining moments of your career. Bring in emotions and vividly describe the situation and talk to the reader why this was such a difficult choice for you. Perhaps you risked your job, your reputation, your social standing, a raise or favor of your friends or seniors. Tell the adcom why this was challenging for you and why despite the risk you decided to go ahead.
Like in most success, failure, or accomplishment essays- summarize towards the end how this experience has transformed you.
Essay 2. What is your short-term goal and why? What makes this goal a good fit for you? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This question seeks to know if you are clear, focused and realistic about your short-term goals. The adcom also want to check your employability after graduating from Darden.
Short term goal is usually assumed 2-4 years post-MBA. Mention the industry and function you are interested in and if possible an example or two of your ideal employer- preferably from those that recruit at Darden.
Show the adcom why your past experiences and knowledge gained from Darden will be useful for this job. If you are a career changer, then you can talk about transferable skills you will bring to this role.
Optional Essay. If there is further information you believe would be helpful to the Admission Committee, please provide it. (250 words)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. The first question to answer in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Darden optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Darden optional essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value of your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
In case you find any of the above applicable, and if you are sure that this is a constructive addition to your application, start working on the essay. Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck? (300 words)
A simple enough goals question which tries to understand why this specific program will help you reach your goal
To answer why MBA- you must first think in terms of your career aspiration and how an MBA will help you achieve them. What skills and knowldge you lack currently that will be fullfilled by an MBA
The second part is about the focus on Tuck and you need to conduct in depth research about the program to be able to answer this question credibly and convincingly.
Essay 2. Tuck students are aware of how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are and what you will contribute. (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This year again Tuck brings out two new essays!
Like every top business school, Tuck too wants to attract smart, capable, and intellectually curious achievers who add to the diversity and vibrancy of Tuck's close-knit community.
In the first part- you need to talk about your background and interests and passions, but do it in a way that makes it interesting and attractive for them to be excited about your profile. You need to select themes and anecdotes to share that present your strengths and uniqueness as compared to other applicants in your competition.
For the 2nd part, you must build upon your uniqueness and find a match between opportunities at Tuck for engagement and contributions. For this you must conduct indepth research about the school and only then you will be able to write an authentic and sincere answer.
Essay 3. Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. In June 2018, Tuck annouced new evaluation criteria for MBA applicants.
“Nice” is among the attributes specified in the new criteria, and it’s a quality that Peña and his team carefully considered. Luke Anthony Peña, executive director of admissions and financial aid said “What we’re looking for is emotional intelligence, empathy, and respect for others. Tuck is a distinctly collaborative community so being able to challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully is important.”
Before you start writing answer to this question, please review all the four admission criteria and see how Tuck defines 'nice'.
This is quintessential Tuck, where you cultivate a habit of kindness. You actively encourage, celebrate, and support others. But being nice does not mean you’re a pushover who always agrees and defers. Nice Tuck candidates exhibit emotional intelligence. You layer compassion onto courage, and challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully. You display both strength and vulnerability. You ask for help, and you help others. You’re positive and principled. You act with respect and integrity, even when it’s not convenient or easy. You show empathy for the diverse experiences of others, while also sharing your own. You recognize that your success and others’ success are interdependent, and generously invest in both. Being nice at Tuck means building trust through deep, genuine connections which endure for life.
In addition, it would be advisable to go through essay tips from Tuck admission team.
Pick an example that is compelling, moving, and presenting you in a strong position. If you are writing a professional story, try to get it also mentioned in the LOR by your recommenders to enhance the credibility and impact.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Tuck students are aware of how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are and what you will contribute. (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This year again Tuck brings out two new essays!
Like every top business school, Tuck too wants to attract smart, capable, and intellectually curious achievers who add to the diversity and vibrancy of Tuck's close-knit community.
In the first part- you need to talk about your background and interests and passions, but do it in a way that makes it interesting and attractive for them to be excited about your profile. You need to select themes and anecdotes to share that present your strengths and uniqueness as compared to other applicants in your competition.
For the 2nd part, you must build upon your uniqueness and find a match between opportunities at Tuck for engagement and contributions. For this you must conduct indepth research about the school and only then you will be able to write an authentic and sincere answer.
Essay 2. Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In June 2018, Tuck annouced new evaluation criteria for MBA applicants.
“Nice” is among the attributes specified in the new criteria, and it’s a quality that Peña and his team carefully considered. Luke Anthony Peña, executive director of admissions and financial aid said “What we’re looking for is emotional intelligence, empathy, and respect for others. Tuck is a distinctly collaborative community so being able to challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully is important.”
Before you start writing answer to this question, please review all the four admission criteria and see how Tuck defines 'nice'.
This is quintessential Tuck, where you cultivate a habit of kindness. You actively encourage, celebrate, and support others. But being nice does not mean you’re a pushover who always agrees and defers. Nice Tuck candidates exhibit emotional intelligence. You layer compassion onto courage, and challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully. You display both strength and vulnerability. You ask for help, and you help others. You’re positive and principled. You act with respect and integrity, even when it’s not convenient or easy. You show empathy for the diverse experiences of others, while also sharing your own. You recognize that your success and others’ success are interdependent, and generously invest in both. Being nice at Tuck means building trust through deep, genuine connections which endure for life.
In addition, it would be advisable to go through essay tips from Tuck admission team.
Pick an example that is compelling, moving, and presenting you in a strong position. If you are writing a professional story, try to get it also mentioned in the LOR by your recommenders to enhance the credibility and impact.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Tuck students are aware of how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are and what you will contribute. (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This year again Tuck brings out two new essays!
Like every top business school, Tuck too wants to attract smart, capable, and intellectually curious achievers who add to the diversity and vibrancy of Tuck's close-knit community.
In the first part- you need to talk about your background and interests and passions, but do it in a way that makes it interesting and attractive for them to be excited about your profile. You need to select themes and anecdotes to share that present your strengths and uniqueness as compared to other applicants in your competition.
For the 2nd part, you must build upon your uniqueness and find a match between opportunities at Tuck for engagement and contributions. For this you must conduct indepth research about the school and only then you will be able to write an authentic and sincere answer.
Essay 2. Tuck students are nice, and invest generously in one another’s success. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In June 2018, Tuck annouced new evaluation criteria for MBA applicants.
“Nice” is among the attributes specified in the new criteria, and it’s a quality that Peña and his team carefully considered. Luke Anthony Peña, executive director of admissions and financial aid said “What we’re looking for is emotional intelligence, empathy, and respect for others. Tuck is a distinctly collaborative community so being able to challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully is important.”
Before you start writing answer to this question, please review all the four admission criteria and see how Tuck defines 'nice'.
This is quintessential Tuck, where you cultivate a habit of kindness. You actively encourage, celebrate, and support others. But being nice does not mean you’re a pushover who always agrees and defers. Nice Tuck candidates exhibit emotional intelligence. You layer compassion onto courage, and challenge others tactfully and thoughtfully. You display both strength and vulnerability. You ask for help, and you help others. You’re positive and principled. You act with respect and integrity, even when it’s not convenient or easy. You show empathy for the diverse experiences of others, while also sharing your own. You recognize that your success and others’ success are interdependent, and generously invest in both. Being nice at Tuck means building trust through deep, genuine connections which endure for life.
In addition, it would be advisable to go through essay tips from Tuck admission team.
Pick an example that is compelling, moving, and presenting you in a strong position. If you are writing a professional story, try to get it also mentioned in the LOR by your recommenders to enhance the credibility and impact.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Tuck educates wise leaders who better the world of business. What are your short- and long-term goals? How will a Tuck MBA enable you to become a wise leader with global impact?
Essay Tips. Tuck brings out two new essays this year. Taking a break from the traditional career essay that Tuck asked till last year, What are your short- and long-term goals? Why do you need an MBA to achieve those goals? Why are you interested in Tuck specifically? this year they want you to show them specifically how you align with Tuck's mission.
Nearly every school has a mission and with that they differentiate themselves from their competition. When they are true to their mission, they look for students who embody the values they seek and are good 'fit' with the school. In this case, Tuck prides itself on educating business leaders who are wise and will positively affect the business world. Here in addition to talking about your goals and how Tuck fits with your career plans, you also need to look deeper into the program and figure what aspects of it will help you gain certain insights, experiences, maturity, wisdom that will prepare you to make a positive impact.
It might also be prudent to clarify what you constitutes as 'wisdom' and demonstrate how the B-school experience will take you towards it.
For your career goals, think about it in terms of a 'gap'. Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills, but there is still a 'need-gap' that you wish to fulfill before you can reach your goals. You will have to make a persuasive argument that MBA is the only way you can attain your goals, that MBA indeed must be your 'critical' next step.
If you are a career changer, it might be easy to make a case for MBA. However, if you are looking at MBA as a career accelerant, you will have to explain emphatically that your career trajectory without MBA might not take you where you want to go.
Essay 2. As a diverse and global community, our students arrive at the same place from many different paths. Tell us about an experience in which you have had to live, learn and/or work with other people very different from yourself. What challenges and/or opportunities did you experience, how did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself as a result?
Essay 2 Tips. With a class size of 285 students, 35% of Tuck's student body is international. In addition, there is diversity in terms of background, ethnicities and career aspirations. Given the close-knit community as Tuck, they are seeking candidates who will thrive in such an environment.
To do justice to this answer, you will need to detail the context, talk about challenges that you faced during the experience and how you (hopefully) overcame them using your superior interpersonal skills, persuasiveness and cultural sensitivity. A significant part of the essay should be reflective and be about self-awareness.
Essay 1. What are your short- and long-term goals? Why do you need an MBA to achieve those goals? Why are you interested in Tuck specifically? (500 words max)
Essay Tips. The answer to 'why MBA' should ideally become apparent on seeing your journey and your vision for future.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills, but there is still a 'need-gap' that you wish to fulfill before you can reach your goals. You will have to make a persuasive argument that MBA is the only way you can attain your goals, that MBA indeed must be your 'critical' next step.
If you are a career changer, it might be easy to make a case for MBA. However, if you are looking at MBA as a career accelerant, you will have to explain emphatically that your career trajectory without MBA might not take you where you want to go.
Your interest in Tuck can be demonstrated by showing a good fit with the school's culture and direct impact of what Tuck offers on your career goals. Do thorough research on Tuck: talk to current students, alums and adcom, meet with Tuck's team in your city/country and understand details of their MBA program and culture. Feel free to mention (with permission) names of people you meet and speak with. Capture the details of your interactions and if possible show how each interaction made you clearer and more determined to apply to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business.
Essay 2. Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. How will that experience contribute to the learning environment at Tuck? (500 words max)
Essay 2 Tips. There is again a change from last year's question. In 2014, Tuck asked you 'Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience.' This year they have asked you to connect directly the experience with learning environment at Tuck. This makes the job much harder for you. But if you can do it well, you will have an impressive and unique answer.
Assemble your most critical leadership experiences till date and choose one that is recent and best exemplify your leadership style. The leadership example should portray your attitude and approach to leadership, hopefully in the collaborative leadership style that Tuck values most. A mature, thoughtful and critical self-reflection will give depth and strength to your essay.
Detail the challenges that you faced during the experience; your problem-solving skills, persuasiveness and ability to overcome setbacks could be critical areas to be spotlighted. A significant part of the essay should be reflective and be about self-awareness. You can not answer the 2nd half of the question without understanding the 'learning environment at Tuck'. So start your research early!
Essay 1. What are your short- and long-term goals? Why do you need an MBA to achieve those goals? Why are you interested in Tuck specifically? (500 words max)
Essay Tips. The answer to 'why MBA' should ideally become apparent on seeing your journey and your vision for future.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills, but there is still a 'need-gap' that you wish to fulfill before you can reach your goals. You will have to make a persuasive argument that MBA is the only way you can attain your goals, that MBA indeed must be your 'critical' next step.
If you are a career changer, it might be easy to make a case for MBA. However, if you are looking at MBA as a career accelerant, you will have to explain emphatically that your career trajectory without MBA might not take you where you want to go.
Your interest in Tuck can be demonstrated by showing a good fit with the school's culture and direct impact of what Tuck offers on your career goals. Do thorough research on Tuck: talk to current students, alums and adcom, meet with Tuck's team in your city/country and understand details of their MBA program and culture. Feel free to mention (with permission) names of people you meet and speak with. Capture the details of your interactions and if possible show how each interaction made you clearer and more determined to apply to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business.
Essay 2. Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. How will that experience contribute to the learning environment at Tuck? (500 words max)
Essay 2 Tips. There is again a change from last year's question. In 2014, Tuck asked you 'Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience.' This year they have asked you to connect directly the experience with learning environment at Tuck. This makes the job much harder for you. But if you can do it well, you will have an impressive and unique answer.
Assemble your most critical leadership experiences till date and choose one that is recent and best exemplify your leadership style. The leadership example should portray your attitude and approach to leadership, hopefully in the collaborative leadership style that Tuck values most. A mature, thoughtful and critical self-reflection will give depth and strength to your essay.
Detail the challenges that you faced during the experience; your problem-solving skills, persuasiveness and ability to overcome setbacks could be critical areas to be spotlighted. A significant part of the essay should be reflective and be about self-awareness. You can not answer the 2nd half of the question without understanding the 'learning environment at Tuck'. So start your research early!
Essay 1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA fit for you and your goals and why are you the best fit for Tuck?
Essay Tips. Answer to 'why MBA' should ideally derive from where you are coming and where you want to go.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. You will have to persuasively state that MBA is only way you can reach your goals, that it has to be your 'critical' next step.
If you are a career changer, it might be easy to make a case for MBA. However, if you are looking at MBA as a career accelerant, you will have to emphatically explain that your career trajectory without MBA might not take you where you want to go.
Demonstrating a good fit is comprised of:
1) clearly articulating that your goals and aspirations can be best reached with and through Tuck MBA
2) showing a fit with Tuck's core values and culture
3) detailing how you envision becoming part of and contributing to Tuck's community
Do thorough research, talk to current students, alums and adcom, meet with Tuck's team in your city/country and understand their MBA program. Feel free to mention (with permission) names of people you meet and speak with. Capture the details of your interactions and if possible show how each interaction made you clearer and more determined to apply to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business.
Essay 2. Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?
Essay 2 Tips. There is a change from last year's question. In 2013, Tuck asked you 'Tell us about your most meaningful collaborative leadership experience and what role you played. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?'
This year they have dropped the word 'collaborative'. However, note that Tuck is one of the schools that greatly values team working skills. In fact that is one of the reason they have an open interview policy for all applicants- to evaluate each candidates interpersonal and communication skills. The same focus can also be seen in their recommendation questions.
Now, coming to the essay question.
Assemble your most critical leadership experiences till date and choose one that is recent and best exemplify your leadership style. The leadership example should portray your attitude and approach to leadership, hopefully in the collaborative leadership style that Tuck values most.
Detail the challenges that you faced during the experience; your problem solving skills, persuasiveness and ability to overcome setbacks could be key areas to be spotlighted. A significant part of the essay should be reflective and be about self-awareness. You could talk about what strengths and weaknesses you discovered on your own or possibly you got feedback from your team. A mature, thoughtful and critical self-reflection will give depth and strength to your essay.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write about certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you should write this essay. But do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, you could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Keep your explanations credible, brief and to the point.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Reapplicant Essay. How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. We strongly recommend you consider reapplying to a business school only if you have made significant changes to your candidature.
You key goal here is to show Tuck that you are more deserving of an MBA spot this time.
The first step would be to do extensive introspection and understand why you were denied admission. Speak to admissions committee /consultants and get an objective assessment of your profile. Then show Tuck adcom that you have addressed the weakness and built on your strengths.
It would be advisable to keep the same career goals that you had last time and perhaps show your enhanced clarity and determination why these are the right goals for you. In case you do want to change your career goals, give solid reasons for your change of plans.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences.
Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?
Essay 2 Tips. Duke is known to be proud of their collaborative culture and actively seek students who would fit with their culture.
Looking at their past essays and application questions it is clear that they place significant importance on their values and expect the students to share the same in addition to bringing intellectual aptitude and significant leadership skills.
For this particular question what they want to know from you is that based on your understanding of the Duke's culture and the community, give specific examples and tell us how you plan to engage with our community. They have already given you a few examples of student-led organizations, clubs, and activities and in the essay, they expect you to deep dive into the opportunities available at Duke. We suggest that you connect with the current students and Duke Fuqua alumni, speak with them to understand what makes Duke special and what are the different opportunities that would be available for you given your specific career goals. These could range from professional and social club activities, conferences anything where you as a student can engage and provide your positive contribution and enhance the experience of your peers.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences.
Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?
Essay 2 Tips. Duke is known to be proud of their collaborative culture and actively seek students who would fit with their culture.
Looking at their past essays and application questions it is clear that they place significant importance on their values and expect the students to share the same in addition to bringing intellectual aptitude and significant leadership skills.
For this particular question what they want to know from you is that based on your understanding of the Duke's culture and the community, give specific examples and tell us how you plan to engage with our community. They have already given you a few examples of student-led organizations, clubs, and activities and in the essay, they expect you to deep dive into the opportunities available at Duke. We suggest that you connect with the current students and Duke Fuqua alumni, speak with them to understand what makes Duke special and what are the different opportunities that would be available for you given your specific career goals. These could range from professional and social club activities, conferences anything where you as a student can engage and provide your positive contribution and enhance the experience of your peers.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences.
Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?
Essay 2 Tips. Duke is known to be proud of their collaborative culture and actively seek students who would fit with their culture.
Looking at their past essays and application questions it is clear that they place significant importance on their values and expect the students to share the same in addition to bringing intellectual aptitude and significant leadership skills.
For this particular question what they want to know from you is that based on your understanding of the Duke's culture and the community, give specific examples and tell us how you plan to engage with our community. They have already given you a few examples of student-led organizations, clubs, and activities and in the essay, they expect you to deep dive into the opportunities available at Duke. We suggest that you connect with the current students and Duke Fuqua alumni, speak with them to understand what makes Duke special and what are the different opportunities that would be available for you given your specific career goals. These could range from professional and social club activities, conferences anything where you as a student can engage and provide your positive contribution and enhance the experience of your peers.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and are vital to providing you with a range of experiential learning and individual development experiences.
Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, how do you see yourself engaging in and contributing to our community, outside of the classroom?
Essay 2 Tips. Duke is known to be proud of their collaborative culture and actively seek students who would fit with their culture.
Looking at their past essays and application questions it is clear that they place significant importance on their values and expect the students to share the same in addition to bringing intellectual aptitude and significant leadership skills.
For this particular question what they want to know from you is that based on your understanding of the Duke's culture and the community, give specific examples and tell us how you plan to engage with our community. They have already given you a few examples of student-led organizations, clubs, and activities and in the essay, they expect you to deep dive into the opportunities available at Duke. We suggest that you connect with the current students and Duke Fuqua alumni, speak with them to understand what makes Duke special and what are the different opportunities that would be available for you given your specific career goals. These could range from professional and social club activities, conferences anything where you as a student can engage and provide your positive contribution and enhance the experience of your peers.
Optional Essay Tips. Some of the possible extenuating circumstance that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Reapplicant Essay. It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year's application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?
- Responses should be no more than 2 pages, using 1.5 line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Make sure you address any gaps in your application and that you show progress.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. This is not a standard reapplicant essay.
You will need to show how you evaluated the weaknesses in your profile, what steps you decided to take to strengthen your application and why you still think Duke is the MBA school for you.
If you have not already done so, try to look at your last years profile and understand why you might have been rejected. If getting an objective view by yourself is difficult reach out to admission consultants who offer 'ding analysis' or perhaps a Duke student/alum who can do you a favor.
Then talk about the strategies you applied in enhancing your candidature and how you achieved that. Did you retake GMAT? Took more responsibilities at work? Got international exposure? Refined your goals? Connected with Duke community? Capture all this along with the process and outcomes.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2 (i) Instructions: Choose only 1 of the following 2 essay questions to answer. Your response should be no more than 2 pages in length.
When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.
Essay 2 (i) Tips. This is a very interesting take on 'why Duke?' The adcom wants to know your personal reasons preferably more than what courses you want to take at Duke.
Think about Duke in relation to your career goals: both short and long-term. Describe that the opportunities and resources that you will get at Duke are critical to take you to your aspirations. Don't keep your reasons only restricted to professional aspirations, but think about what personal reasons are pushing you to consider this business school.
Talk about what attracts you to Duke's culture. If you have spoken to Duke students or alums, this is your chance to showcase those interactions and how they have influenced you to choose Fuqua MBA.
Essay 2 (ii). The Team Fuqua community is as unique as the individuals who comprise it. Underlying our individuality are a number of shared ideas and principles that we live out in our own ways. Our students have identified and defined 6 'Team Fuqua Principles' that we feel are the guiding philosophies that make our community special.
At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect the research you have done, your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student.
- Authentic Engagement: We care and we take action. We each make a difference to Team Fuqua by being ourselves and engaging in and supporting activities about which we are passionate.
- Supportive Ambition: We support each other to achieve great things, because your success is my success. The success of each individual member of Team Fuqua makes the whole of Team Fuqua better.
- Collective Diversity: We embrace all of our classmates because our individuality is better and stronger together.
- Impactful Stewardship: We are leaders who focus on solutions to improve our communities both now and in the future. We aren't satisfied with just maintaining the status quo.
- Loyal Community: We are a family who looks out for each other. Team Fuqua supports you when you need it the most.
- Uncompromising Integrity: We internalize and live the honor code in the classroom and beyond. We conduct ourselves with integrity within Fuqua, within Duke, and within all communities of which we are a part.
Essay 2 (ii) Tips. Fuqua wants you to work hard for this essay!
Best way to answer this question would be to do a campus tour and talk to current students about the culture. If you can't do that, connect with the students, ambassador over email/phone. If possible take alums in your city out for coffee or lunch and ask them what the Team Fuqua principles really mean in the MBA experience and what opportunities you will have to contribute.
Once you know the direction you want to take, we can help more!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them in an optional essay (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, or any significant weakness in your application).
- Do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application.
- The Optional Essay is intended to provide the Admissions Committee with insight into your extenuating circumstances only.
- Limit your response to two pages
Optional Essay Tips. Some of the possible extenuating circumstance that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Reapplicant Essay. It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year's application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?
- Responses should be no more than 2 pages, using 1.5 line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Make sure you address any gaps in your application and that you show progress.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. This is not a standard reapplicant essay.
You will need to show how you evaluated the weaknesses in your profile, what steps you decided to take to strengthen your application and why you still think Duke is the MBA school for you.
If you have not already done so, try to look at your last years profile and understand why you might have been rejected. If getting an objective view by yourself is difficult reach out to admission consultants who offer 'ding analysis' or perhaps a Duke student/alum who can do you a favor.
Then talk about the strategies you applied in enhancing your candidature and how you achieved that. Did you retake GMAT? Took more responsibilities at work? Got international exposure? Refined your goals? Connected with Duke community? Capture all this along with the process and outcomes.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2 (i) Instructions: Choose only 1 of the following 2 essay questions to answer. Your response should be no more than 2 pages in length.
When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.
Essay 2 (i) Tips. This is a very interesting take on 'why Duke?' The adcom wants to know your personal reasons preferably more than what courses you want to take at Duke.
Think about Duke in relation to your career goals: both short and long-term. Describe that the opportunities and resources that you will get at Duke are critical to take you to your aspirations. Don't keep your reasons only restricted to professional aspirations, but think about what personal reasons are pushing you to consider this business school.
Talk about what attracts you to Duke's culture. If you have spoken to Duke students or alums, this is your chance to showcase those interactions and how they have influenced you to choose Fuqua MBA.
Essay 2 (ii). The Team Fuqua community is as unique as the individuals who comprise it. Underlying our individuality are a number of shared ideas and principles that we live out in our own ways. Our students have identified and defined 6 'Team Fuqua Principles' that we feel are the guiding philosophies that make our community special.
At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect the research you have done, your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student.
- Authentic Engagement: We care and we take action. We each make a difference to Team Fuqua by being ourselves and engaging in and supporting activities about which we are passionate.
- Supportive Ambition: We support each other to achieve great things, because your success is my success. The success of each individual member of Team Fuqua makes the whole of Team Fuqua better.
- Collective Diversity: We embrace all of our classmates because our individuality is better and stronger together.
- Impactful Stewardship: We are leaders who focus on solutions to improve our communities both now and in the future. We aren't satisfied with just maintaining the status quo.
- Loyal Community: We are a family who looks out for each other. Team Fuqua supports you when you need it the most.
- Uncompromising Integrity: We internalize and live the honor code in the classroom and beyond. We conduct ourselves with integrity within Fuqua, within Duke, and within all communities of which we are a part.
Essay 2 (ii) Tips. Fuqua wants you to work hard for this essay!
Best way to answer this question would be to do a campus tour and talk to current students about the culture. If you can't do that, connect with the students, ambassador over email/phone. If possible take alums in your city out for coffee or lunch and ask them what the Team Fuqua principles really mean in the MBA experience and what opportunities you will have to contribute.
Once you know the direction you want to take, we can help more!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them in an optional essay (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, or any significant weakness in your application).
- Do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application.
- The Optional Essay is intended to provide the Admissions Committee with insight into your extenuating circumstances only.
- Limit your response to two pages
Optional Essay Tips. Some of the possible extenuating circumstance that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Reapplicant Essay. It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year's application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?
- Responses should be no more than 2 pages, using 1.5 line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Make sure you address any gaps in your application and that you show progress.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. This is not a standard reapplicant essay.
You will need to show how you evaluated the weaknesses in your profile, what steps you decided to take to strengthen your application and why you still think Duke is the MBA school for you.
If you have not already done so, try to look at your last years profile and understand why you might have been rejected. If getting an objective view by yourself is difficult reach out to admission consultants who offer 'ding analysis' or perhaps a Duke student/alum who can do you a favor.
Then talk about the strategies you applied in enhancing your candidature and how you achieved that. Did you retake GMAT? Took more responsibilities at work? Got international exposure? Refined your goals? Connected with Duke community? Capture all this along with the process and outcomes.
Short Answer Questions
1. What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2. What are your long-term goals?
3. Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Short Answer Questions Tips. 1. Mention the industry and function of the job you are interested in post-MBA and if possible give an example or two of your ideal employer (preferably from those that recruit at Duke). If you want to go back to your home country, mention that clearly so Duke know that you will be doing off-campus job search.
2. Take a horizon of 15-20 years and think where you want to be. If you want to stay in corporate job then think what title you could realistically achieve in such a time duration, possibly a Partner, VP, CXO. If you want to be an entrepreneur- give details about your venture.
3. Think about two related careers where your past skill sets and interests that match well with two paths. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product Marketing, investment banking and private equity. It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. So ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 1. The "Team Fuqua" spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of "25 Random Things About Yourself." As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire's professional and academic background, so learning these "25 Random Things" helps us get to know someone's personality, background, special talents, and more.
In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of "25 Random Things" about YOU. Instructions: Answer the following question, present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.
Essay 1 Tips. There are many many things you can talk about in this essay! Try to pick facts that are interesting, fun, surprising, show a glimpse of your personal side, reveal your personality and character, and present you positively and strongly to Fuqua adcom.
Try to make a list of perhaps 50-60 facts about yourself from your background, parents, childhood, school, college, activities, hobbies, work experience, past-times, passions, causes.. and the list goes on and on..
If it still feels daunting and you are lost, read some of Duke MBA students' blogs on this topic.
Essay 2 (i) Instructions: Choose only 1 of the following 2 essay questions to answer. Your response should be no more than 2 pages in length.
When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.
Essay 2 (i) Tips. This is a very interesting take on 'why Duke?' The adcom wants to know your personal reasons preferably more than what courses you want to take at Duke.
Think about Duke in relation to your career goals: both short and long-term. Describe that the opportunities and resources that you will get at Duke are critical to take you to your aspirations. Don't keep your reasons only restricted to professional aspirations, but think about what personal reasons are pushing you to consider this business school.
Talk about what attracts you to Duke's culture. If you have spoken to Duke students or alums, this is your chance to showcase those interactions and how they have influenced you to choose Fuqua MBA.
Essay 2 (ii). The Team Fuqua community is as unique as the individuals who comprise it. Underlying our individuality are a number of shared ideas and principles that we live out in our own ways. Our students have identified and defined 6 'Team Fuqua Principles' that we feel are the guiding philosophies that make our community special.
At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect the research you have done, your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student.
- Authentic Engagement: We care and we take action. We each make a difference to Team Fuqua by being ourselves and engaging in and supporting activities about which we are passionate.
- Supportive Ambition: We support each other to achieve great things, because your success is my success. The success of each individual member of Team Fuqua makes the whole of Team Fuqua better.
- Collective Diversity: We embrace all of our classmates because our individuality is better and stronger together.
- Impactful Stewardship: We are leaders who focus on solutions to improve our communities both now and in the future. We aren't satisfied with just maintaining the status quo.
- Loyal Community: We are a family who looks out for each other. Team Fuqua supports you when you need it the most.
- Uncompromising Integrity: We internalize and live the honor code in the classroom and beyond. We conduct ourselves with integrity within Fuqua, within Duke, and within all communities of which we are a part.
Essay 2 (ii) Tips. Fuqua wants you to work hard for this essay!
Best way to answer this question would be to do a campus tour and talk to current students about the culture. If you can't do that, connect with the students, ambassador over email/phone. If possible take alums in your city out for coffee or lunch and ask them what the Team Fuqua principles really mean in the MBA experience and what opportunities you will have to contribute.
Once you know the direction you want to take, we can help more!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them in an optional essay (e.g. unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, or any significant weakness in your application).
- Do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application.
- The Optional Essay is intended to provide the Admissions Committee with insight into your extenuating circumstances only.
- Limit your response to two pages
Optional Essay Tips. Some of the possible extenuating circumstance that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Reapplicant Essay. It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year's application and how you have grown as a result. How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?
- Responses should be no more than 2 pages, using 1.5 line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Make sure you address any gaps in your application and that you show progress.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. This is not a standard reapplicant essay.
You will need to show how you evaluated the weaknesses in your profile, what steps you decided to take to strengthen your application and why you still think Duke is the MBA school for you.
If you have not already done so, try to look at your last years profile and understand why you might have been rejected. If getting an objective view by yourself is difficult reach out to admission consultants who offer 'ding analysis' or perhaps a Duke student/alum who can do you a favor.
Then talk about the strategies you applied in enhancing your candidature and how you achieved that. Did you retake GMAT? Took more responsibilities at work? Got international exposure? Refined your goals? Connected with Duke community? Capture all this along with the process and outcomes.
Essay 1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 3. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 3 Tips. a. Of Goizueta Business School's Core Values (Courage, Integrity, Accountability, Rigor, Diversity, Team, Community), which one resonates the most with you and why? Think about the ideal that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
b. What is the best advice you have received and how have you used it in your life or career? Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
c. The best day of my life was... Look back at your life's events and think about the significant ones. While you are talking about BEST day, you will also be showing - why you consider it your BEST. We suggest staying away from academic achievements, unless they are exceptional and had tremendous impact on your life and career. You could also choose to talk about something totally non-work related. In fact, this could be a good place to highlight your personality and character through your thoughts. Have fun with it!
d. Outside of family and work, what is something that you are passionate about and why?While a chunk of the application focuses on the professional side, this question gives you the option to talk about your self-improvement from a personal standpoint. So what are your goals? It could be anything, such as related to your finances, health, relationships, quality of life and so on.. Choose an appropriate goal and write about it in a convincing manner.
Essay 1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 3. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 3 Tips. a. Of Goizueta Business School's Core Values (Courage, Integrity, Accountability, Rigor, Diversity, Team, Community), which one resonates the most with you and why? Think about the ideal that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
b. What is the best advice you have received and how have you used it in your life or career? Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
c. The best day of my life was... Look back at your life's events and think about the significant ones. While you are talking about BEST day, you will also be showing - why you consider it your BEST. We suggest staying away from academic achievements, unless they are exceptional and had tremendous impact on your life and career. You could also choose to talk about something totally non-work related. In fact, this could be a good place to highlight your personality and character through your thoughts. Have fun with it!
d. Outside of family and work, what is something that you are passionate about and why?While a chunk of the application focuses on the professional side, this question gives you the option to talk about your self-improvement from a personal standpoint. So what are your goals? It could be anything, such as related to your finances, health, relationships, quality of life and so on.. Choose an appropriate goal and write about it in a convincing manner.
Essay 1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 3. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 3 Tips. a. Of Goizueta Business School's Core Values (Courage, Integrity, Accountability, Rigor, Diversity, Team, Community), which one resonates the most with you and why? Think about the ideal that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
b. What is the best advice you have received and how have you used it in your life or career? Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
c. The best day of my life was... Look back at your life's events and think about the significant ones. While you are talking about BEST day, you will also be showing - why you consider it your BEST. We suggest staying away from academic achievements, unless they are exceptional and had tremendous impact on your life and career. You could also choose to talk about something totally non-work related. In fact, this could be a good place to highlight your personality and character through your thoughts. Have fun with it!
d. Outside of family and work, what is something that you are passionate about and why?While a chunk of the application focuses on the professional side, this question gives you the option to talk about your self-improvement from a personal standpoint. So what are your goals? It could be anything, such as related to your finances, health, relationships, quality of life and so on.. Choose an appropriate goal and write about it in a convincing manner.
Essay 1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 3. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 3 Tips. a. I am passionate about...Think about a cause or an idea that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
b. The best piece of advice I've ever received is... Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
c. The best day of my life was... Look back at your life's events and think about the significant ones. While you are talking about BEST day, you will also be showing - why you consider it your BEST. We suggest staying away from academic achievements, unless they are exceptional and had tremendous impact on your life and career. You could also choose to talk about something totally non-work related. In fact, this could be a good place to highlight your personality and character through your thoughts. Have fun with it!
d. A personal goal I want to accomplish is...While a chunk of the application focuses on the professional side, this question gives you the option to talk about your self-improvement from a personal standpoint. So what are your goals? It could be anything, such as related to your finances, health, relationships, quality of life and so on.. Choose an appropriate goal and write about it in a convincing manner.
Essay 4. In 25 words or less, please share with the committee and your future classmates an interesting or fun fact about you.
Essay 4 Tips. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 3. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 3 Tips. a. I am passionate about...Think about a cause or an idea that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
b. The best piece of advice I've ever received is... Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
c. The best day of my life was... Look back at your life's events and think about the significant ones. While you are talking about BEST day, you will also be showing - why you consider it your BEST. We suggest staying away from academic achievements, unless they are exceptional and had tremendous impact on your life and career. You could also choose to talk about something totally non-work related. In fact, this could be a good place to highlight your personality and character through your thoughts. Have fun with it!
d. A personal goal I want to accomplish is...While a chunk of the application focuses on the professional side, this question gives you the option to talk about your self-improvement from a personal standpoint. So what are your goals? It could be anything, such as related to your finances, health, relationships, quality of life and so on.. Choose an appropriate goal and write about it in a convincing manner.
Essay 4. In 25 words or less, please share with the committee and your future classmates an interesting or fun fact about you.
Essay 4 Tips. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 1. What is your short-term career goal and why is an MBA from Goizueta an important next step toward that goal? (200 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This short essays requires you to clearly articulate what industry and function you want to work post-MBA. Don't be vague, mention specifically the role you want to take up. And to do that credibly, you will have to do research on post-MBA job opportunities. Look at what companies come to Goizueta for recruiting and who they are recruiting.
Talk to current students and alums in the industry, function of your choice and find out how the business school helped them reach their career goals. You can also talk to career development center and learn about the resources that will be available to you.
Make a crisp compelling essay!
Essay 2. If your initial career plans are not realized, what else are you considering? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Emory wants to know that you are well aware of challenges of recruiting, that you are focused yet flexible, ambitious yet realistic.
Think about two related careers paths where your past skill sets and interests match well. For example you could look at consulting and strategic planning, product management and product marketing, investment banking and private equity.
It would be very helpful if you can talk about alternate path with respect to your long-term goal. Since ideally both your plan A and plan B should be capable of leading you into your long-term goals. Think with this mindset and your answer will emerge.
Essay 3. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Goizueta once said, "The cynics will tell you that the good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. I'm telling you, do it anyway." Provide an example of the good you have contributed to an organization and the impact of your actions. (300 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Organization here doesn't necessarily mean your company or work-place. It could be a community organization that you were part of or were leading.
Also 'good' mentioned here is something you have to define for yourself. It may be increased business performance or better workflow or employee morale or many more ways in which you can define the positive impact of your actions.
Describe the context and the challenges of the situation. Show what was lacking and how you came in and improved the situation. Try to demonstrate what you think, act, achieved. How you brought the change and what was the overall impact of your actions.
Essay 4. Complete ONE of the following statements. Please limit your response to 250 words.
Essay 4 Tips. a. I am unique because...You could look at uniqueness in terms of your life experiences, perspectives, qualities, interests, passions. Since the previous three essays are more work focused try to make this one about your personal life. What have you learned, pursued, developed, understood from your experiences will show the person behind the awesome numbers in your application.
b. My most memorable cross-cultural experience... You can take a serious and enlightening take on this or a fun and humorous one. Give the reader context of when and why you became part of this experience. Then go on to describe what you felt, thought, observed and what happened as a result. Try to keep a positive stance, if not while describing the actual situation, show it in your learning and growth.
c. I am passionate about...Think about a cause or an idea that you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. You should be able to show examples from your past in support of this. If there are multiple things you can talk about, pick the one that you enhance your appeal as an MBA student.
d. The best piece of advice I've ever received is... Career Guidance, constructive criticism, life wisdom, advice can come in many forms. Like any other anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Don't forget to talk about the impact of advice in your life. Show with examples how you have implemented it and as a result how your life has enhanced.
Essay 5. In 25 words or less, please share with the committee and your future classmates an interesting or fun fact about you.
Essay 5 Tips. What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Optional Essay. If you have additional information or feel there are extenuating circumstances which you would like to share with the MBA Admissions Committee (i.e. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance issues, areas of weakness in application). Please limit your response to 250 words.
Optional Essay Tips. You can utilize this space if you have to address a possible weakness in your application OR if you want to highlight your strengths that you could not effectively capture in other essays, resume and other parts of application.
Some of the possible weaknesses that you can address: lack of recommendation letter from current direct supervisor, low GPA, GMAT scores, any gaps in your resume or any other factor which you think needs to be explained or else might be construed against you. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming others for your failures will be counter-productive. Explain the issues clearly and maintain greater focus on the corrective actions taken.
Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
Reapplicant Essay. [In addition to question 1 and 2 above]. Please explain how you have improved your candidacy for Goizueta Business School's MBA Program since your last application. (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. You have to emphatically convince the Emory admissions committee that this new Version 2.00 of you is better, brighter, worthier. Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant. Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied, illustrate how you can contribute better to Emory, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, you better have good reasons as you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
Good luck!
Essay 1. At Rotterdam School of Management our mission statement says that, as an institution, we will be a force for positive change in the world. This mission, which is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations General Assembly, drives our thinking and approach to education, business and the world around us. The mission also guides our admissions process, as we look for academically excellent candidates who also share our belief that we can all make a difference in the world. Keeping this thought in mind, please answer ONE of the following questions:
Option 1. Share how you’ve already been a force for positive change in your world. Your example can be large or small, global or local, but must highlight the positive impact you’ve had through your efforts. Tell us your story. (500 words)
OR
Option 2. Discuss how the RSM MBA will prepare you to become a force for positive change, either in your personal or professional life. (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Keeping in line with RSM's philosophy of making a positive impact - you can choose either of the option talking about what kind of an impact you have made till now, or going forward what kind of impact you want to make using the RSM MBA.
When choosing to talk about experiences and themesfor this essay, you can pick work or non-work related stories. Whatever stories you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something significant and deep. This experience could be one of the defining moments of your life.
Essay 1. At Rotterdam School of Management our mission statement says that, as an institution, we will be a force for positive change in the world. This mission, which is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations General Assembly, drives our thinking and approach to education, business and the world around us. The mission also guides our admissions process, as we look for academically excellent candidates who also share our belief that we can all make a difference in the world. Keeping this thought in mind, please answer ONE of the following questions:
Option 1. Share how you’ve already been a force for positive change in your world. Your example can be large or small, global or local, but must highlight the positive impact you’ve had through your efforts. Tell us your story. (500 words)
OR
Option 2. Discuss how the RSM MBA will prepare you to become a force for positive change, either in your personal or professional life. (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Keeping in line with RSM's philosophy of making a positive impact - you can choose either of the option talking about what kind of an impact you have made till now, or going forward what kind of impact you want to make using the RSM MBA.
When choosing to talk about experiences and themesfor this essay, you can pick work or non-work related stories. Whatever stories you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something significant and deep. This experience could be one of the defining moments of your life.
Essay 1. At Rotterdam School of Management our mission statement says that, as an institution, we will be a force for positive change in the world. This mission, which is based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals put forth by the United Nations General Assembly, drives our thinking and approach to education, business and the world around us. The mission also guides our admissions process, as we look for academically excellent candidates who also share our belief that we can all make a difference in the world. Keeping this thought in mind, please answer ONE of the following questions:
Option 1. Share how you’ve already been a force for positive change in your world. Your example can be large or small, global or local, but must highlight the positive impact you’ve had through your efforts. Tell us your story. (500 words)
OR
Option 2. Discuss how the RSM MBA will prepare you to become a force for positive change, either in your personal or professional life. (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Keeping in line with RSM's philosophy of making a positive impact - you can choose either of the option talking about what kind of an impact you have made till now, or going forward what kind of impact you want to make using the RSM MBA.
When choosing to talk about experiences and themesfor this essay, you can pick work or non-work related stories. Whatever stories you pick, make sure the impact and transformation you talk about is something significant and deep. This experience could be one of the defining moments of your life.
Essay 1. How do you see your career developing and how will earning the RSM Erasmus University MBA help you achieve your goals? (around 500 words.)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple straightforward goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why RSM' part of the question. Ideally you would have done online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for RSM MBA will flow right into your essay!
Essay 2.
Describe how the socio-economic environment in which you live/work impacts your business decisions. Please explain your answer and use examples from your own experience whenever possible. (around 500 words.)
Essay 2 Tips. A new and interesting essay! If you are already into a business role, or working closely with business teams in your company, this answer might be relatively easier for you. You can start by looking at how your services/ products are placed, positioned, what type of interpersonal decisions you make, possibly some aspects of regulatory or legal aspects affect your choices - all those are good options to look and explain with examples.
It can be challenging for people who are currently not in a business role, for them this is an opportunity to reflect on how the decisions made by your company/ organization is affected by the socio-economic environment in your city/ country. Follow the same approach as above and you will have a convincing answer.
Essay 3.
Describe the most difficult decision you have made and its effect on you. (around 500 words.)
Essay 3 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your challenging times and how you overcame them. Most challenges are associated with tough calls, with dilemmas when the stakes are high and you are unsure about the path and the outcome.
Start by giving the context and the challenges associated with the situation. Show what decisions you had to make and why those were difficult for you. Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Don't leave the narrative at your actions and learning from that incident, take it beyond to address second part of the question- its personal effect on you. If you can show that you have been affected deeply and it has shaped you into what you are today, that will make a distinctive essay.
Essay 1. How do you see your career developing and how will earning the RSM Erasmus University MBA help you achieve your goals? (around 500 words.)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple straightforward goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why RSM' part of the question. Ideally you would have done online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for RSM MBA will flow right into your essay!
Essay 2.
Describe how the socio-economic environment in which you live/work impacts your business decisions. Please explain your answer and use examples from your own experience whenever possible. (around 500 words.)
Essay 2 Tips. A new and interesting essay! If you are already into a business role, or working closely with business teams in your company, this answer might be relatively easier for you. You can start by looking at how your services/ products are placed, positioned, what type of interpersonal decisions you make, possibly some aspects of regulatory or legal aspects affect your choices - all those are good options to look and explain with examples.
It can be challenging for people who are currently not in a business role, for them this is an opportunity to reflect on how the decisions made by your company/ organization is affected by the socio-economic environment in your city/ country. Follow the same approach as above and you will have a convincing answer.
Essay 3.
Describe the most difficult decision you have made and its effect on you. (around 500 words.)
Essay 3 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your challenging times and how you overcame them. Most challenges are associated with tough calls, with dilemmas when the stakes are high and you are unsure about the path and the outcome.
Start by giving the context and the challenges associated with the situation. Show what decisions you had to make and why those were difficult for you. Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Don't leave the narrative at your actions and learning from that incident, take it beyond to address second part of the question- its personal effect on you. If you can show that you have been affected deeply and it has shaped you into what you are today, that will make a distinctive essay.
Essay 1. How do you see your career developing and how will earning the RSM Erasmus University MBA help you achieve your goals? (around 500 words.)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple straightforward goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why RSM' part of the question. Ideally you would have done online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for RSM MBA will flow right into your essay!
Essay 2. Describe your favorite hobby, pastime or sport and explain how it reflects your personality. (around 500 words.)
Essay 2 Tips. 500 words to talk about a hobby/pastime! That's an interesting opportunity!
While talking about a rather non-serious aspect of your life, keep in mind this is also your serious chance to market yourself to the business school. Giving more focus and thought on second part of the essay will be advisable. If you are passionate about cricket or stamp collection, or dancing or movies- what does it say about you? A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activity as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Essay 3. Describe the most difficult decision you have made and its personal effect on you. (around 500 words.)
Essay 3 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your challenging times and how you overcame them. Most challenges are associated with tough calls, with dilemmas when the stakes are high and you are unsure about the path and the outcome.
Start by giving the context and the challenges associated with the situation. Show what decisions you had to make and why those were difficult for you. Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Don't leave the narrative at your actions and learning from that incident, take it beyond to address second part of the question- its personal effect on you. If you can show that you have been affected deeply and it has shaped you into what you are today, that will make a distinctive essay.
Essay 1. Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 1 Tips. The tone of the essay expects a proactive approach to enhancing your career.
First think about what has been your motivation for progressing in your professional life and then look at what areas you have wanted to improve and how you have done that. It could be gaining more exposure leading teams so you took up a different role, or perhaps gaining experience with small sized companies because you want to be entrepreneur in the long-term, or taking additional courses to boost your understanding about certain concepts. Preferably talk about your post-collegiate activities- where you have taken initiative to prepare yourself for your longer term goals.
Essay 2.How will your background, values and non work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished). (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 2 Tips. ESADE is clear: don't talk about what you have achieved to show how you will contribute, show them what kind of person you are and as an addition to the class how that will add value. You are much more than your job title and your professional accomplishments, and this is the place to talk about aspects of yourself outside the work-place.
Look at your passions, interests, motivations and how they have translated into your life experiences. What do you really care about? What do you pursue with commitment? It could be a cause, an ideology, an activity- think about its bigger level impact of what kind of person you are and how that will add value to ESADE.
Everyone has interests, perspectives, abilities and passions that make them unique and capable of contribution. This is your chance to showcase yours!
Essay 3. What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about ESADE you think will help you reach your goals? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 3 Tips. To approach this essay it might better to clearly talk about what you want to do in mid-term and long-term- what industry, function, kind of role, geography you envision yourself in and then talk about need for an MBA. You have accomplished a lot in your past and to reach your future, you need the bridge of an MBA. However, don't think of an MBA as a magical tool, be realistic and present your thoughts credibly and logically.
'Why ESADE?' is very important part of this answer so give it due attention and word count. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research to write emphatically about ESADE as your top choice for MBA.
Essay 4. Complete two of the following four questions or statements (1000 characters maximum including spaces per response)
Essay 4 Tips.
a) I am most proud of... You can take an anecdotal approach and talk about one professional or personal experience you are really proud of OR you could take a thematic approach to highlight what aspects of your life makes you feel immense pride. Keep the focus on yourself and talk about the aspects of your past where you have taken initiative and made an impact.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I... Surprise comes from finding something unexpected, so think what is so expected about your background? Are you often seen as one of the stereotypes? If so, think what about your profile breaks that mould and presents you in a completely new light. Maybe you are an engineer who likes to write poetry, an accountant who enjoys painting, a consultant who mentors underprivileged children... there can be innumerable such examples...
c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?.... think about this as your internal challenge than an external factor. Pick a challenge that is not superficial but at the same time not debilitating either. While talking about the issue, don't dwell too much on how it places you in a disadvantageous position but rather think and talk about what you have done to overcome your challenge.
d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why? An interesting question but for an MBA level application.. well.. If your choice of historical figure isn't expected to be well-known to American audience, give a brief description of their life and achievement. While talking about the figure, keep the focus on yourself. Relate their achievements, character, attitude, values, leadership style to yourself. Keep the focus on YOU.
Essay 5. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 5 Tips. You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Essay 1. Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 1 Tips. The tone of the essay expects a proactive approach to enhancing your career.
First think about what has been your motivation for progressing in your professional life and then look at what areas you have wanted to improve and how you have done that. It could be gaining more exposure leading teams so you took up a different role, or perhaps gaining experience with small sized companies because you want to be entrepreneur in the long-term, or taking additional courses to boost your understanding about certain concepts. Preferably talk about your post-collegiate activities- where you have taken initiative to prepare yourself for your longer term goals.
Essay 2.How will your background, values and non work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished). (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 2 Tips. ESADE is clear: don't talk about what you have achieved to show how you will contribute, show them what kind of person you are and as an addition to the class how that will add value. You are much more than your job title and your professional accomplishments, and this is the place to talk about aspects of yourself outside the work-place.
Look at your passions, interests, motivations and how they have translated into your life experiences. What do you really care about? What do you pursue with commitment? It could be a cause, an ideology, an activity- think about its bigger level impact of what kind of person you are and how that will add value to ESADE.
Everyone has interests, perspectives, abilities and passions that make them unique and capable of contribution. This is your chance to showcase yours!
Essay 3. What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about ESADE you think will help you reach your goals? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 3 Tips. To approach this essay it might better to clearly talk about what you want to do in mid-term and long-term- what industry, function, kind of role, geography you envision yourself in and then talk about need for an MBA. You have accomplished a lot in your past and to reach your future, you need the bridge of an MBA. However, don't think of an MBA as a magical tool, be realistic and present your thoughts credibly and logically.
'Why ESADE?' is very important part of this answer so give it due attention and word count. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research to write emphatically about ESADE as your top choice for MBA.
Essay 4. Complete two of the following four questions or statements (1000 characters maximum including spaces per response)
Essay 4 Tips.
a) I am most proud of... You can take an anecdotal approach and talk about one professional or personal experience you are really proud of OR you could take a thematic approach to highlight what aspects of your life makes you feel immense pride. Keep the focus on yourself and talk about the aspects of your past where you have taken initiative and made an impact.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I... Surprise comes from finding something unexpected, so think what is so expected about your background? Are you often seen as one of the stereotypes? If so, think what about your profile breaks that mould and presents you in a completely new light. Maybe you are an engineer who likes to write poetry, an accountant who enjoys painting, a consultant who mentors underprivileged children... there can be innumerable such examples...
c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?.... think about this as your internal challenge than an external factor. Pick a challenge that is not superficial but at the same time not debilitating either. While talking about the issue, don't dwell too much on how it places you in a disadvantageous position but rather think and talk about what you have done to overcome your challenge.
d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why? An interesting question but for an MBA level application.. well.. If your choice of historical figure isn't expected to be well-known to American audience, give a brief description of their life and achievement. While talking about the figure, keep the focus on yourself. Relate their achievements, character, attitude, values, leadership style to yourself. Keep the focus on YOU.
Essay 5. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 5 Tips. You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Essay 1. Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 1 Tips. The tone of the essay expects a proactive approach to enhancing your career.
First think about what has been your motivation for progressing in your professional life and then look at what areas you have wanted to improve and how you have done that. It could be gaining more exposure leading teams so you took up a different role, or perhaps gaining experience with small sized companies because you want to be entrepreneur in the long-term, or taking additional courses to boost your understanding about certain concepts. Preferably talk about your post-collegiate activities- where you have taken initiative to prepare yourself for your longer term goals.
Essay 2.How will your background, values and non work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished). (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 2 Tips. ESADE is clear: don't talk about what you have achieved to show how you will contribute, show them what kind of person you are and as an addition to the class how that will add value. You are much more than your job title and your professional accomplishments, and this is the place to talk about aspects of yourself outside the work-place.
Look at your passions, interests, motivations and how they have translated into your life experiences. What do you really care about? What do you pursue with commitment? It could be a cause, an ideology, an activity- think about its bigger level impact of what kind of person you are and how that will add value to ESADE.
Everyone has interests, perspectives, abilities and passions that make them unique and capable of contribution. This is your chance to showcase yours!
Essay 3. What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about ESADE you think will help you reach your goals? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 3 Tips. To approach this essay it might better to clearly talk about what you want to do in mid-term and long-term- what industry, function, kind of role, geography you envision yourself in and then talk about need for an MBA. You have accomplished a lot in your past and to reach your future, you need the bridge of an MBA. However, don't think of an MBA as a magical tool, be realistic and present your thoughts credibly and logically.
'Why ESADE?' is very important part of this answer so give it due attention and word count. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research to write emphatically about ESADE as your top choice for MBA.
Essay 4. Complete two of the following four questions or statements (1000 characters maximum including spaces per response)
Essay 4 Tips.
a) I am most proud of... You can take an anecdotal approach and talk about one professional or personal experience you are really proud of OR you could take a thematic approach to highlight what aspects of your life makes you feel immense pride. Keep the focus on yourself and talk about the aspects of your past where you have taken initiative and made an impact.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I... Surprise comes from finding something unexpected, so think what is so expected about your background? Are you often seen as one of the stereotypes? If so, think what about your profile breaks that mould and presents you in a completely new light. Maybe you are an engineer who likes to write poetry, an accountant who enjoys painting, a consultant who mentors underprivileged children... there can be innumerable such examples...
c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?.... think about this as your internal challenge than an external factor. Pick a challenge that is not superficial but at the same time not debilitating either. While talking about the issue, don't dwell too much on how it places you in a disadvantageous position but rather think and talk about what you have done to overcome your challenge.
d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why? An interesting question but for an MBA level application.. well.. If your choice of historical figure isn't expected to be well-known to American audience, give a brief description of their life and achievement. While talking about the figure, keep the focus on yourself. Relate their achievements, character, attitude, values, leadership style to yourself. Keep the focus on YOU.
Essay 5. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 5 Tips. You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Essay 1. Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 1 Tips. The tone of the essay expects a proactive approach to enhancing your career.
First think about what has been your motivation for progressing in your professional life and then look at what areas you have wanted to improve and how you have done that. It could be gaining more exposure leading teams so you took up a different role, or perhaps gaining experience with small sized companies because you want to be entrepreneur in the long-term, or taking additional courses to boost your understanding about certain concepts. Preferably talk about your post-collegiate activities- where you have taken initiative to prepare yourself for your longer term goals.
Essay 2.How will your background, values and non work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished). (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 2 Tips. ESADE is clear: don't talk about what you have achieved to show how you will contribute, show them what kind of person you are and as an addition to the class how that will add value. You are much more than your job title and your professional accomplishments, and this is the place to talk about aspects of yourself outside the work-place.
Look at your passions, interests, motivations and how they have translated into your life experiences. What do you really care about? What do you pursue with commitment? It could be a cause, an ideology, an activity- think about its bigger level impact of what kind of person you are and how that will add value to ESADE.
Everyone has interests, perspectives, abilities and passions that make them unique and capable of contribution. This is your chance to showcase yours!
Essay 3. What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about ESADE you think will help you reach your goals? (2000 characters maximum including spaces, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 3 Tips. To approach this essay it might better to clearly talk about what you want to do in mid-term and long-term- what industry, function, kind of role, geography you envision yourself in and then talk about need for an MBA. You have accomplished a lot in your past and to reach your future, you need the bridge of an MBA. However, don't think of an MBA as a magical tool, be realistic and present your thoughts credibly and logically.
'Why ESADE?' is very important part of this answer so give it due attention and word count. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research to write emphatically about ESADE as your top choice for MBA.
Essay 4. Complete two of the following four questions or statements (1000 characters maximum including spaces per response)
Essay 4 Tips.
a) I am most proud of... You can take an anecdotal approach and talk about one professional or personal experience you are really proud of OR you could take a thematic approach to highlight what aspects of your life makes you feel immense pride. Keep the focus on yourself and talk about the aspects of your past where you have taken initiative and made an impact.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I... Surprise comes from finding something unexpected, so think what is so expected about your background? Are you often seen as one of the stereotypes? If so, think what about your profile breaks that mould and presents you in a completely new light. Maybe you are an engineer who likes to write poetry, an accountant who enjoys painting, a consultant who mentors underprivileged children... there can be innumerable such examples...
c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?.... think about this as your internal challenge than an external factor. Pick a challenge that is not superficial but at the same time not debilitating either. While talking about the issue, don't dwell too much on how it places you in a disadvantageous position but rather think and talk about what you have done to overcome your challenge.
d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why? An interesting question but for an MBA level application.. well.. If your choice of historical figure isn't expected to be well-known to American audience, give a brief description of their life and achievement. While talking about the figure, keep the focus on yourself. Relate their achievements, character, attitude, values, leadership style to yourself. Keep the focus on YOU.
Essay 5. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)
Essay 5 Tips. You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Essay. “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” No word limit and no right answers. It’s all yours.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities! Endless freedom! Immeasurable terror?
While the free-fall without guidelines regarding length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this terrific opportunity to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have already been disclosed, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Explaining your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking and showcasing passion and intelligence are good options to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another.
HBS may already know a lot of facts about you. It has sufficient information regarding the 'whats' about you, but it still doesn’t know all the 'hows' and 'whys' of your achievements, struggles, and visions. So utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you. BUT remember that the intended audience for your essay is your 'section' and you can't assume they have looked at your resume and application. So it would be advisable to include high-level details about your career path. Think about presenting a holistic picture of your candidature including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and reasons why you "fit" with HBS.
Another approach could be to reveal who you are by showing with examples what you value, what your passions are, and what all you care about. Work is (possibly) one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will help make a more memorable impression. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you, and how you plan to contribute to the Harvard MBA class could be other options.
While no essay length is prescribed, we recommend that you should aim for roughly 600-750 words, keeping in mind the given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay. “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” No word limit and no right answers. It’s all yours.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities! Endless freedom! Immeasurable terror?
While the free-fall without guidelines regarding length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this terrific opportunity to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have already been disclosed, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Explaining your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking and showcasing passion and intelligence are good options to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another.
HBS may already know a lot of facts about you. It has sufficient information regarding the 'whats' about you, but it still doesn’t know all the 'hows' and 'whys' of your achievements, struggles, and visions. So utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you. BUT remember that the intended audience for your essay is your 'section' and you can't assume they have looked at your resume and application. So it would be advisable to include high-level details about your career path. Think about presenting a holistic picture of your candidature including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and reasons why you "fit" with HBS.
Another approach could be to reveal who you are by showing with examples what you value, what your passions are, and what all you care about. Work is (possibly) one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will help make a more memorable impression. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you, and how you plan to contribute to the Harvard MBA class could be other options.
While no essay length is prescribed, we recommend that you should aim for roughly 600-750 words, keeping in mind the given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay. “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” No word limit and no right answers. It’s all yours.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities! Endless freedom! Immeasurable terror?
While the free-fall without guidelines regarding length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this terrific opportunity to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have already been disclosed, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Explaining your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking and showcasing passion and intelligence are good options to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another.
HBS may already know a lot of facts about you. It has sufficient information regarding the 'whats' about you, but it still doesn’t know all the 'hows' and 'whys' of your achievements, struggles, and visions. So utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you. BUT remember that the intended audience for your essay is your 'section' and you can't assume they have looked at your resume and application. So it would be advisable to include high-level details about your career path. Think about presenting a holistic picture of your candidature including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and reasons why you "fit" with HBS.
Another approach could be to reveal who you are by showing with examples what you value, what your passions are, and what all you care about. Work is (possibly) one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will help make a more memorable impression. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you, and how you plan to contribute to the Harvard MBA class could be other options.
While no essay length is prescribed, we recommend that you should aim for roughly 600-750 words, keeping in mind the given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay. “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” No word limit and no right answers. It’s all yours.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities! Endless freedom! Immeasurable terror?
While the free-fall without guidelines regarding length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this terrific opportunity to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have already been disclosed, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Explaining your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking and showcasing passion and intelligence are good options to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another.
HBS may already know a lot of facts about you. It has sufficient information regarding the 'whats' about you, but it still doesn’t know all the 'hows' and 'whys' of your achievements, struggles, and visions. So utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you. BUT remember that the intended audience for your essay is your 'section' and you can't assume they have looked at your resume and application. So it would be advisable to include high-level details about your career path. Think about presenting a holistic picture of your candidature including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and reasons why you "fit" with HBS.
Another approach could be to reveal who you are by showing with examples what you value, what your passions are, and what all you care about. Work is (possibly) one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will help make a more memorable impression. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you, and how you plan to contribute to the Harvard MBA class could be other options.
While no essay length is prescribed, we recommend that you should aim for roughly 600-750 words, keeping in mind the given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay: “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” No word limit and no right answers. It’s all yours.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities! Endless freedom! Immeasurable terror?
While the free-fall without guidelines regarding length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this terrific opportunity to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have already been disclosed, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Explaining your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking and showcasing passion and intelligence are good options to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another.
Essay: There is one question for the Class of 2018. It's the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your "section." This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared experience will be lasting.
Introduce yourself.
Essay Tips. HBS already knows a lot of facts about you, the 'Whats' about you, but its still doesn’t know the 'Hows' and 'Whys' of your achievements, your struggles, your visions. So one way to utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you.
Another approach could be to showcase a few of your key strengths and accomplishments you are proud of. Through them show with examples what you value, what your passions are, what you care about. Work is one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will give HBS exactly what they want to know.
Explaining and fleshing out your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking, passion and intelligence is another definite option to consider. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you and how you make a great fit - might be other options.
Some Harvard essays from previous years could help you identify these options:
2010-2011: What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
2010-2011: When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?
2009-2010 Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.
2011-2012: Tell us about three of your accomplishments.
OR if you feel you have covered all the usual bases, then maybe some of the following archived Harvard essays will help. "Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed." "What area of the world are you most curious about and why?" "Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization." "Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision."
Length: While no essay length is prescribed, around 600-750 words might be what we should target, given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay. You're applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? Use your judgment as to how much to tell us. We don't have a "right answer" or "correct length" in mind. We review all the elements of your written application to decide who moves forward to the interview stage.
Harvard Essay Tips. Although the essay is optional, we strongly recommend you to write it. This is one more opportunity for you to showcase your strength and personality and enhance chances of your admission- so don't let it go!
So what all you could write?
HBS already knows a lot of facts about you, the 'Whats' about you, but its still doesn’t know the 'Hows' and 'Whys' of your achievements, your struggles, your visions. So one way to utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the Adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you.
Another approach could be to showcase a few of your key strengths and accomplishments you are proud of. Through them show with examples what you value, what your passions are, what you care about. Work is one big part of your life, so while there should be obvious connect with what you aspire to do professionally, an approach that shows more of your personal side will give HBS exactly what they want to know.
Explaining and fleshing out your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking, passion and intelligence is another definite option to consider. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you and how you make a great fit - might be other options.
Some Harvard essays from previous years could help you identify these options:
2010-2011: What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
2010-2011: When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?
2009-2010 Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.
2011-2012: Tell us about three of your accomplishments.
OR if you feel you have covered all the usual bases, then maybe some of the following archived Harvard essays will help. "Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed." "What area of the world are you most curious about and why?" "Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization." "Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision."
Length: While no essay length is prescribed, around 600-750 words might be what we should target, given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Essay. You're applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy? There is no word limit for this question. Don't overthink, overcraft and overwrite. Just answer the question in clear language that those of us who don't know your world can understand.
Essay Tips. Infinite possibilities!
Endless freedom!
Immeasurable terror?
While the freefall without guidance on length or topic might be discomfiting, grab this opportunity to write absolutely ANYTHING you want the Harvard admissions committee to know about your candidacy. Use this mouth watering opportunity to traverse an area in your personality or life or dreams that has not been adequately covered in the rest of the application.
Since your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and recommendations have been read, identify the areas that might need to be uncovered and the picture that needs to be drawn. Perhaps instead of a few select aspects you would choose to paint an overall picture of you or your goals or why Harvard is the best option for you.
Explaining and fleshing out your goals and your vision, displaying strategic thinking, passion and intelligence is one definite option to consider. Your view of life and work might be another. How and why Harvard and you make a great fit - and how it is mutually beneficial might be another. Some Harvard essays from previous years could help you identify these options: 2010-2011: What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you? 2010-2011: When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates? 2009-2010 Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board. 2011-2012: Tell us about three of your accomplishments.
OR if you feel you have covered all the usual bases, then maybe some of the following archived Harvard essays will help. "Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed." "What area of the world are you most curious about and why?" "Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization." "Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision."
Feel free to be inspired by essay prompts of other b-schools as well. Peruse the hundreds of MBA essays and tips at the Vibranture MBA essays archive for inspiration.
Length: While no essay length is prescribed, around 600-750 words might be what we should target, given the word limits of previous HBS essays.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward question from Harvard where you detail three of your achievements. The 2010-2011 question "What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?" might serve as a better guide.
Start off by forming a list of 5-6 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life. Having done that, look at the Harvard MBA application essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. Since you might later write essays highlighting aspects of your leadership, learning, worldview or career vision, ensuring that abilities/skills already highlighted aren't repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. A generous sprinkling of leadership instances across the entire package is fully acceptable and this first essay may be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you. While "why do you view them as such" is absent in the question an implicit mention of that will be welcome.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)
Essay 2 Tips. You might find this new Harvard question demanding since it asks for not one but three separate failures, setbacks or challenging situations.
Though this seems to be a failures/setbacks essay it is learning that should be the key aspect of the essay. The 2010-2011 essay "What have you learned from a mistake?" points you in the right direction. After all an ability to fail does not qualify you for a Harvard pass; but willingness to try, ability to evaluate failures/setbacks/challenges, capacity to learn from mistakes, facility in conquering obstacles and a knack for bouncing back, might be exactly what the admissions committee might appreciate.
Identify situations and stories where you faced obstacles and emerged either victorious and/or a better person. If the setback created a significant difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system and was a substantial learning, you can go to the printers with the stories.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This a goals essay that asks you why you want the Harvard MBA and also possibly gives scope for answering the 2010-2011 prompt "What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?". How much of the essay you want to devote to the goals and how much to Harvard depends entirely on you.
Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application. With the loose structure of the question Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "career goals" question.
This essay implicitly tests you on how serious are you about seeking admission to Harvard. How specific and convincing you can be about Harvard's contribution to your further growth will decide the fate of this essay. After defining your goals and explaining your vision, move on to why the Harvard MBA makes most sense for you. Try to establish a perfect fit between your goals and Harvard. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Harvard in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts or anything else you expect to gain from HBS that will aid you in pursuing your goals. Take steps to learn as much as possible about Harvard using online and offline modes - websites, current Harvard students, alumni, Harvard fairs/receptions. The objective is to implicitly or explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in Harvard.
Do bear in mind that the theme you choose for the fourth essay can impact this essay, especially if you want to focus on your goals in the next essay (e.g. "What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?").
Do your best!
Essay 4. Answer a question you wish we'd asked. (400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Infinite possibilities! You have the freedom to write on absolutely ANYTHING you want to tell the Harvard admissions committee. Use this mouth watering opportunity to traverse an area in your personality or life that has not been covered in the other essays.
Some essay options from previous years will help you identify options: "What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?" "What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?" "Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed." "When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?" "What area of the world are you most curious about and why?" "Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization." "Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision."
Feel free to choose from essays of other b-schools as well.
Have fun!
Essay 1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Straightforward question from Harvard. So start off by forming a straightforward note that lists the 5-6 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life. Having done that, look at the Harvard MBA application essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. Since you might later write essays highlighting aspects of your leadership, undergraduate days, worldview or career vision, ensuring that abilities/skills already highlighted aren't repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. A generous sprinkling of leadership instances across the entire package might be acceptable and this first essay may be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you.
Of course the second part of the question "why do you view them as such" is truly where you must start from: clarify your position on the "why" and you will almost automatically arrive at the answer to the first part.
Go for it!
Essay 2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward failure essay - the express focus on the learning.
Learning is the key aspect of the essay, not the failure as such. Think about why you are writing this Harvard essay and find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "learning" you can go to the printers with the story.
This year the choice of examples and incidents for the Harvard application essays will be extremely difficult as you are presented with a rich collection of choices. Your choice in Essay 2 depends on your preferred essay questions in question 3.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each)
Essay 3.1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
Essay 3.1 Tips. As an academic experience preceding the Harvard MBA, your undergraduate performance might be a good guide to what you are capable of at HBS. This Harvard essay should speak of that formative phase in your life that has now made you the irresistible applicant/scholar that you are today!
Write about all that you found interesting, influential and character-shaping during your undergraduate academic experience. And talk about what YOU helped shape during those years. While "academic" might seem a little limiting, please do not restrict yourself to classroom activities: examples of your initiatives, creativity or leadership in the academic sphere (inside and outside the classroom) could top the list of what may put in. Your choice of electives/program, your suggestions for course/class/program/college improvement, your paper presentation/original research are some possibilities apart from simple recounting of academic brilliance.
The little problem with the question is that after a substantial work experience period (4-5+) or following a post graduate academic experience you might find it a little tough to backtrack and look into your undergraduate phase. Also you might feel that the "academic" aspects of your undergraduate days were not exactly electrifying. In which case simply overlook this one and select another essay to write - unlike two years back this is not a mandatory essay!
Essay 3.2. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
Essay 3.2 Tips. A leading MBA essayist recently told me that she felt dizzy every time she tried to imagine the number of applicants who want to graduate from a leading Ivy League B School, join McKinsey (or another leading Management Consultancy) and then found their own company. If you imagine the career track in your Harvard essay to be similar to that, perhaps you should think again. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the idea (or with McKinsey or with entrepreneurship) but that is certainly not a differentiating or different answer. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application. Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "what is your career goal" question. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you and for HBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Essay 3.3. Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed.
Essay 3.3 Tips. Select a specific situation across your career wherein you faced disappointment, disenchantment or frustration. Be very careful to ensure that this essay focuses, not on your distress, frustrations or disappointments within the selected story, but on your attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the painful episode.
Having given the context, ensure that you move on to positive actions and results; always minimize the negativity in your essays. Your reasoning process, decision making skills, maturity, ability to overcome hurdles, people skills, proficiency in handling setbacks, strength of purpose and moral rectitude could be just a few of the possible critical factors that can be highlighted in this essay. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use innovation, a balanced mind and/or strength of spirit to make positive change could be further areas of focus.
It is (almost) essential that this ultimately be a "success" story where you changed the situation for the better and everyone lives happily ever after!
Go for it!
Essay 3.4. When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?
Essay 3.4 Tips. Somewhat similar to last year's prompt (Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board), this essay requires you to present yourself to the Harvard class, underlining your main qualifications to be a part of the Harvard Business School. Compellingly state why you should be admitted to Harvard and mentions why you are interested in HBS. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay", unless you plan to use essay 3.2 to that end. Since the audience is the Harvard class, displaying some knowledge about the Harvard class profile might be in order.
Since this is an all-purpose essay a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented, including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and your "fit" with HBS. How you contribute to the Harvard MBA class would be an underlying overt or subliminal theme.
Essay 1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Straightforward question from Harvard. So start off by forming a straightforward note that lists the 5-6 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life. Having done that, look at the Harvard MBA application essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. Since you might later write essays highlighting aspects of your leadership, undergraduate days, worldview or career vision, ensuring that abilities/skills already highlighted aren't repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. A generous sprinkling of leadership instances across the entire package might be acceptable and this first essay may be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you.
Of course the second part of the question "why do you view them as such" is truly where you must start from: clarify your position on the "why" and you will almost automatically arrive at the answer to the first part.
Go for it!
Essay 2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straight failure essay.
Learning is however the key aspect of the essay, not the failure as such. Think about why you are writing this Harvard essay and find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "learning" you can go to the printers with the story.
This year the choice of examples and incidents for the Harvard application essays will be extremely difficult as you are presented with a rich collection of choices. Your choice in Essay 2 depends on your preferred essay questions in question 3.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each)
Essay 3.1. 1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
Essay 3.1 Tips. As an academic experience preceding the Harvard MBA, your undergraduate performance might be a good guide to what you are capable of at HBS. This Harvard essay should speak of that formative phase in your life that has now made you the irresistible applicant/scholar that you are today!
Write about all that you found interesting, influential and character-shaping during your undergraduate academic experience. And talk about what YOU helped shape during those years. While "academic" might seem a little limiting, please do not restrict yourself to classroom activities: examples of your initiatives, creativity or leadership in the academic sphere (inside and outside the classroom) could top the list of what may put in. Your choice of electives/program, your suggestions for course/class/program/college improvement, your paper presentation/original research are some possibilities apart from simple recounting of academic brilliance.
The little problem with the question is that after a substantial work experience period (4-5+) or following a post graduate academic experience you might find it a little tough to backtrack and look into your undergraduate phase. Also you might feel that the "academic" aspects of your undergraduate days were not exactly electrifying. In which case simply overlook this one and select another essay to write - unlike two years back this is not a mandatory essay!
Essay 3.2. 2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.
Essay 3.2 Tips. Have you led or been an important component of an organization or community activity? Do you have significant volunteer activity in your resume? In dealing with a community (in which you might have worked or lived or not) have you exhibited praiseworthy skills and/or attitude that would make the HBS adcom misty-eyed with admiration?
Communication, relationship building, leadership, networking, inclusive world view - any or all of these qualities you possess could be covered to best advantage in this essay.
Essay 3.3. 3. Tell us about a time when you made a difficult decision.
Essay 3.3 Tips. Select a specific situation wherein your decision was difficult - either because it was unpopular or because you stood to lose materially or emotionally. The motivations and reasons that support your decision will be the foundation of this essay.
Recount a dilemma you faced in choosing between diverging options. Your reasoning process, decision making skills, strength of purpose and moral rectitude are some of the possible critical factors that can be highlighted in this essay.
How you make your judgments about events and people, the methods you adopt to understand varied situations and how you balance the various options to make your decision could be your main areas of focus.
Though it is not essential that this be a "success" story where ultimately everyone lives happily ever after, it would be nice to know that your decision ultimately paid off for everyone involved. A display of your strength of character, robust value system and/or intellectual courage might be adequate to polish off the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3.4. 4. Write a cover letter to your application introducing yourself to the Admissions Board.
Essay 3.4 Tips. Write an essay in cover letter format which highlights your main qualifications to be part of Harvard Business School and explains why you should be admitted to Harvard and mentions why you are interested in HBS. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay", unless you plan to use essay 3.5 to that end.
Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented, including your career progression, your personal achievements/interests, your expectations from Harvard and your "fit" with HBS. How you contribute to the Harvard MBA class would be an underlying overt or subliminal theme.
Essay 3.5. 5. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
Essay 3.5 Tips. A leading MBA essayist recently told me that she felt dizzy every time she tried to imagine the number of applicants who want to graduate from a leading Ivy League B School, join McKinsey (or another leading Management Consultancy) and then found their own company. If you imagine the career track in your Harvard essay to be similar to that, perhaps you should think again. Not that there is anything intrinsically wrong with the idea (or with McKinsey or with entrepreneurship) but that is certainly not a differentiating or different answer. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application. Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "what is your career goal" question. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you and for HBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Essay 1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Straightforward question from Harvard. So start off by forming a straightforward note that lists the 5-6 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life. Having done that, look at the Harvard MBA application essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. Since you might later write essays highlighting aspects of your leadership, undergraduate days, worldview or career vision, ensuring that abilities/skills already highlighted aren't repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. A generous sprinkling of leadership instances across the entire package might be acceptable and this first essay may be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you.
Of course the second part of the question "why do you view them as such" is truly where you must start from: clarify your position on the "why" and you will almost automatically arrive at the answer to the first part.
Go for it!
Essay 2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straight failure essay.
Learning is however the key aspect of the essay, not the failure as such. Think about why you are writing this Harvard essay and find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "learning" you can go to the printers with the story.
This year the choice of examples and incidents for the Harvard application essays will be extremely difficult as you are presented with a rich collection of choices. Your choice in Essay 2 depends on your preferred essay questions in question 3.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each)
Essay 3.1 Tips. 1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
As an academic experience preceding the Harvard MBA, your undergraduate academic experience might be a good guide to what you are capable of at HBS. This Harvard essay should speak of that formative phase in your life that has now made you the irresistible applicant-scholar that you are today! Talk about all that you found interesting, influential and character-shaping during your undergraduate academic experience. And talk about what YOU helped shape during those years. Examples of your initiatives, creativity or leadership in the academic sphere could top the list of what may put in; but remember that we are just at the beginning of a long Harvard essay package and you really don't have to oversell yourself before the audience has settled into their seats.
The little problem with the question is that after a substantial work experience period (5+) or following a post graduate academic experience you might find it a little tough to backtrack and look into your undergraduate phase. OK so who said you HAD to write this essay?!
Essay 3.2 Tips. 2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization.
Have you led or been an important component of an organization or community activity? Do you have significant volunteer activity in your resume? In dealing with a community (in which you might have worked or lived or not) have you exhibited praiseworthy skills and/or attitude that would make the HBS adcom misty-eyed with admiration?
Communication, relationship building, leadership, networking, inclusive world view - any or all of these qualities you possess could be covered to best advantage in this essay.
Essay 3.3 Tips. 3. What area of the world are you most curious about and why?
Looks tough initially but a fairly simple question actually.
Choose a spot on the globe. Then show a personal, non-trivial connection to the place through your past actions, present ideas or future dreams. Does the place resonate with a discovery, invention or development that is of great interest to you? Has the place witnessed a horror or beauty that you feel strongly about?
This question lays out a canvas for you to explore and showcase your best.
Go for it!
Essay 3.4 Tips. 4. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
A leading MBA essayist recently told me that she felt dizzy every time she tried to imagine the number of applicants who want to graduate from a leading Ivy League B School, join McKinsey (or another leading Management Consultancy) and then found their own company. If you imagine the career track in your Harvard essay to be similar to that, perhaps you should think again. Not that there anything intrinsically wrong with the idea (or with McKinsey or with entrepreneurship) but that is certainly not a differentiating or different answer. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application. Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "what is your career goal" question. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you and for HBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Essay 1 Tips. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
Straightforward question from Harvard. So start off by forming a straightforward note that lists the 5-6 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life.
Having done that, look at the Harvard MBA application essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. For example you might later write essays highlighting aspects of your leadership, undergraduate days, worldview or career vision. So no point reiterating a point unless you have a good story that is not repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. A generous sprinkling of leadership instances across the entire package might be acceptable and this first essay be may be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you.
Of course the second part of the question "why do you view them as such" is truly where you must start from: clarify your position on the "why" and you will almost automatically arrive at the answer to the first part.
Go for it!
Essay 2 Tips. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
This is a straight failure essay.
Learning is however the key aspect of the essay, not the failure as such. Think about why you are writing this Harvard essay and find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "learning" you can go to the printers with the story.
This year the choice of examples and incidents for the Harvard application essays will be extremely difficult as you are presented with a rich collection of choices. Your choice in Essay 2 depends on your preferred essay questions in question 3.
Go for it!
Essay 3 Tips. Please respond to three of the following (400-word limit each)
a. Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development. How did this experience highlight your strengths and weaknesses?
Hey, leadership is very important to HBS. Harvard mentions it wherever and whenever they can. So you will do well to assume that this essay is important. Write about an experience where you were in a leadership position, preferably one that helped define what kind of a leader you are today. Choose an experience that had it's successes but was certainly improvable - so that you can include your leadership strengths and weaknesses. The story can go back in time since the focus is on a developing leader (but let's skip the story about your leadership experience in the first grade classroom!). The leadership development, after the mentioned experience, can actually form the central focus of the essay if that is what you want.
b. How have you experienced culture shock?
How do you complement the international flavor and global outlook of the most famous business school in the world? What is your attitude to an international mix of colleagues (or classmates)? How you have dealt with these in the past might give clues to how you approach them in the future (at Harvard and later). This essay is a great platform to show your global viewpoint, international exposure and maturity in cross-cultural interactions. Typically, "culture shocks" also make for great stories.
c. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
Write about what you found interesting, influential and character-shaping during your undergraduate academic experience. If you possess substantial work experience or find it tough to backtrack and look into your undergraduate phase, please attempt another essay.
d. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
A leading MBA essayist recently told me that she felt dizzy every time she tried to imagine the number of applicants who want to graduate from a leading Ivy League B School, join McKinsey (or another leading Management Consultancy) and then found their own company. If you imagine the career track in your Harvard essay to be similar to that, perhaps you should think again. Not that there anything intrinsically wrong with the idea (or with McKinsey or with entrepreneurship) but that is certainly not a differentiating or different answer. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application. Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "what is your career goal" question. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you and for HBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
e. What global issue is most important to you and why?
This is an essay explicitly targeted at gauging your worldview, maturity and aptitude for analyzing and communicating great issues. The choice obviously should have universal ramifications and should also (hopefully) find at least a local and partial solution through you. The latter is not explicitly stated in the question, but is implicit - after all this is not just an essay writing competition!
f. What else would you like the MBA Admissions Board to understand about you?
Do you know why, in most places, we advise against attempting an optional essay? Because the temptation to use 400 words worth of admission committee time to repeat points, contradict the other essays or otherwise simply bore them into a blank stupor, is for some unimaginable reason too sweet to resist. Here when you have the choice of making it a mandatory essay, take that option only if you feel you can convey greater meaning with greater power than in any of the other five essay choices. If you can, please go ahead. If not, please DO NOT.
Essay 1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
Essay 1 Tips. As an academic experience preceding the Harvard MBA, your undergraduate academic experience might be a good guide to what you are capable of at HBS. This HBS essay should speak of that formative phase in your life that has now made you the irresistible scholar-applicant that you are today!
The little problem with the question is that after a substantial work experience period (5+) or following a post graduate academic experience you might find it a little tough to backtrack and look into your undergraduate phase. So who said everything was perfect?!
Essay 2. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Straightforward question from Harvard. So start off by forming a straightforward answer that lists not 3 but 6-10 key achievements from your professional, personal or academic life.
Having done that, look at the Harvard essay package as a whole and then revisit the list. For example you might notice that there are separate leadership, ethics and academics related questions. So no point reiterating a point unless you have a good story that is not repeated. The rider to that is that since this is Harvard and since this is an MBA application, there is an exception to that rule - leadership. 4-5 sprinklings of leadership instances across the entire package might be just right and this might be the place for at least one.
The final choice can now be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to it's success and what the stories tell about you. Choose the qualities that the accomplishments highlight and decide if those are the traits that you want the Harvard admissions committee to remember about you.
Of course the second part of the question "why do you view them as such" is truly where you must start from: clarify your position on the "why" and you will almost automatically arrive at the answer to the first part.
Essay 3. Discuss a defining experience in your leadership development. How did this experience highlight your strengths and weaknesses as a leader? (400-word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Hey, leadership is very important to Harvard. Harvard mentions it wherever and whenever they can. So you will do well to assume that this essay is important.
Write about an experience where you were in a leadership position, preferably one that helped define what kind of a leader you are today. Choose an experience that had it's successes but was certainly improvable - so that you can include your leadership strengths and weaknesses. Simple?
The story can go back in time since the focus is on a developing leader (but let's skip the story about your leadership experience in the first grade classroom!). The leadership development, after the mentioned experience, can actually form the central focus of the essay if that is what you want.
Essay 4. In your career, you will have to deal with many ethical issues. What are likely to be the most challenging and what is your plan for developing the competencies you will need to handle these issues effectively? (400-word limit)
Essay 4 Tips. It is so very easy to write a bad essay here, even after some hard work.
That last statement is actually designed to make you smile with anticipated pleasure. Did you?
If not, maybe the next paragraph will make you feel better.
There are very few questions in any essay package that most applicants will get almost completely wrong. Each such question gives you the opportunity to create a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Harvard essay is undeniably one such. Unless you you are determined to do it wrong smile you must!
Apart from your own attitude towards ethics, and your past experiences where your value system may have been challenged, you will probably do well to talk to a few people in your chosen industry and supplement it with online research to uncover specific (or even unique?) ethical challenges that you will face in your chosen sphere of activity.
Essay 5. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you? (400-word limit)
Essay 5 Tips. A leading MBA essayist recently told me that she felt dizzy every time she tried to imagine the number of applicants who want to graduate from a leading Ivy League B School, join McKinsey (or another leading Management Consultancy) and then found their own company. If you imagine the career track in your Harvard essay to be similar to that, perhaps you should think again. Not that there anything intrinsically wrong with the idea (or with McKinsey or with entrepreneurship) but that is certainly not a differentiating or different answer. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Harvard application.
Harvard gives you greater scope than in a usual "what is your career goal" question. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you and for HBS.
Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Essay 6. What other information do you believe would be helpful to the Board in understanding you better and in considering your application? (400-word limit)
Essay 6 Tips. Here we have a Harvard style optional essay - no option!
Point 1: Let us not stare a gift horse wherever.. grab the chance to write on any aspect of your life, career, value system, thought process or whatever else you feel will advance the quality of your Harvard application. This is 400 words worth of free airtime for brand YOU. Broadcast!
Point 2: Do you know why, in most places, we advise against attempting an optional essay? Because the temptation to use 400 words worth of admission committee time to repeat points, contradict the other essays or otherwise simply bore them into a blank stupor, is for some unimaginable reason too sweet to resist. Here you have no choice - write you must. So please resist the urge!
Go for it!
Essay 1. In which direction do you wish to take your career by pursuing an MBA at HEC Montréal? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a very simply career goals essays in a slightly different look and feel. HEC Montreal asked in past "Why are you interested in obtaining an MBA and why have you chosen the HEC Montréal MBA program?" and their intent from this question is also similar- to know about your goals and if HEC Montreal is the right progarm for you.
You have accomplished a lot in life and there is a place you want to reach in 10-15 years from now. MBA is your means to get there, its your bridge between your past and future
It is not only the business education that you will gain at HEC, but the contacts you will make, opportunities you will explore at the business school and beyond, that will (and should) take you to your long-term vision. That is the reason you choose HEC Montreal.
When talking about your past and future career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show the rationale for your choices- you have enough space here to do that well.
Essay 1. In which direction do you wish to take your career by pursuing an MBA at HEC Montréal? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a very simply career goals essays in a slightly different look and feel. HEC Montreal asked in past "Why are you interested in obtaining an MBA and why have you chosen the HEC Montréal MBA program?" and their intent from this question is also similar- to know about your goals and if HEC Montreal is the right progarm for you.
You have accomplished a lot in life and there is a place you want to reach in 10-15 years from now. MBA is your means to get there, its your bridge between your past and future
It is not only the business education that you will gain at HEC, but the contacts you will make, opportunities you will explore at the business school and beyond, that will (and should) take you to your long-term vision. That is the reason you choose HEC Montreal.
When talking about your past and future career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show the rationale for your choices- you have enough space here to do that well.
Essay 1. The HEC Montréal MBA program is based on shared experiences and emphasizes collaborative learning. In view of this approach, tell us what you hope to learn from your MBA colleagues to help you achieve your personal and professional goals (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. An interesting essay about the importance of team work. This one not only gives you a chance to talk about your strengths as a team player but also show a genuine self-awareness and reflect on how becoming part of a diverse group of students at HEC Montreal can help you grow.
So start by looking at your experiences and in what areas you feel you need to build your skills and expertise. Some of the aspects could be- international exposure, leadership, building cross-functional managerial skills, public speaking and so on. An honest and insightful understanding of where you stand and linking it to what all you could gain from the MBA experience will make for a strong essay.
Essay 1. The HEC Montréal MBA program is based on shared experiences and emphasizes collaborative learning. In view of this approach, tell us what you hope to learn from your MBA colleagues to help you achieve your personal and professional goals (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. An interesting essay about the importance of team work. This one not only gives you a chance to talk about your strengths as a team player but also show a genuine self-awareness and reflect on how becoming part of a diverse group of students at HEC Montreal can help you grow.
So start by looking at your experiences and in what areas you feel you need to build your skills and expertise. Some of the aspects could be- international exposure, leadership, building cross-functional managerial skills, public speaking and so on. An honest and insightful understanding of where you stand and linking it to what all you could gain from the MBA experience will make for a strong essay.
Essay 1. Describe your strengths and weaknesses and explain how you manage these personality traits in your everyday life.
Essay 1 Tips. If the somewhat twisted wording is confusing you, you are not alone!
HEC wants to know how you are in your personal and professional life on a daily basis. Instead of talking about traits that are seen only in specific situations or significant accomplishments, here you get to talk about your life in general.
Some of the topics of interest could be: interpersonal skills, time management, attitude towards job, work ethic, causes and passions you care about and the like..
Display your strengths proudly and show how you address/manage your weaknesses.
Essay 2. Why are you interested in obtaining an MBA and why have you chosen the HEC Montréal MBA program? (750 words)
Essay 2 Tips. As we always say, your MBA will work as a bridge between you past and future. You have accomplished a lot in life and there is a place you want to reach in 10-15 years from now. MBA is your means to get there.
It is not only the business education that you will gain at HEC, but the contacts you will make, opportunities you will explore at the business school and beyond, that will (and should) take you to your long-term vision. That is the reason you choose HEC Montreal.
When talking about your past and future career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show the rationale for your choices- you have enough space here to do that well.
Essay 3. Describe a personal achievement that allowed you to distinguish yourself and explain why you are proud of this achievement.(750 words)
Essay 3 Tips. HEC very clearly wants to get to know the person behind those awesome numbers they see in your GMAT, GPA and Resume. They want to know what drives you, what motivates you as a person. What makes you distinguished or unique.
You can take anecdotal approach and talk about one significant achievement outside of work, OR you can take a thematic approach and write about a few.
If you are selecting one event- then make sure to pick something that has had far reaching impact on you. The personal story could be about a community service involvement, an initiative you led, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. there are many such examples you can think of..
More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and why you are proud of this achievement.
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us?
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us?
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us?
Online Question: Please describe your immediate career goals following your MBA
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Online Question: Please describe your immediate career goals following your MBA
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Online Question: Please describe your immediate career goals following your MBA
Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Answer each essay topic listed below as completely and candidly as possible. Essays should be typed and should not exceed the number of words assigned.
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Answer each essay topic listed below as completely and candidly as possible. Essays should be typed and should not exceed the number of words assigned.
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Answer each essay topic listed below as completely and candidly as possible. Essays should be typed and should not exceed the number of words assigned.
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Answer each essay topic listed below as completely and candidly as possible. Essays should be typed and should not exceed the number of words assigned.
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)
Essay 3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
Optional Essay. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of these objectives? (30-line limit)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (15-line limit)
Essay 3. What distinguishes the HEC MBA from other programs? Have you applied to other programs or business schools? If yes, which ones? (15-line limit)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (15-line limit)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (15-line limit)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city discover and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc.).
Essay 6. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (1-page limit)
Essay 1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of these objectives? (30-line limit)
Essay 2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (15-line limit)
Essay 3. What distinguishes the HEC MBA from other programs? Have you applied to other programs or business schools? If yes, which ones? (15-line limit)
Essay 4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (15-line limit)
Essay 5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (15-line limit)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city discover and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyze it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc.).
Essay 6. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (1-page limit)
Essay 1. If you had to come up with a motto for your life, what would it be and why? Please give an example of how you have demonstrated it (word limit 300 max)
Essay 1 Tips. The best way to approach this essay is to first think about important life choices you have made and what thoughts and ideas influenced them. Think about the ideals you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. Once you have identified your core values, you can derive your motto from it and then provide an example to give credibility and authenticity to your motto.
Essay 2. What are your short and medium term post MBA career goals and how will IESE help you achieve them? (word limit 300 max)
Essay 1 Tips. Use this space to clearly delineate how you plan to build you career after MBA. Show them what aspects of your profile and background lead into your goals and why you want to pursue this path. IESE is specifically asking you about details of the role, so you will need to do in-depth research to be able to answer this question in an authentic manner.
Essay 1. How do you expect to be changed by your experience at IESE and what impact you would like to make after your MBA? (word limit 300 max)
Essay 1 Tips. In addition to a traditional goal essay, IESE aims to understand what aspects of your profile needs enhancement and how you envision undergoing transformation at IESE. To write a thoughtful and reflective answer, you'll need to introspect and understand gaps in your knowledge, skills, and capabilities that can be filled with an IESE MBA. You'll also need an in-depth understanding of the program and how it can help fullfill your needs.
Essay 2. What are your short and medium term post MBA career goals and how will IESE help you achieve them? (word limit 300 max)
Essay 1 Tips. Use this space to clearly delineate how you plan to build you career after MBA. Show them what aspects of your profile and background lead into your goals and why you want to pursue this path. IESE is specifically asking you about details of the role, so you will need to do in-depth research to be able to answer this question in an authentic manner.
Essay 1.Briefly describe your career aspirations immediately after MBA. Please try to be as specific as possible by giving examples of position, Country and Company you would like to work in: (200 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. After keeping the Tweet-essay for a few years, IESE has come back to a traditional goal essay.
Use this space to clearly delineate how you plan to build you career after MBA. Show them what aspects of your profile and background lead into your goals and why you want to pursue this path. IESE is specifically asking you about details of the role, so you will need to do in-depth research to be able to answer this question in an authentic manner.
Essay 1.Briefly describe your career aspirations immediately after MBA. Please try to be as specific as possible by giving examples of position, Country and Company you would like to work in: (200 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. After keeping the Tweet-essay for a few years, IESE has come back to a traditional goal essay.
Use this space to clearly delineate how you plan to build you career after MBA. Show them what aspects of your profile and background lead into your goals and why you want to pursue this path. IESE is specifically asking you about details of the role, so you will need to do in-depth research to be able to answer this question in an authentic manner.
Essay 2. Please answer ONE (and only one) of the following two questions. (300 words)
- If you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Please give examples of both your strengths & weaknesses.
Essay 2 Tips. A simple strength and weakness essay but asked in a more poetic form. Our main guidance is to select strengths related to what you think will make you a good candidate for business school and possibly some aspects that align with IESE's mission and its values. On the weakness front, pick things that are authentic and important but not too glaring to disqualify from the admission pool. Read more about IESE'S mission.
- Describe a recent situation (1-2 years ago maximum) that demonstrates your fit with IESE's mission and value
Essay 2 Tips. IESE Business School is committed to the development of leaders who aspire to have a deep, positive and lasting impact on people, firms and society; to inspiring leaders to work with a spirit of service and integrity, basing their actions on the highest standards of professionalism and accountability; and to educating leaders to whom we can confidently entrust the future of business and society. Read more about IESE'S mission.
This is not your typical leadership or professional achievement essay. You will have to think critically about your experiences that have elements that resonate with school's mission.
Think about where in your professional experience you have made a positive impact on your team, your organization and what was the lasting change as a result of your actions? What was the context, what challenges (if any) you faced and how you acted with integrity and accountability to prove strength of your character. If you can show that others responded positively and appreciated your effort- that will give adcom an additional objective view point. If you can have your recommenders talk about this situation that will truly lend credibility to your narrative.
Essay 3. I wish that the application had asked me... (200 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. They see your resume, have an idea about your career goals, got a glimpse of your personality and character through the essay two. What more do you want them to know about you?
some of the topics could be..
- Explain the rationale about your career choices and why your MBA goals make sense for you? [a chance to show strength of your commitment to your goals and MBA]
- What are your most passionate about? Tell us with examples. [an opportunity to highlight distinctive aspects of your personality]
- Why do you think IESE MBA is the right choice for you? [a chance to show your enthusiasm for the school]
- How do plan to leverage the opportunities and resources at IESE? [another chance to convince adcom by showing you have done extensive research about the school]
... and the options are endless!
Essay 1. Why do you want to do an MBA during these uncertain times? How does that align with your future career goals? Please speculate on your five and ten-year post MBA career trajectory? (1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Attending a business school is an important life decision that will have a lasting impact on your professional and personal lives. So, make sure you have thought long and hard that IIMA PGPX is indeed the right step for your career, especially in these uncertain times.
Through this essay, IIMA also seeks to understand what motivates you, what has driven your career path till now and what do you aspire to do in future? Don't be intimidated by the language of the question, the school really just wants to know your post-MBA career goals and how you plan to achieve them. Now a critical aspect here would be to make sure your goals are visionary yet realistic, ambitious yet feasible. So you will have to effectively tie in your past experience and skill sets with what you want to in next 10-15 years. You will also need to imagine how the world will change in the next decade and factor that in when you are crafting a vision for your career.
Essay 2. What is so special about you that professors and peers would like to have you in the class? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The question that is asked here is - why should IIMA bother admitting you when there are a hundred other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or academics?
Attempt in this essay to bring in an authentic differentiation, present a genuine face and then give the admissions committee some solid reasons for wishing to see you. Give short examples to support your assertions.
To get info for the essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues, and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have easily overlooked. But the person who knows most is always going to be yourself; so, think about yourself- at work, play and studies. Think about how you think and act in team situations and uncover the salient points that set you apart. Your achievements, your hobbies, your academics, your personality traits, your passions, your work experiences, your life experiences, your language, your attitudes– everything adds to your diversity –so sell whatever you feel you can sell well.
Try not to be misled by the tone of the question to make you talk negative aspects about your last organization or job/ role.
Here, IIMA wants to understand your career progress and what are your goals for yourself going forward. They want to know how you want to grow that going to your previous organization would not make sense in the overall plan you have for yourself.
So, keep a forward looking approach, address this question with positivity and passion and you'll have a convincing answer.
Essay 3. Do you have anything special that you would want the Admissions Committee to know? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. You can utilize this space to highlight some of your strengths that you could not effectively capture in other essays, resume and other parts of application.
Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted
Essay 1. Why do you want to do an MBA during these uncertain times? How does that align with your future career goals? Please speculate on your five and ten-year post MBA career trajectory? (1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Attending a business school is an important life decision that will have a lasting impact on your professional and personal lives. So, make sure you have thought long and hard that IIMA PGPX is indeed the right step for your career, especially in these uncertain times.
Through this essay, IIMA also seeks to understand what motivates you, what has driven your career path till now and what do you aspire to do in future? Don't be intimidated by the language of the question, the school really just wants to know your post-MBA career goals and how you plan to achieve them. Now a critical aspect here would be to make sure your goals are visionary yet realistic, ambitious yet feasible. So you will have to effectively tie in your past experience and skill sets with what you want to in next 10-15 years. You will also need to imagine how the world will change in the next decade and factor that in when you are crafting a vision for your career.
Essay 2. What is so special about you that professors and peers would like to have you in the class? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The question that is asked here is - why should IIMA bother admitting you when there are a hundred other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or academics?
Attempt in this essay to bring in an authentic differentiation, present a genuine face and then give the admissions committee some solid reasons for wishing to see you. Give short examples to support your assertions.
To get info for the essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues, and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have easily overlooked. But the person who knows most is always going to be yourself; so, think about yourself- at work, play and studies. Think about how you think and act in team situations and uncover the salient points that set you apart. Your achievements, your hobbies, your academics, your personality traits, your passions, your work experiences, your life experiences, your language, your attitudes– everything adds to your diversity –so sell whatever you feel you can sell well.
Try not to be misled by the tone of the question to make you talk negative aspects about your last organization or job/ role.
Here, IIMA wants to understand your career progress and what are your goals for yourself going forward. They want to know how you want to grow that going to your previous organization would not make sense in the overall plan you have for yourself.
So, keep a forward looking approach, address this question with positivity and passion and you'll have a convincing answer.
Essay 3. Do you have anything special that you would want the Admissions Committee to know? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. You can utilize this space to highlight some of your strengths that you could not effectively capture in other essays, resume and other parts of application.
Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted
Essay 1. Why do you want to do an MBA during these uncertain times? How does that align with your future career goals? Please speculate on your five and ten-year post MBA career trajectory? (1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Attending a business school is an important life decision that will have a lasting impact on your professional and personal lives. So, make sure you have thought long and hard that IIMA PGPX is indeed the right step for your career, especially in these uncertain times.
Through this essay, IIMA also seeks to understand what motivates you, what has driven your career path till now and what do you aspire to do in future? Don't be intimidated by the language of the question, the school really just wants to know your post-MBA career goals and how you plan to achieve them. Now a critical aspect here would be to make sure your goals are visionary yet realistic, ambitious yet feasible. So you will have to effectively tie in your past experience and skill sets with what you want to in next 10-15 years. You will also need to imagine how the world will change in the next decade and factor that in when you are crafting a vision for your career.
Essay 2. What is so special about you that professors and peers would like to have you in the class? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The question that is asked here is - why should IIMA bother admitting you when there are a hundred other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or academics?
Attempt in this essay to bring in an authentic differentiation, present a genuine face and then give the admissions committee some solid reasons for wishing to see you. Give short examples to support your assertions.
To get info for the essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues, and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have easily overlooked. But the person who knows most is always going to be yourself; so, think about yourself- at work, play and studies. Think about how you think and act in team situations and uncover the salient points that set you apart. Your achievements, your hobbies, your academics, your personality traits, your passions, your work experiences, your life experiences, your language, your attitudes– everything adds to your diversity –so sell whatever you feel you can sell well.
Try not to be misled by the tone of the question to make you talk negative aspects about your last organization or job/ role.
Here, IIMA wants to understand your career progress and what are your goals for yourself going forward. They want to know how you want to grow that going to your previous organization would not make sense in the overall plan you have for yourself.
So, keep a forward looking approach, address this question with positivity and passion and you'll have a convincing answer.
Essay 3. Do you have anything special that you would want the Admissions Committee to know? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. You can utilize this space to highlight some of your strengths that you could not effectively capture in other essays, resume and other parts of application.
Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted
Essay 1. Describe your best day at work.
Essay 1 Tips. This is a new question for year 2018 and a very interes way of asking about your passion, values, and achievement
Ideally the best day would be when you would have either gained something of value- say a promotion, reward, award or perhaps when you were able to make a positive impact on your team or organization.
So use this question to illustrate with an example- an ache that made you proud and also brought you happines and made it your best day at work.
Essay 2. Why would you not like to go back to your last organization?
Essay 2 Tips. Now this is basically a career goals question.
Try not to be misled by the tone of the question to make you talk negative aspects about your last organization or job/ role.
Here, IIMA wants to understand your career progress and what are your goals for yourself going forward. They want to know how you want to grow that going to your previous organization would not make sense in the overall plan you have for yourself.
So, keep a forward looking approach, address this question with positivity and passion and you'll have a convincing answer.
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission.
State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
INSEAD Instructions: "Each essay has a maximum word limit, which is stated under each essay box. You will not be stopped if you exceed the word limit. While it is acceptable to exceed by about 10%, the essays are an important summary exercise and it is recommended that you respect the given word limit"
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission.
State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
INSEAD Instructions: "Each essay has a maximum word limit, which is stated under each essay box. You will not be stopped if you exceed the word limit. While it is acceptable to exceed by about 10%, the essays are an important summary exercise and it is recommended that you respect the given word limit"
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. What would be your next step in terms of position If you were to remain in the same company?(350 words max.)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The While addressing the seven parts of this question, give special attention and space to your accomplishments. What you do is only one aspect of your profile, INSEAD is interested in know how much you are capable of achieving. INSEAD also wants to know the exact level you are in your current role, your managerial experience and thus your leadership potential, so make sure you capture all this information clearly.
The added aspect of where you could be with the company is to know your longer term career vision and also possibly see how that relates to your MBA goal.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. It should be written as if you were talking someone at a social gathering detailing your career path with the rationale behind your choices. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations. (350 words max.)
Job Essay 2 Tips. When talking about your career path, show clearly why you decided on that path and what influenced you to make those career choices. Ideally all the turns on the road would fit nicely into a logical theme. Try to dig deeper and show them your true motivations. As much as possible, show you chose your career proactively, not passively. If you have taken unexpected career moves then put more emphasis there because that part of your story needs to be credible.
While you are writing, note that question asks you to talk to someone at a social gathering so your tone should be more like how you speak than how you write. Avoid ALL technical jargon, and use simple short sentences if possible. Maybe try to speak your answer into a voice recorder and transcribe that. That might give a more natural flow to your tone.
If you are comfortable, a dash of humor won't hurt- it will show your true personality if it comes naturally to you.
Job Optional Essay. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme.
Job Optional Essay Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due travel vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your post MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through these show what motivates you on a personal level and what will make you an attractive candidate for INSEAD.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words max.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. To summarize and synthesize your personal development till date, while selling yourself to the adcom and all in 600 words not an easy feat!
One way to approach this question is to look at themes and patterns in your life and the choices you have made. Avoid talking about you in terms of your job title and the activities your pursue. Rather use this space to talk about your passions, desires, dreams, wishes and life experiences that have left deep impact on you. How have you become the way you are today. Are you a survivor? An explorer? A cautious optimist? What events and influences have shaped you, have built your strengths and weaknesses. It is interesting that often a strength can be also a weakness and vice versa, so think deeply and write a thoughtful introspective answer.
When stressing your strengths pick areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either. Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
An example is like a picture- if you can paint a vivid imagery with details, your reader will see and feel your strengths very clearly. So use examples generously. Maybe you can start the essay with an anecdote!
If you need help on deciding your story lines and themes, talk to us!
Personal Essay 2. Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others. Comment on what you learned. (400 words max.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips.
Last year INSEAD asked these questions separately:
2013-2014 Essay: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
2013-2014 Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
This year they have been combined into this 2-in-1 essay making it much harder to clearly show conflicting themes. It is not mentioned if INSEAD wants a personal or professional story so you have the liberty to whichever you want. Your choice should be based on what is most meaningful to you, where you had most contribution (success or failure) and the impact of the learning.
When deciding on the stories, a general rule is to pick something which happened in your recent past- preferably within last 2-4 years. If you can’t think of an impactful event in this time period, pick an example which has had lasting influence on you and has shaped you the way you are today. If possible, try to effectively leverage the previous essay to reinforce your strengths and address your weaknesses.
Personal Essay 3. Tell us about an experience where you were significantly impacted by cultural diversity, in a positive or negative way. (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. INSEAD places a huge emphasis on international experience and it's one of the desirable requirements for admission. Till last year one of the essays was Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain?
The 'business school of the world' attracts students from more than 80 nationalities so it's important for them to know your level of comfort with cultural diversity. Are you open minded and tolerant? Are you sensitive and respectful toward the differences of other cultures?
You can take several possible approaches based on your experiences. If you have worked outside your home country, you will have ample number of stories to pick from. However, if you haven’t had a chance to be in that setting, maybe you could talk about dealing with cross-country teams or your experiences from any international travels you might have taken. Show INSEAD your understanding, appreciation and preparedness to be part of its highly diverse student body.
Personal Essay 4. Describe all types of extra-professional activities in which you have been or are still involved for a significant amount of time (clubs, sports, music, arts, politics, etc). How are you enriched by these activities? (300 words max.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Take cue from second part of the question to answer the first. List the activities that have or have had significant impact on you and have enhanced you. Since you have only 300 words, instead of enumerating a lot of activities, stick to a few that you have given /give significant amounts of time and those that will also showcase your good fit with INSEAD. We are not writing this answer in isolation, this is part of your bigger sales pitch to INSEAD, so treat it as one piece of the entire puzzle and use it to show distinctive aspects of your candidature.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission.
State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
INSEAD Instructions: "Each essay has a maximum word limit, which is stated under each essay box. You will not be stopped if you exceed the word limit. While it is acceptable to exceed by about 10%, the essays are an important summary exercise and it is recommended that you respect the given word limit"
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 1 Tips. The question is clear enough and the space short enough for you to create a simple, strong essay. Concisely answering all SEVEN parts of the question however could be a challenge. If you have a highly technical job profile please try to specify what the job means in a larger context. If possible, bring in your people management responsibilities and related achievements (briefly).
"Results achieved" should be a key ingredient of this INSEAD essay. Highlight instances when you performed superlatively in your current role. If you present your job achievements convincingly you are on the road to a good INSEAD essay.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 2 Tips. Your objective here can be to discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. On the other hand you can simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4.
Either way do not forget to mention the basic component-set for each of your jobs - designation, company, period, responsibilities, achievements.
Job Essay 3. If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme? (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 3 Tips. Of course this applies only to a few candidates and is a possible overreaction to the current economic situation or a considered move looking at their past applicant profile.
Either way, if this question applies to you, you should concentrate on showing how you are fruitfully using your time and preparing for your future (including possibly INSEAD). Continuous or new learning, advanced certification and/or involvement in any activity that furthers your professional life will fit in snugly here; since this is the "Job Description" section personal aspects might be less welcome.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words maximum)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. Whichever path you choose, the essay should touch upon definite strength areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either.
The person you see in the mirror is clearly most qualified to give you clues to this INSEAD essay. Ask yourself what you consider to be your main strengths and weaknesses. Look back at your past personal and professional experiences and unearth those characteristics or qualities which you most obviously exhibit (or lack). You could refer past performance-appraisal forms for developing your own personal characteristics chart.
Weaknesses: Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
Finally, study each point in this essay in relation to the rest of the essays in your INSEAD application. Your application should be a single unified package - there is absolutely no room for internal contradictions.
Go for it!
Personal Essay 2. 2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
Personal Essay 2 Tips. INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing any two achievement stories that shine out from your work-in-progress biography.
The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievements, the extent of your contribution to their success and what the stories illustrate about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three obvious qualities that these incidents could reflect on. The stories can be from professional, academic or personal spheres of life.
The second part of the INSEAD question "why you view them as such" is actually where you must start from; if you do that competently you will automatically arrive at the first part.
The stories could be professional or personal - however as indicated "if possible specify one personal and one professional".
Go for it
Personal Essay 3. Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. This is a simpler, longer and more meaningful realignment of an earlier INSEAD essay prompt "Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect.".
Once more begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be made much easier for you.
This is a "failure" essay - and as in all failure essays the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience. Once you identify a substantial learning you can start writing the essay with confidence. A failure - and learning - that has created a marked difference in your thought process, behavior or value system will of course make a greater impact.
While the achievements can go back in time, pre-historical stories should be avoided!
I repeat: the INSEAD failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success. Let that show.
Go for it!
INSEAD Personal Essay 4. a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum)
b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words maximum)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Before you even start thinking about this essay be clear about what culture shock means. Culture shock is basically your difficulty in adjusting to a new culture. It could include your reaction/"shock" to different languages, different values, different settings, different food, different religions, different taboos, different expectations - a different environment.
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a keen international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Both questions are now explicitly about "culture shock" except that you need to look at the issue from different perspectives.
Good natured humor is very much welcome in both essays.
a) Choose a situation (preferably international) where you experienced culture shock, and explain what you learnt and gained from the exposure. Typically, this would make for a better choice since here you can offer stories and situations that you have personally experienced, and also explicitly write about your international outlook, learning skills, adaptability and inclusive nature. Please veer away from approaches and remarks that hint at Xenophobia - even if it is in an earlier "ignorant" phase.
b) What about your country do foreigners typically balk at? Beyond the typical, what have you personally observed to be culture shocks that foreigners have or might experience in your country. A personal perspective that looks at these barriers with maturity will be welcomed. Apart from your own exposure, travel advice sites might be your best guidance to how foreigners experience culture shock in your country.
Go for it!
Personal Essay 5.
Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum)
b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)
Personal Essay 5 Tips. A simple goals essay with separate goals and "why INSEAD" sections, this is a rephrasing of the standard INSEAD essay for many years "Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career?". The separate questions will help you (and the Admissions Committee) to devote focused attention to each part. The simplicity and length of this essay prompt is deceptive: this might be the most important INSEAD essay you write.
a) As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-INSEAD short term and long term goals. Treat this "career goals" question with moderation and be totally realistic while detailing your goals. Be specific, preferably both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality.
INSEAD places great importance on your work experience and wants to understand how you envision your career. Identifying and expressing a logical, credible link between your career thus far (and the skills, experience, knowledge gained) and your goals is an unasked question. Ensure that this part of the essay meshes with the earlier essays (especially the Job description essays) as well as with part-b of this essay. While credibility, logic and realism are critical, passion is the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge.
b) This part of the essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about INSEAD? How will INSEAD be able to aid you in your career - thus ensuring a worthy example to tom-tom about in the future.
Try to establish a perfect fit between your goals and INSEAD. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to INSEAD in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts etc you expect to gain from INSEAD that will help you achieve your goals. Take steps to learn as much as possible about INSEAD using online and offline modes - websites, current INSEAD students, alumni, INSEAD fairs/receptions. The objective is to implicitly or explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and SPECIFIC interest in INSEAD.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in your application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (350 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission.
State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
Go for it!
Job Essay 1. Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 1 Tips. This INSEAD application question is clear enough and the space short enough for you to create a simple, strong essay. Concisely answering all SEVEN parts of the question will be a challenge. If you have a highly technical job profile please try to specify what the job means in a larger context. If possible, bring in your people management responsibilities and (briefly) your achievements thereof.
"Results achieved" should be a key ingredient of this INSEAD essay. Highlight instances when you performed superlatively in your current role. If you present your job achievements convincingly you are on the road to a good INSEAD essay.
Job Essay 2. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 2 Tips. Your objective in this INSEAD essay can be to discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. On the other hand you can simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4. Either way do not forget to mention the basic component-set for each of your jobs - designation, company, period, responsibilities, achievements.
Job Essay 3. If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme? (250 words maximum)
Job Essay 3 Tips. Of course this applies only to a few candidates and is a possible overreaction to the current economic situation or a considered move looking at their past applicant profile.
Either way, if this question applies to you, your concentration should be on presenting a picture how you are fruitfully using your time and preparing for your future (including possibly INSEAD). Continuous or new learning, advanced certification and/or involvement in any activity that furthers your professional life (since this is the "Job Description" section personal aspects might be less welcome) will fit in snugly here.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words maximum)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. Whichever route you take, the essay should touch upon definite strength areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either.
Clearly the person most qualified to give you clues to this INSEAD essay is the one you see in the mirror. Ask yourself what you consider to be your main strengths and weaknesses. Look at personal and professional situations and unearth those characteristics or qualities which you most obviously exhibit (or lack). You could refer past performance-appraisal forms for developing your own personal characteristics chart.
Weaknesses: Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
Finally, study each point in this essay in relation to the rest of the essays in your INSEAD application. Your application should be a single unified package - there is absolutely no room for internal contradictions.
Personal Essay 2. 2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
Personal Essay 2 Tips. INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing any two achievement stories that shine out from your work-in-progress biography.
The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story illustrates about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three obvious qualities that the incidents could reflect on. The stories can be from professional, academic or personal spheres of life.
The second part of the INSEAD question "why you view them as such" is actually where you must start from; if you do that competently you will automatically arrive at the first part.
The stories could be professional or personal - however as indicated "if possible specify one personal and one professional".
Personal Essay 3. Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. This is a simpler, longer and more meaningful realignment of the earlier essay prompt "Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect.".
Once more begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be made much easier for you.
This is a "failure" essay - and as in all failure essays the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience. Once you identify a substantial learning you can go to press with the story. A failure - and learning - that has created a marked difference in your thought process, behavior or value system will make for a greater impact.
While the story can go back in time, a non-pre-historical incident is definitely preferable.
I repeat: the INSEAD failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success. Let that show.
Personal Essay 4. a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum)
b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. A simple goals essay with separate goals and "why INSEAD" sections, this is a rephrasing of the standard INSEAD essay for many years "Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career?". The detached questions will help you devote focused attention to each part (and for the Admissions Committee to evaluate it). The simplicity and length of this essay prompt is deceptive: this might be the most important INSEAD essay you write.
a) As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-INSEAD short term and long term goals. Treat this "career goals" question with moderation and be totally realistic while detailing your goals. Be specific, preferably both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality.
INSEAD places great import on your work experience and desires to understand how you envision your career. Identifying and expressing a logical, credible link between your career thus far (and the skills, experience, knowledge gained) and your goals is an unasked question. Ensure that this part of the essay meshes with the earlier essays (especially the Job Descriptions essays) as well as with part-b of this essay. While credibility, logic and realism are critical the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
Go for it!
b) This part of the essay seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission to INSEAD? How will INSEAD be able to aid you in your career - thus ensuring a worthy example to tom-tom about in the future.
Try to establish a perfect fit between your goals and INSEAD. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to INSEAD in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts or anything else you expect to gain from INSEAD that will aid you in pursuing your goals. Take steps to learn as much as possible about INSEAD using online and offline modes - websites, current INSEAD students, alumni, INSEAD fairs/receptions. The objective is to implicitly or explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in INSEAD.
Personal Essay 5.
Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum)
b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words maximum)
Personal Essay 5 Tips. Before you even start thinking about this essay be clear about what culture shock means. Culture shock is basically your difficulty in adjusting to a new culture that might include different languages, different values, different dressing, different settings, different food, different religions, different taboos and expectations - a different environment.
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a keen international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Both questions are now explicitly about "culture shock" except that you need to look at the issue from different perspectives. Good natured humor is very much welcome in both essays.
a) Choose a situation (preferably international) where you experienced culture shock, and explain what you learnt and gained from the exposure. Typically, this would make for a better choice since here you can offer stories and situations that you have personally experienced, and also explicitly write about your international outlook, learning skills, adaptability and inclusive nature. Please veer away from approaches and remarks that hint at Xenophobia - even if it is in an earlier "ignorant" phase.
b) What about your country do foreigners typically balk at? Beyond the typical, what have you personally observed to be culture shocks that foreigners have or might experience in your country. A personal perspective that looks at these barriers with maturity will be welcomed. Apart from your own exposure travel advice sites might be your best guidance to how foreigners experience culture shock in your country. For this choice Indian applicants might find these links useful: whiteindianhousewife (entertaining, educational but long), about (clear, concise but impersonal).
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in your application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (350 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the INSEAD optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays. If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on the INSEAD optional essay.
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please provide an update on any new aspects of your professional, international, academic or personal profile that would not have been included in your previous application. Please also explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words maximum)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission than in your last application. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
Go for it!
Job Essay 1. (Required) Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)
Job Essay 1 Tips. This INSEAD application question is clear enough and the space short enough for you to create a simple, strong essay. Concisely answering all SEVEN parts of the question will be a challenge. If you have a highly technical job profile please try to specify what the job means in a larger context. If possible, bring in your people management responsibilities and (briefly) your achievements thereof.
"Results achieved" should be a key ingredient of this INSEAD essay. Highlight instances when you performed superlatively in your current role. If you present your job achievements convincingly you are on the road to a good INSEAD essay.
Job Essay 2. (Required) Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
Job Essay 2 Tips. Your objective in this INSEAD essay can be to discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. On the other hand you can simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4. Either way do not forget to mention the basic component-set for each of your jobs - designation, company, period, responsibilities, achievements.
Personal Essay 1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)
Personal Essay 1 Tips. You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. Whichever route you take, the essay should touch upon definite strength areas that you want the INSEAD admissions committee to notice you for and definite weakness areas that, while not debilitating, are not superfluous either.
Clearly the person most qualified to give you clues to this INSEAD essay is the one you see in the mirror. Ask yourself what you consider to be your main strengths and weaknesses. Look at personal and professional situations and unearth those characteristics or qualities which you most obviously exhibit (or lack). You could refer past performance-appraisal forms for developing your own personal characteristics chart.
Weaknesses: Generally stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution!
Finally, study each point in this essay in relation to the rest of the essays in your INSEAD application . Your application should be a single unified package - there is absolutely no room for internal contradictions.
Personal Essay 2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)
Personal Essay 2 Tips. INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing any two achievement stories that shine out from your work-in-progress biography.
The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story illustrates about you. Your leadership skills, initiative and teamwork are three obvious qualities that the incidents could reflect on. The stories can be from professional, academic or personal spheres of life.
The second part of the INSEAD question "why you view them as such" is actually where you must start from; if you do that competently you will automatically arrive at the first part.
Personal Essay 3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)
Personal Essay 3 Tips. Once more begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be made much easier for you.
This is a "failure" essay - and as in all failure essays the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience. As a first step, find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "effect" you can go to press with the story.
While INSEAD does say "school" a non-pre-historical incident is definitely preferable.
I repeat: the INSEAD failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success. Let that show.
Personal Essay 4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career? (500 words approx.)
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Think about why you are writing this INSEAD essay and taking all this trouble applying to INSEAD. "What" you expect to gain from INSEAD and "Why" you expect that - are the two questions you answer in this essay.
INSEAD places great import on your work experience and desires to understand how you envision your career. Try to supplement INSEAD's Job Essays 1 and 2 with a clearly delineated presentation of Pre-INSEAD, INSEAD and Post-INSEAD phases of your career. Find and express a logical, credible link between the three phases. Also uncover other motivations that have made you choose your particular career goal.
"Why INSEAD" is an important part of the question, so handle it with moderation and realism. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality.
Personal Essay 5.
Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.)
or b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)
Personal Essay 5 Tips. INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a stronger international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Typically, "culture shock" makes for a better story while "home country" allows you greater freedom of subject matter.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your INSEAD optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the INSEAD optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the INSEAD optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other INSEAD essays. If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on the INSEAD optional essay.
Reapplicant Essay. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
The aim is to present the professional, academic and personal improvements in you that make you a stronger candidate for an INSEAD admission than in your last application. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your INSEAD application. Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the INSEAD reapplicant essay. Proactive INSEAD-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from INSEAD, might prove a trump card.
Go for it!
Job Essay 1 Tips. (Required) Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)
The question is clear enough and the space short enough to create a simple, strong essay. Answer all seven parts of the question. If you have a technical job profile specify what the job means in a larger context.
Job Essay 2 Tips. (Required) Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
Discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. Or simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4.
Personal Essay 1 Tips. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)
You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best.
Stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution! Finally, treat each point in this INSEAD application essay in relation to the rest of the essays and the recos. Your application should be a single unified package - there is no room for internal contradictions.
Personal Essay 2 Tips. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)
INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing two stories from your life. The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you.
Personal Essay 3 Tips. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)
Begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be much easier. Think about why you are writing this INSEAD essay (no wisecracks from you on that!). Find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "effect" you can go to press with the story.
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career? (500 words approx.)
INSEAD places great import on your work experience. Try to supplement Job Essays 1 and 2 with a clearly delineated presentation of Pre-INSEAD, INSEAD and Post-INSEAD phases of your career. Find and express a logical, credible link between the three phases. Also uncover other motivations that have made you choose your particular career goal.
Personal Essay 5 Tips.
Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.)
or b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a stronger international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Typically, "culture shock" makes for a better story while "home country" allows you greater freedom of subject matter.
Go for it!
Optional Essay Tips. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.)
As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words)
"We normally do not encourage applications from previously rejected candidates." Keep that direct quote from the INSEAD website in mind when writing your reapplication. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
Go for it!
Job Essay 1 Tips. (Required) Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)
The question is clear enough and the space short enough to create a simple, strong essay. Answer all seven parts of the question. If you have a technical job profile specify what the job means in a larger context.
Job Essay 2 Tips. (Required) Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
Discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. Or simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4.
Personal Essay 1 Tips. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)
You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best.
Stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution! Finally, treat each point in this INSEAD application essay in relation to the rest of the essays and the recos. Your application should be a single unified package - there is no room for internal contradictions.
Personal Essay 2 Tips. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)
INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing two stories from your life. The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you.
Personal Essay 3 Tips. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)
Begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be much easier. Think about why you are writing this INSEAD essay (no wisecracks from you on that!). Find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "effect" you can go to press with the story.
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career? (500 words approx.)
INSEAD places great import on your work experience. Try to supplement Job Essays 1 and 2 with a clearly delineated presentation of Pre-INSEAD, INSEAD and Post-INSEAD phases of your career. Find and express a logical, credible link between the three phases. Also uncover other motivations that have made you choose your particular career goal.
Personal Essay 5 Tips. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.)
or b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a stronger international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Typically, "culture shock" makes for a better story while "home country" allows you greater freedom of subject matter.
Go for it!
Optional Essay Tips. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.)
As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words)
"We normally do not encourage applications from previously rejected candidates." Keep that direct quote from the INSEAD website in mind when writing your reapplication. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
Go for it!
Job Essay 1 Tips. (Required) Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)
The question is clear enough and the space short enough to create a simple, strong essay. Answer all seven parts of the question. If you have a technical job profile specify what the job means in a larger context.
Job Essay 2 Tips. (Required) Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
Discern and showcase a logical progression in your career path. Or simply use this essay as a straight job profiles essay and leave the logical career progression approach to Personal Essay 4.
Personal Essay 1 Tips. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)
You can use this INSEAD application essay like an introduction plus life story essay ("personal development"), or a strengths and weaknesses encapsulation or an anecdotes driven development and success story. There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best.
Stick to weaknesses you can eradicate or improve upon - after all the purpose of mentioning weaknesses is not to convince the INSEAD admissions committee that you are thoroughly unfit to be a part of the institution! Finally, treat each point in this INSEAD application essay in relation to the rest of the essays and the recos. Your application should be a single unified package - there is no room for internal contradictions.
Personal Essay 2 Tips. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)
INSEAD gives you the opportunity of choosing two stories from your life. The choice should be made based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you.
Personal Essay 3 Tips. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)
Begin your thought process from the second part of the question and the first will be much easier. Think about why you are writing this INSEAD essay (no wisecracks from you on that!). Find a situation that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Once you get a substantial "effect" you can go to press with the story.
Personal Essay 4 Tips. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career? (500 words approx.)
INSEAD places great import on your work experience. Try to supplement Job Essays 1 and 2 with a clearly delineated presentation of Pre-INSEAD, INSEAD and Post-INSEAD phases of your career. Find and express a logical, credible link between the three phases. Also uncover other motivations that have made you choose your particular career goal.
Personal Essay 5 Tips. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.)
or b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)
INSEAD has a strong international student mix and has a stronger international focus. Whichever question you choose, your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions forms the core of this INSEAD application essay. Typically, "culture shock" makes for a better story while "home country" allows you greater freedom of subject matter.
Go for it!
Optional Essay Tips. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.)
As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the INSEAD optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. (400 words)
"We normally do not encourage applications from previously rejected candidates." Keep that direct quote from the INSEAD website in mind when writing your reapplication. INSEAD's position is blunt but clear. We rejected you last time; so what has changed?
Go for it!
Personal essay. This section is important in understanding who you are, not just as a student but also as a person in order to grasp the value that you could add to our program. Take this as an opportunity to showcase your unique attributes and personality. There are three formats you can choose to express yourself: a video (max. 3 minutes), a PowerPoint presentation (max. 10 slides), or a written essay (between 250-650 words). Please pay special attention to punctuation, structure and content.
Live questions. Once you have submitted the application form and paid the admissions fee, you will receive an email to complete an online assessment through our partners at Kira. During this exercise you will be answering questions to demonstrate why you would be a valuable asset to the IEU community. This will take around 20-30 minutes.
Personal essay. This section is important in understanding who you are, not just as a student but also as a person in order to grasp the value that you could add to our program. Take this as an opportunity to showcase your unique attributes and personality. There are three formats you can choose to express yourself: a video (max. 3 minutes), a PowerPoint presentation (max. 10 slides), or a written essay (between 250-650 words). Please pay special attention to punctuation, structure and content.
What is the most important thing that you would like us to know that is not in your resume or application?
Please keep in mind that the text should be between 250-650 words and should be uploaded as one of the following:.pdf, .doc or. docx, font size 11, line spacing 1.5 or presentation .ppt, .pptx (Max size of file 6 MB)
Personal essay. This section is important in understanding who you are, not just as a student but also as a person in order to grasp the value that you could add to our program. Take this as an opportunity to showcase your unique attributes and personality. There are three formats you can choose to express yourself: a video (max. 3 minutes), a PowerPoint presentation (max. 10 slides), or a written essay (between 250-650 words). Please pay special attention to punctuation, structure and content.
What is the most important thing that you would like us to know that is not in your resume or application?
Please keep in mind that the text should be between 250-650 words and should be uploaded as one of the following:.pdf, .doc or. docx, font size 11, line spacing 1.5 or presentation .ppt, .pptx (Max size of file 6 MB)
Essays. You have to choose and respond to three questions. At least one of these responses must be in text format.
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why?
Essay B. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.
Essay C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome?
Essay D. Cite at least one example of when your leadership had an impact on or changed a certain situation, and justify how an IE Master's Degree program would help you to strengthen or improve this competence.
Essay E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.
Essay F. You have just participated in an important meeting with your superior. How will you ensure that every part of the instructions you received will properly reach all subordinates, suppliers and clients, located in different parts of the world?
Essay G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?
Essay H. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the sector or industry you would like to specialize in at IE? What role do you hope to be able to play in this sector or industry in the medium term?
Essay I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.
Essay J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
Essay K. If all of the world's cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?
Essay L. How do you envision the city of the future?
Essays. You have to choose and respond to three questions. At least one of these responses must be in text format.
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why?
Essay B. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.
Essay C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome?
Essay D. Cite at least one example of when your leadership had an impact on or changed a certain situation, and justify how an IE Master's Degree program would help you to strengthen or improve this competence.
Essay E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.
Essay F. You have just participated in an important meeting with your superior. How will you ensure that every part of the instructions you received will properly reach all subordinates, suppliers and clients, located in different parts of the world?
Essay G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?
Essay H. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the sector or industry you would like to specialize in at IE? What role do you hope to be able to play in this sector or industry in the medium term?
Essay I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.
Essay J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
Essay K. If all of the world's cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?
Essay L. How do you envision the city of the future?
Essays. You have to choose and respond to three questions. At least one of these responses must be in text format.
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why?
Essay B. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.
Essay C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome?
Essay D. Cite at least one example of when your leadership had an impact on or changed a certain situation, and justify how an IE Master's Degree program would help you to strengthen or improve this competence.
Essay E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.
Essay F. You have just participated in an important meeting with your superior. How will you ensure that every part of the instructions you received will properly reach all subordinates, suppliers and clients, located in different parts of the world?
Essay G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?
Essay H. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the sector or industry you would like to specialize in at IE? What role do you hope to be able to play in this sector or industry in the medium term?
Essay I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.
Essay J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
Essay K. If all of the world's cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?
Essay L. How do you envision the city of the future?
Essays. You have to choose and respond to three questions. At least one of these responses must be in text format.
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why?
Essay B. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.
Essay C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome?
Essay D. Cite at least one example of when your leadership had an impact on or changed a certain situation, and justify how an IE Master's Degree program would help you to strengthen or improve this competence.
Essay E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.
Essay F. You have just participated in an important meeting with your superior. How will you ensure that every part of the instructions you received will properly reach all subordinates, suppliers and clients, located in different parts of the world?
Essay G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?
Essay H. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the sector or industry you would like to specialize in at IE? What role do you hope to be able to play in this sector or industry in the medium term?
Essay I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.
Essay J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
Essay K. If all of the world's cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?
Essay L. How do you envision the city of the future?
Essays. You have to choose and respond to three questions. At least one of these responses must be in text format.
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what actions would you demand of the United Nations Secretary General and why?
Essay B. Describe the situation with the greatest ethical complexity that you have faced in your professional or academic life, and how your input helped resolve it.
Essay C. Describe a time when you took a great risk. What was the outcome?
Essay D. Cite at least one example of when your leadership had an impact on or changed a certain situation, and justify how an IE Master's Degree program would help you to strengthen or improve this competence.
Essay E. Describe the most outstanding leader you have worked with. Indicate some aspects of the way you work that are similar to the way this leader works and others that are different.
Essay F. You have just participated in an important meeting with your superior. How will you ensure that every part of the instructions you received will properly reach all subordinates, suppliers and clients, located in different parts of the world?
Essay G. Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?
Essay H. What do you believe are the greatest challenges facing the sector or industry you would like to specialize in at IE? What role do you hope to be able to play in this sector or industry in the medium term?
Essay I. Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development.
Essay J. How do you imagine social interaction within 10 years, taking into consideration the impact of technology on human relations?
Essay K. If all of the world's cultural heritage (sports, music, fashion, architecture, literature, painting, etc..) was contained in a time capsule, what would you include to demonstrate the legacy of your country?
Essay L. How do you envision the city of the future?
The main objective of the following questions is to have more information regarding your candidature. Please answer the questions corresponding to you as per the following table. You must answer each question in a separate page with a minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 500 (1.5 line spacing).
All Applicants must answer the following essay questions:
Essay A. If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why? (minimum 250 words)
Essay B. Cite the most difficult situation you have faced in your professional life and how your input helped to resolve it. (minimum 250 words)
Essay C. Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think IE Business School will help you refine, focus, or enhance this skill. (minimum 250 words)
Additional Information: For the following questions, please limit your answer to the space provided. (space for approx. 150 words each)
Essay 1. What is your motivation for you to study a Master degree? Describe how you believe a Master degree fits with your future career objectives.
Essay 2. What are your reasons for applying to IE ?
Essay 3.Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones.
Essay 4. What contribution could you make to a highly dynamic and interactive program?
Essay 5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork?
Essay 6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve through the program?
Essay 7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements?
Essay 8. Please indicate other extra-curricular activities, internships or voluntary work relevant for Admissions.
Essay 9. What are your aspirations ? Personal. Professional. Financial. (3 lines each; approx. 100 words each)
The main objective of the following questions is to have more information regarding your candidature. Please answer each question on a separate sheet of paper with a minimum of 250 words, limiting each reply to one side of paper (1.5 line spacing).
A. If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why? (minimum 250 words)
B. Cite the most difficult situation you have faced in your professional life and how your input helped to resolve it. (minimum 250 words)
C. Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think IE Business School will help you refine, focus, or enhance this skill. (minimum 250 words)
Additional Information: For the following questions, please limit your answer to the space provided. (space for approx. 150 words each)
1. What is your motivation for you to study a Master degree? Describe how you believe a Master degree fits with your future career objectives.
2. What are your reasons for applying to IE ?
3.Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones.
4. What contribution could you make to a highly dynamic and interactive program?
5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork?
6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve through the program?
7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements?
8. Please indicate other extra-curricular activities, internships or voluntary work relevant for Admissions.
9. What are your aspirations ? Personal. Professional. Financial. (3 lines each)
The main objective of the following questions is to have more information on your candidature. Please answer each question with a minimum of 250 words. These replies form a necessary part of your application. In the absence of any one of them, the Admissions Committee will not take a decision on your candidature. You have various options to fill in this section. Choose the one you prefer. If you wish, you may attach a file containing your essays.
A. If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why? (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
B. What was the most difficult problem you have faced in your professional life, and how did you deal with it? (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
C. Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think Instituto de Empresa will help you refine, focus or enhance this skill. (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
Additional Information: For the following questions, please limit your answer to the space provided.
1. Why do you want to do a master's degree? Describe how you believe a master�s degree fits in with your career plans. (15 lines)
2. What are your reasons for applying for a place on an Instituto de Empresa programme? (10 lines)
3. Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones. (5 lines)
4. What contribution could you make to a highly proactive programme? (10 lines)
5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork? (10 lines)
6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve with the programme? (10 lines)
7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements? (10 lines)
8. What are your aspirations? Personal : Professional : Economic (3 lines each)
The main objective of the following questions is to have more information on your candidature. Please answer each question with a minimum of 250 words. These replies form a necessary part of your application. In the absence of any one of them, the Admissions Committee will not take a decision on your candidature. You have various options to fill in this section. Choose the one you prefer. If you wish, you may attach a file containing your essays.
A. If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why? (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
B. What was the most difficult problem you have faced in your professional life, and how did you deal with it? (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
C. Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think Instituto de Empresa will help you refine, focus or enhance this skill. (minimum 250 words, maximum 500 words)
Additional Information: For the following questions, please limit your answer to the space provided.
1. Why do you want to do a master�s degree? Describe how you believe a master�s degree fits in with your career plans. (15 lines)
2. What are your reasons for applying for a place on an Instituto de Empresa programme? (10 lines)
3. Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones. (5 lines)
4. What contribution could you make to a highly proactive programme? (10 lines)
5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork? (10 lines)
6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve with the programme? (10 lines)
7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements? (10 lines)
8. What are your aspirations? Personal : Professional : Economic (3 lines each)
A. If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why?
B. What was the most difficult problem you have faced in your life, and how did you deal with it?
C. Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think IE Business School will help you refine, focus, or enhance this skill.
Additional Information: For the following questions, please limit your answer to the space provided.
1. What is your motivation for you to study a Master degree? Describe how you believe a Master degree fits with your future career objectives?
2. What are your reasons for applying to IE Business School program?
3. Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones.
4. What contribution could you make to a highly dynamic and interactive program?
5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork?
6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve through the program?
7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements?
8. What are your aspirations?
Personal
Professional
Financial
Essay 1. Describe with examples the most important personal quality that you possess that significantly enhances your prospects of being successful as a leader (400 words max)
Essay 2. What are your short term and long term career goals? How will Post Graduate Program at ISB assist you in achieving your goals. (400 words max)
Essay 1. At ISB we value diversity as it enhances both the in-class and out of class learning experience. Tell us how would you contribute to the same? (400 words max)
Essay 2. Enrolling in a Business School is an important career decision. Critically look at your career to date, the choices you have made, the key influences behind those choices, your goals for the future and how do you think ISB's PGP can help you in achieving your goals? (300 words max)
Essay 1. At ISB we value diversity as it enhances both the in-class and out of class learning experience. Tell us how would you contribute to the same? (400 words max)
Essay 2. Enrolling in a Business School is an important career decision. Critically look at your career to date, the choices you have made, the key influences behind those choices, your goals for the future and how do you think ISB's PGP can help you in achieving your goals? (300 words max)
Essay 1. If we were to admit just one more candidate to the Postgraduate Programme (PGP) at the ISB, why should it be you? (500 words max)
Essay 2. Describe your short and long term career plans. How does the PGP fit in with those? (300 words max)
Optional Essay. Please use this space to provide any other information not covered elsewhere in the application that could significantly impact your candidature at ISB. Note: It is not necessary for you to write this essay. Please use this space only if there is something really significant that you would like us to know. (200 words max)
Essay 1. If we were to admit just one more student, make a compelling argument as to why that student should be you by describing an (only one) achievement in your personal / professional life that you are most proud of. What did you do that sets you apart from others? What did you learn?(400 words max)
Essay 2. Answer ONE of the following: (300 words max)
- Describe a defining moment in your personal / professional life when you had to make a risky decision, and explain what you did, why and the outcome?
or
- Describe a situation in your personal / professional life when you had to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. How did it affect you and what did you learn?
Essay 3. What are your post ISB career plans and how will your past experiences and the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) contribute to taking you there? (300 words max)
Essay 4 (Optional): Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (200 words max)
Reapplicant Essay. How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 1. If we were to admit just one more student, make a compelling argument as to why that student should be you by describing an (only one) achievement in your personal / professional life that you are most proud of. What did you do that sets you apart from others? What did you learn?(400 words max)
Essay 2. Answer ONE of the following: (300 words max)
- Describe a defining moment in your personal / professional life when you had to make a risky decision, and explain what you did, why and the outcome?
or
- Describe a situation in your personal / professional life when you had to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. How did it affect you and what did you learn?
Essay 3. What are your post ISB career plans and how will your past experiences and the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) contribute to taking you there? (300 words max)
Essay 4 (Optional): Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (200 words max)
Reapplicant Essay. How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 1: Innovation or doing things differently it is said is a key to future success. Could you substantiate or negate this idea based on your experience. Please provide examples from your own experience - either examples of your own innovation or examples of others whom you have worked with. (300 words max)
Essay 2: Applying to and enrolling in a Business School is an important career decision. Critically look at your career to date, the choices you have made, the key influences behind those choices, your goals for the future and how you expect to benefit from the ISB experience in achieving your goals (300 words max)
Essay 3: Answer ONE of the following essays
If you are unsure which of these four essays you should attempt, we suggest going with the one for which you have a strong story and which helps present you as a well-rounded candidate.
Essay 3A: This experience completely changed my way of thinking. (200 words)
Essay 3B: An instance when you went out of the ordinary to achieve something significant, but in hind sight feel you could have done better. (200 words)
Essay 3C: Tell us about your role in a team that made a significant contribution to the organization (200 words)
Essay 3D: Contribution to peer learning and engagement with the ISB student body are important aspects of the ISB experience. What contribution do you expect to make in this direction during the one year at ISB. (200 words)
Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (200 words max)
Reapplicant Essay: How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words)
Essay 1: Attitude, skills and knowledge differentiate people. Elaborate with two examples on how you would differentiate yourself from other applicants to the PGP. (300 words max)
Essay 2: How does the ISB PGP tie-in with your career goals? (300 words max)
Essay 3: Pick the most significant achievement (professional or personal) you have had and elaborate on the key learning you took away from it. (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay: How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words)
Scholarship Essay [Optional]: Why do you think that the ISB Scholarship Committee should consider you for scholarship? (300 words max)
Essay 1: Please detail your two most significant achievements. These could be either professional or personal but relevant to your application to the ISB. (300 words max)
Essay 2: Where do you see yourself three years after you graduate from the ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 3: Please provide additional information, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay: How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words)
Essay 1: If we were to admit one more student to the class of 2012, make a compelling argument as to why that student should be you? (300 words max)
Essay 2: What are your short term and long term goals? How will the ISB help you achieve the same? (300 words max)
Essay 3: Please provide additional information, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB. (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay: How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB?
Essay 1: Give 3 reasons as to why you should be selected to the class of 2011. These reasons should ideally differentiate you from the applicant pool and should be backed with some data. (300 words max)
Essay 2: Describe a challenging assignment you have handled (at work or outside) to date. What were the challenges and how did you handle them. What were the personal learnings you derived from this assignment. (300 words max)
Essay 3: Briefly assess your career progression till date along with your assessment of your future career goals. Discuss how your career goals will be met by the ISB’s one year program. (300 words max)
Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB.
Reapplicant Essay: How has your profile changed from the time you last applied to the ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 1: Please give three reasons why ISB should admit you into the class of 2010. These reasons should ideally differentiate you from your competition. (300 words max)
Essay 2: You are contesting the election to be the President of the ISB Student Body. Write a speech you will deliver to the student body on why they should elect you as the President? (300 words max)
Essay 3: CASE: You have been appointed to head the team to build a dam across the River Zumba. Success in this project is critical for your company and would earn you a promotion. Failure would mean that your company would be bankrupt and will take along with it, its investors and its employees. Building a dam across the river would result in deforestation of a portion of the rainforests and would mean relocation of the tribals and destabilization of wild life at Zumba. There is resistance from environmental groups against your project. You are meeting the head of the resistance movement in one hour wherein you would have to explain your decision. Describe what you would do and why? (You will be evaluated on the creativity and practicality of your solution). (300 words max)
Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB.
Scholarship Essay: Why do you think that the ISB Scholarship Committee should consider you for scholarship? (300 words max)
Essay 1: The ISB culture stresses on a diverse mix of students; life at the ISB is a unique experience for the students. How will your candidature contribute to this culture at the ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 2: A million dollars or knighthood: what would you choose and why? (300 words max)
Essay 3: You have a new manager who has just joined your organisation. As a part of the handover, the outgoing manager is describing each person reporting to him. How do you think the outgoing manager will describe you to the incoming manager? (300 words max)
Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect the consideration of your application to the ISB.
Scholarship Essay: Why do you think that the ISB Scholarship Committee should consider you for scholarship? (300 words max)
Essay 1: What, in your opinion, makes you distinct from other applicants to ISB? How will that add value to other students and ISB? (300 words max)
Essay 2: What are the three things about yourself that you would like to change? Why? (300 words max)
Essay 3: You are applying to your dream job after ISB. Please prepare a cover letter accompanying your CV. (300 words max)
Essay 4: You are part of a team which has been assigned a project with a tight deadline that is not extendible. One of the team members fails to deliver on the part of the project assigned to him at the fag end of the project despite his assurance. All the other members of the team have performed flawlessly and completed their parts. There is no way that the project can now be completed even if all the team members provide their utmost help. Appropriate punishment has now to be meted out by the management. The team member is willing to own up his shortcoming and shoulder the responsibility. Should all the team members share the responsibility for failure equally or should they allow that particular team member to get all the blame and punishment? Take a firm position on the issue and support your stand with relevant arguments. (300 words max)
Optional Essay: Please provide additional information, if any, that will significantly affect consideration of your application to the PGP (300 words max) Optional
Scholarship Essay: Why do you think that the ISB Scholarship Committee should consider you for scholarship? (300 words max)
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: What is the most important issue that you've ever changed your mind about? (250 words)
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: What is the most important issue that you've ever changed your mind about? (250 words)
You must submit your video essay in KIRA in order to be able to submit your completed application.
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: What is the most important issue that you've ever changed your mind about? (250 words)
You must submit your video essay in KIRA in order to be able to submit your completed application.
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: What is the most important issue that you've ever changed your mind about? (250 words)
You must submit your video essay in KIRA in order to be able to submit your completed application.
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: Why will your Ivey MBA classmates want to work with you on team projects? (250 words)
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: Why will your Ivey MBA classmates want to work with you on team projects? (250 words)
Essay 1: What are your short-term career plans immediately post-MBA, and why is an Ivey MBA essential to those plans? (250 words)
Essay 2: Why will your Ivey MBA classmates want to work with you on team projects? (250 words)
Essay 1. Career Goals: How will the Ivey MBA Program help you to achieve your short-term career goals?(250 words)
Essay 2. Ivey Environment: Why do you believe you will be successful in the Ivey MBA environment? (250 words)
Essay 3. Best Advice: What is the best advice you ever received? Why? (250 words)
Essay 1. Career Goals: How will the Ivey MBA Program help you to achieve your short-term career goals?(250 words)
Essay 2. Ivey Environment: Why do you believe you will be successful in the Ivey MBA environment? (250 words)
Essay 3. Best Advice: What is the best advice you ever received? Why? (250 words)
Essay 1. Career Goals: How will the Ivey MBA Program help you to achieve your short-term career goals?(250 words)
Essay 2. Ivey Environment: Why do you believe you will be successful in the Ivey MBA environment? (250 words)
Essay 3. Best Advice: What is the best advice you ever received? Why? (250 words)
Essay 1. What are your goals and how will an Ivey MBA help you achieve them? (250-word limit)
Essay 2. Explain how your experience in people management, client relationships or other demonstrable leadership experience will contribute to the success of others in the Ivey MBA program. (250-word limit)
Essay 3. Describe a difficult decision you made and the process that you went through to make it. (250-word limit)
Essay 1. What are your goals and how will an Ivey MBA help you achieve them? (250-word limit)
Essay 2. Explain how your experience in people management, client relationships or other demonstrable leadership experience will contribute to the success of others in the Ivey MBA program. (250-word limit)
Essay 3. Describe a difficult decision you made and the process that you went through to make it. (250-word limit)
Essay 1. Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must include the following: What are your short and long term career objectives? What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome? If you are unsure of your post-MBA career path, how will the MBA equip you for the future?
Essay 1 Tips. Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
For this years application, in addition to career aspiration, you wlll need to convince the adcom about your plans till MBA.
Think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future and use this approach to structure this essay.
You could take several approaches to write this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now, and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA from Judge Business School to take you to your future vision. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why MBA from Judge' part of the question. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for JBS MBA will flow right into your essay!
So what all actions you can take before and during MBA that will help you reach closer to your goals? The answer to this questions if fully dependent on your career goals. Think about what you need to get there, it is the knowldge, network, access, exopsure - then formulate a plan to make it happen! Simple enough, right?
Essay 2. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In all failure essays, the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience.
As a first step, find a failure you experienced that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Show why it was a 'spectacular' failure. Show your action, thoughts, emotions through the incident. Give concrete and vivid details of the situation and outcome.
If you can show the failure as a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success, that could make for a winning essay.
Essay 3. Describe a situation where you had to work jointly with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience? (200 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a leadership/ teamwork essay in disguise. Your achievement could be even more interesting and impactful if the group that you are working with is diverse in terms of functions or nationalities or simply viewpoints. In that situation how did you bring every invested in a common goal and how you led the team through the process. It is important that you clearly describe the context upfront, then talk about your actions and end with what you learnt from the entire experience.
Essay 1. Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must include the following: What are your short and long term career objectives? What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome? If you are unsure of your post-MBA career path, how will the MBA equip you for the future?
Essay 1 Tips. Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
For this years application, in addition to career aspiration, you wlll need to convince the adcom about your plans till MBA.
Think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future and use this approach to structure this essay.
You could take several approaches to write this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now, and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA from Judge Business School to take you to your future vision. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why MBA from Judge' part of the question. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for JBS MBA will flow right into your essay!
So what all actions you can take before and during MBA that will help you reach closer to your goals? The answer to this questions if fully dependent on your career goals. Think about what you need to get there, it is the knowldge, network, access, exopsure - then formulate a plan to make it happen! Simple enough, right?
Essay 2. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In all failure essays, the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience.
As a first step, find a failure you experienced that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Show why it was a 'spectacular' failure. Show your action, thoughts, emotions through the incident. Give concrete and vivid details of the situation and outcome.
If you can show the failure as a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success, that could make for a winning essay.
Essay 3. Describe a situation where you had to work jointly with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience? (200 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a leadership/ teamwork essay in disguise. Your achievement could be even more interesting and impactful if the group that you are working with is diverse in terms of functions or nationalities or simply viewpoints. In that situation how did you bring every invested in a common goal and how you led the team through the process. It is important that you clearly describe the context upfront, then talk about your actions and end with what you learnt from the entire experience.
Essay 1. Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must include the following: What are your short and long term career objectives? What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome? If you are unsure of your post-MBA career path, how will the MBA equip you for the future?
Essay 1 Tips. Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
For this years application, in addition to career aspiration, you wlll need to convince the adcom about your plans till MBA.
Think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future and use this approach to structure this essay.
You could take several approaches to write this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now, and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA from Judge Business School to take you to your future vision. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why MBA from Judge' part of the question. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for JBS MBA will flow right into your essay!
So what all actions you can take before and during MBA that will help you reach closer to your goals? The answer to this questions if fully dependent on your career goals. Think about what you need to get there, it is the knowldge, network, access, exopsure - then formulate a plan to make it happen! Simple enough, right?
Essay 2. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In all failure essays, the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience.
As a first step, find a failure you experienced that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Show why it was a 'spectacular' failure. Show your action, thoughts, emotions through the incident. Give concrete and vivid details of the situation and outcome.
If you can show the failure as a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success, that could make for a winning essay.
Essay 3. Describe a situation where you had to work jointly with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience? (200 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a leadership/ teamwork essay in disguise. Your achievement could be even more interesting and impactful if the group that you are working with is diverse in terms of functions or nationalities or simply viewpoints. In that situation how did you bring every invested in a common goal and how you led the team through the process. It is important that you clearly describe the context upfront, then talk about your actions and end with what you learnt from the entire experience.
Optional Essay. Please provide information on any aspect of your candidacy that requires further explanation, or information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know. (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Essay 1. Please provide a personal statement. It should not exceed 500 words and must include the following: What are your short and long term career objectives? What actions will you take before and during the MBA to contribute to your career outcome? If you are unsure of your post-MBA career path, how will the MBA equip you for the future?
Essay 1 Tips. Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
Last year Cambridge Judge asked "What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have?"
For this years application, in addition to career aspiration, you wlll need to convince the adcom about your plans till MBA.
Think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future and use this approach to structure this essay.
You could take several approaches to write this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now, and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA from Judge Business School to take you to your future vision. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why MBA from Judge' part of the question. Ideally you would have done enough online and offline research on the school before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for JBS MBA will flow right into your essay!
So what all actions you can take before and during MBA that will help you reach closer to your goals? The answer to this questions if fully dependent on your career goals. Think about what you need to get there, it is the knowldge, network, access, exopsure - then formulate a plan to make it happen! Simple enough, right?
Essay 2. What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In all failure essays, the objective is to demonstrate how you learned, adapted and improved yourself through this experience.
As a first step, find a failure you experienced that has created a difference in your thought process, behavior or value system. Show why it was a 'spectacular' failure. Show your action, thoughts, emotions through the incident. Give concrete and vivid details of the situation and outcome.
If you can show the failure as a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself for a future success, that could make for a winning essay.
Essay 3. Describe a situation where you had to work jointly with others to achieve a common goal. What did you learn from the experience? (200 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a leadership/ teamwork essay in disguise. Your achievement could be even more interesting and impactful if the group that you are working with is diverse in terms of functions or nationalities or simply viewpoints. In that situation how did you bring every invested in a common goal and how you led the team through the process. It is important that you clearly describe the context upfront, then talk about your actions and end with what you learnt from the entire experience.
Optional Essay. Please provide information on any aspect of your candidacy that requires further explanation, or information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know. (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt the optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Essay 1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A rather standard goal essay with an added layer of asking you about your plan B career option. The important elements of the essays are clear mention of what you want to do after completing your MBA, including the industry and function you want to join. If you can give an idea about possible target employers- even better! The next step would be to clearly demonstrate that you understand what you would gain from Kelley to take you to your career goals.
When writing about alternate career paths, please make sure to keep them realistic and achievable. Your research and passion for the choices should come across clearly.
Essay 2. Please respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
a. My greatest memory is...
While answering this question, please do remember that what you describe as your greatest should also have enough substance and impact on your life to claim that spot in your life- the GREATEST. If possible try to stay away from academic achievements, but use this to highlight your personal side.
b. I'm most afraid of...
Be judicious in answering this question. If answered correctly, it can provide a genuine glimpse of who you are as a person, but if not handled with maturity and finesse, it could easily work against you.
c. My greatest challenge has been...
Again, like the above question- use your best judgment to talk about a challenge which is an area of growth for you. It is not that incapacitating that it will make you unsuitable for a B-school, but impactful enough that conveys the seriousness of this question.
d. I'm most proud of...
You can take an anecdotal approach or decide to talk about certain achievements and their themes that you have had in your life. When talking about pride, try to throw light on how and why this is important for you.
Essay 3. Please share with the admissions committee an interesting or surprising fact about you. (25 words)
Essay 3 Tips. A simple and fun question! Go and wow them!
What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A rather standard goal essay with an added layer of asking you about your plan B career option. The important elements of the essays are clear mention of what you want to do after completing your MBA, including the industry and function you want to join. If you can give an idea about possible target employers- even better! The next step would be to clearly demonstrate that you understand what you would gain from Kelley to take you to your career goals.
When writing about alternate career paths, please make sure to keep them realistic and achievable. Your research and passion for the choices should come across clearly.
Essay 2. Please respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
a. My greatest memory is...
While answering this question, please do remember that what you describe as your greatest should also have enough substance and impact on your life to claim that spot in your life- the GREATEST. If possible try to stay away from academic achievements, but use this to highlight your personal side.
b. I'm most afraid of...
Be judicious in answering this question. If answered correctly, it can provide a genuine glimpse of who you are as a person, but if not handled with maturity and finesse, it could easily work against you.
c. My greatest challenge has been...
Again, like the above question- use your best judgment to talk about a challenge which is an area of growth for you. It is not that incapacitating that it will make you unsuitable for a B-school, but impactful enough that conveys the seriousness of this question.
d. I'm most proud of...
You can take an anecdotal approach or decide to talk about certain achievements and their themes that you have had in your life. When talking about pride, try to throw light on how and why this is important for you.
Essay 3. Please share with the admissions committee an interesting or surprising fact about you. (25 words)
What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 3 Tips. A simple and fun question! Go and wow them!
Essay 1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A rather standard goal essay with an added layer of asking you about your plan B career option. The important elements of the essays are clear mention of what you want to do after completing your MBA, including the industry and function you want to join. If you can give an idea about possible target employers- even better! The next step would be to clearly demonstrate that you understand what you would gain from Kelley to take you to your career goals.
When writing about alternate career paths, please make sure to keep them realistic and achievable. Your research and passion for the choices should come across clearly.
Essay 2. Please respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
a. My greatest memory is...
While answering this question, please do remember that what you describe as your greatest should also have enough substance and impact on your life to claim that spot in your life- the GREATEST. If possible try to stay away from academic achievements, but use this to highlight your personal side.
b. I'm most afraid of...
Be judicious in answering this question. If answered correctly, it can provide a genuine glimpse of who you are as a person, but if not handled with maturity and finesse, it could easily work against you.
c. My greatest challenge has been...
Again, like the above question- use your best judgment to talk about a challenge which is an area of growth for you. It is not that incapacitating that it will make you unsuitable for a B-school, but impactful enough that conveys the seriousness of this question.
d. I'm most proud of...
You can take an anecdotal approach or decide to talk about certain achievements and their themes that you have had in your life. When talking about pride, try to throw light on how and why this is important for you.
Essay 3. Please share with the admissions committee an interesting or surprising fact about you. (25 words)
What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 3 Tips. A simple and fun question! Go and wow them!
Essay 1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A rather standard goal essay with an added layer of asking you about your plan B career option. The important elements of the essays are clear mention of what you want to do after completing your MBA, including the industry and function you want to join. If you can give an idea about possible target employers- even better! The next step would be to clearly demonstrate that you understand what you would gain from Kelley to take you to your career goals.
When writing about alternate career paths, please make sure to keep them realistic and achievable. Your research and passion for the choices should come across clearly.
Essay 2. Please respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
a. My greatest memory is...
While answering this question, please do remember that what you describe as your greatest should also have enough substance and impact on your life to claim that spot in your life- the GREATEST. If possible try to stay away from academic achievements, but use this to highlight your personal side.
b. I'm most afraid of...
Be judicious in answering this question. If answered correctly, it can provide a genuine glimpse of who you are as a person, but if not handled with maturity and finesse, it could easily work against you.
c. My greatest challenge has been...
Again, like the above question- use your best judgment to talk about a challenge which is an area of growth for you. It is not that incapacitating that it will make you unsuitable for a B-school, but impactful enough that conveys the seriousness of this question.
d. I'm most proud of...
You can take an anecdotal approach or decide to talk about certain achievements and their themes that you have had in your life. When talking about pride, try to throw light on how and why this is important for you.
Essay 3. Please share with the admissions committee an interesting or surprising fact about you. (25 words)
What is it about your background, interests, hobbies that would be counted as interesting and fun. Choose something which presents you in a positive light, which highlights your strengths and also potentially positions you as a good fit with Emory. Ideally write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 3 Tips. A simple and fun question! Go and wow them!
Is there anything else that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you shouldn't feel obligated to answer this question.(300 words)
You could write this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other three essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. We want to get to know you better! Take this opportunity to shine while demonstrating your:
- Communication skills
- Leadership experience and
- Career goals
Let us know what you bring to the MBA Program and how joining the Kelley family will benefit you.
Essay Tips. So the question basically asks you- how will we gain from your presence and how will you gain from joining us. In every relationship there has to be a win-win for both the parties!
There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Kelly and also the larger MBA community.
The second part is how this particular B-school will help you achieve your professional and personal goals. One of the best ways to write this essay will be to first conduct extensive research on the B-school resources and opportunities. You could talk to current student and alums and understand how the school has benefited them and that will provide good material for your own essay.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you shouldn't feel obligated to answer this question.(300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. You could write this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other three essays. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you can consider writing the optional essay. Do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. On the face of it might look like a typical leadership essay but it is NOT. Two things that differentiate it from any other leadership essay is the focus on being brave and creating a lasting impact. So when you are thinking about stories from your professional experience or perhaps even outside of your work, talk about scenarios and situations where you had to encounter significant risk, show the way you displayed courage, went ahead and took certain steps that were possibly unpopular. And despite that, you were able to create a positive impact not just for that situation in the short term, but also a long lasting impact on people organization and communities around you.
The Other significant part of the essay is about the challenges and how you overcame them and what you learn from them. It is very important to talk about the challenges that were significant and clearly delineating them as well as showing how with your thought and action you overcome them. Show it in specific action with examples. If you can also show your emotions through the process that would be even better and help the adcom get a deeper glimpse into your character. At the end don't forget to reflect on your learning. As much as what you have done good is impressive, it is much more impactful talking about your learnings and showing how you have applied those lessons learned later in your life.
Essay 2. Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This essay might seem similar to Stanford’s what matters most to you and why and also INSEAD’s motivational essay- but it is not. Here the school wants to focus only on your life values and understand what kind of individual you have become by choosing a life based on what matters to you.
The best way to approach this essay is to think about important life choices you have made and what thoughts and ideas influenced them. Think about the ideals you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. Once you have identified your core values, provide examples from your life to give credibility and authenticity.
Essay 1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. On the face of it might look like a typical leadership essay but it is NOT. Two things that differentiate it from any other leadership essay is the focus on being brave and creating a lasting impact. So when you are thinking about stories from your professional experience or perhaps even outside of your work, talk about scenarios and situations where you had to encounter significant risk, show the way you displayed courage, went ahead and took certain steps that were possibly unpopular. And despite that, you were able to create a positive impact not just for that situation in the short term, but also a long lasting impact on people organization and communities around you.
The Other significant part of the essay is about the challenges and how you overcame them and what you learn from them. It is very important to talk about the challenges that were significant and clearly delineating them as well as showing how with your thought and action you overcome them. Show it in specific action with examples. If you can also show your emotions through the process that would be even better and help the adcom get a deeper glimpse into your character. At the end don't forget to reflect on your learning. As much as what you have done good is impressive, it is much more impactful talking about your learnings and showing how you have applied those lessons learned later in your life.
Essay 2. Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This essay might seem similar to Stanford’s what matters most to you and why and also INSEAD’s motivational essay- but it is not. Here the school wants to focus only on your life values and understand what kind of individual you have become by choosing a life based on what matters to you.
The best way to approach this essay is to think about important life choices you have made and what thoughts and ideas influenced them. Think about the ideals you have pursued relentlessly and with commitment. Once you have identified your core values, provide examples from your life to give credibility and authenticity.
Essay 1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. On the face of it might look like a typical leadership essay but it is NOT. Two things that differentiate it from any other leadership essay is the focus on being brave and creating a lasting impact. So when you are thinking about stories from your professional experience or perhaps even outside of your work, talk about scenarios and situations where you had to encounter significant risk, show the way you displayed courage, went ahead and took certain steps that were possibly unpopular. And despite that, you were able to create a positive impact not just for that situation in the short term, but also a long lasting impact on people organization and communities around you.
The Other significant part of the essay is about the challenges and how you overcame them and what you learn from them. It is very important to talk about the challenges that were significant and clearly delineating them as well as showing how with your thought and action you overcome them. Show it in specific action with examples. If you can also show your emotions through the process that would be even better and help the adcom get a deeper glimpse into your character. At the end don't forget to reflect on your learning. As much as what you have done good is impressive, it is much more impactful talking about your learnings and showing how you have applied those lessons learned later in your life.
Essay 2. Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Kellogg has recently reworked its brand strategy and made its motto as: Inspiring Growth.
Dean Sally Blount recently said "Growth has long been the imperative and continues to be the biggest challenge that every organization faces.. Our 'inspiring growth' brand strategy highlights the important dual meaning of the English word ‘growth’ – both in terms of increasing economic value and increasing self-knowledge and insight."
This should give you some idea about why Kellogg is interested in knowing your personal growth story and your plan to utilize your time at Kellogg to grow into an accomplished professional.
It's a very deep question that would require you to first reflect yourself and then reveal yourself in profound ways. If you look back in your life, you will realize you have grown in many areas. From a more obvious academic and career-related growth areas to more subtle changes in mindsets and perceptions. They say growth happens at the end of a comfort zone, so one possible way to identify your areas of transformation would be to think about the challenges you have faced and overcame in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your focus needs to be in terms of learning and growth.
When you are writing this essay please do keep enough focus on the personal side as well. While, it might seem very easy to talk about professional accomplishments and growth in that aspect, what will truly differentiate you and show a real glimpse of you are the aspects of your personal growth. So talk about them with authenticity, maturity and enough professionalism.
In the second part of the question, the focus becomes how you intend to grow at Kellogg. If you are clear about your goals including your personal life goals as well as career goals, then this answer will become very easy. Think about the things that you want to achieve to reach your career goals, typically those are the things that you would want to acquire at Kellogg and in those certain ways you would like to grow. If you've done enough research as to how Kellogg will offer you opportunities to reach your goals, this part of the question would be fairly easy.
Essay 1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. On the face of it might look like a typical leadership essay but it is NOT. Two things that differentiate it from any other leadership essay is the focus on being brave and creating a lasting impact. So when you are thinking about stories from your professional experience or perhaps even outside of your work, talk about scenarios and situations where you had to encounter significant risk, show the way you displayed courage, went ahead and took certain steps that were possibly unpopular. And despite that, you were able to create a positive impact not just for that situation in the short term, but also a long lasting impact on people organization and communities around you.
The Other significant part of the essay is about the challenges and how you overcame them and what you learn from them. It is very important to talk about the challenges that were significant and clearly delineating them as well as showing how with your thought and action you overcome them. Show it in specific action with examples. If you can also show your emotions through the process that would be even better and help the adcom get a deeper glimpse into your character. At the end don't forget to reflect on your learning. As much as what you have done good is impressive, it is much more impactful talking about your learnings and showing how you have applied those lessons learned later in your life.
Essay 2. Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Kellogg has recently reworked its brand strategy and made its motto as: Inspiring Growth.
Dean Sally Blount recently said "Growth has long been the imperative and continues to be the biggest challenge that every organization faces.. Our 'inspiring growth' brand strategy highlights the important dual meaning of the English word ‘growth’ – both in terms of increasing economic value and increasing self-knowledge and insight."
This should give you some idea about why Kellogg is interested in knowing your personal growth story and your plan to utilize your time at Kellogg to grow into an accomplished professional.
It's a very deep question that would require you to first reflect yourself and then reveal yourself in profound ways. If you look back in your life, you will realize you have grown in many areas. From a more obvious academic and career-related growth areas to more subtle changes in mindsets and perceptions. They say growth happens at the end of a comfort zone, so one possible way to identify your areas of transformation would be to think about the challenges you have faced and overcame in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your focus needs to be in terms of learning and growth.
When you are writing this essay please do keep enough focus on the personal side as well. While, it might seem very easy to talk about professional accomplishments and growth in that aspect, what will truly differentiate you and show a real glimpse of you are the aspects of your personal growth. So talk about them with authenticity, maturity and enough professionalism.
In the second part of the question, the focus becomes how you intend to grow at Kellogg. If you are clear about your goals including your personal life goals as well as career goals, then this answer will become very easy. Think about the things that you want to achieve to reach your career goals, typically those are the things that you would want to acquire at Kellogg and in those certain ways you would like to grow. If you've done enough research as to how Kellogg will offer you opportunities to reach your goals, this part of the question would be fairly easy.
Reapplicant Essay. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that you have made happen after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here. Note that the question is asking you to demonstrate a proactive stance in enhancing the quality of your application. So talking with that mindset.
Optional Essay. If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Kellogg optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. If you believe some aspect in your application that needs to be explained, better do so. Adcoms might making incorrect estimations in absence of explanation. E.g. if you are not providing recommendation from your immediate supervisor, adcom might construe you are not on good terms with your manager and might misconstrue your interpersonal skills. So, explicitly describe the reasons.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it brief.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Leadership and teamwork are integral parts of the Kellogg experience. Describe a recent and meaningful time you were a leader. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Leadership and teamwork are the most desirable traits that almost all business schools look for, and Kellogg is no exception. It is clear in the new messaging: At Kellogg, we develop brave leaders who inspire growth in people, organizations, and markets. And to bring about any change, you need first to persuasively influence people. That is what Kellogg wants to know about you.
Think about your most recent and significant leadership experiences and choose the one that best exemplifies your leadership style. Until last year Kellogg didn't specify that the example has to be recent, so make sure you are not be stuck way back in time.
Detail the exact context of situation including the people involved, your role and the need to influence people. Demonstrate what you thought, how you acted and what the outcome was. You can talk in terms of about immediate outcome of the situation and your longer term transformation that has shaped your current leadership style.
Do remember to focus a substantial portion of the essay on the challenges you faced and what all you learned from the experience. The leadership example should portray your attitude and approach to leadership and also your ability to improve upon yourself.
Essay 2. Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Kellogg has recently reworked its brand strategy and made its motto as: Inspiring Growth.
Dean Sally Blount recently said "Growth has long been the imperative and continues to be the biggest challenge that every organization faces.. Our 'inspiring growth' brand strategy highlights the important dual meaning of the English word ‘growth’ – both in terms of increasing economic value and increasing self-knowledge and insight."
This should give you some idea about why Kellogg is interested in knowing your personal growth story and your plan to utilize your time at Kellogg to grow into an accomplished professional.
If you look back in your life, you will realize you have grown in many areas. From a more obvious academic and career-related growth areas to more subtle changes in mindsets and perceptions. They say growth happens at the end of a comfort zone, so one possible way to identify your areas of transformation would be to think about the challenges you have faced and overcame in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your focus needs to be in terms of learning and growth.
Reapplicant Essay. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that you have made happen after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here. Note that the question is asking you to demonstrate a proactive stance in enhancing the quality of your application. So talking with that mindset.
Optional Essay. If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Kellogg optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. If you believe some aspect in your application that needs to be explained, better do so. Adcoms might making incorrect estimations in absence of explanation. E.g. if you are not providing recommendation from your immediate supervisor, adcom might construe you are not on good terms with your manager and might misconstrue your interpersonal skills. So, explicitly describe the reasons.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it brief.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Leadership and teamwork are integral parts of the Kellogg experience. Describe a recent and meaningful time you were a leader. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Leadership and teamwork are the most desirable traits that almost all business schools look for, and Kellogg is no exception. It is clear in the new messaging: At Kellogg, we develop brave leaders who inspire growth in people, organizations, and markets. And to bring about any change, you need first to persuasively influence people. That is what Kellogg wants to know about you.
Think about your most recent and significant leadership experiences and choose the one that best exemplifies your leadership style. Until last year Kellogg didn't specify that the example has to be recent, so make sure you are not be stuck way back in time.
Detail the exact context of situation including the people involved, your role and the need to influence people. Demonstrate what you thought, how you acted and what the outcome was. You can talk in terms of about immediate outcome of the situation and your longer term transformation that has shaped your current leadership style.
Do remember to focus a substantial portion of the essay on the challenges you faced and what all you learned from the experience. The leadership example should portray your attitude and approach to leadership and also your ability to improve upon yourself.
Essay 2. Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Kellogg has recently reworked its brand strategy and made its motto as: Inspiring Growth.
Dean Sally Blount recently said "Growth has long been the imperative and continues to be the biggest challenge that every organization faces.. Our 'inspiring growth' brand strategy highlights the important dual meaning of the English word ‘growth’ – both in terms of increasing economic value and increasing self-knowledge and insight."
This should give you some idea about why Kellogg is interested in knowing your personal growth story and your plan to utilize your time at Kellogg to grow into an accomplished professional.
If you look back in your life, you will realize you have grown in many areas. From a more obvious academic and career-related growth areas to more subtle changes in mindsets and perceptions. They say growth happens at the end of a comfort zone, so one possible way to identify your areas of transformation would be to think about the challenges you have faced and overcame in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your focus needs to be in terms of learning and growth.
Reapplicant Essay. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that you have made happen after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here. Note that the question is asking you to demonstrate a proactive stance in enhancing the quality of your application. So talking with that mindset.
Optional Essay. If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Kellogg optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. If you believe some aspect in your application that needs to be explained, better do so. Adcoms might making incorrect estimations in absence of explanation. E.g. if you are not providing recommendation from your immediate supervisor, adcom might construe you are not on good terms with your manager and might misconstrue your interpersonal skills. So, explicitly describe the reasons.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it brief.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Resilience. Perseverance. Grit. Call it what you will. Challenges can build character. Describe a challenging experience you’ve had. How were you tested? What did you learn?
Essay 1 Tips. Kellogg has recently reworked its brand strategy and made its motto as: Inspiring Growth.
Dean Sally Blount recently said "Growth has long been the imperative and continues to be the biggest challenge that every organization faces.. Our 'inspiring growth' brand strategy highlights the important dual meaning of the English word ‘growth’ – both in terms of increasing economic value and increasing self-knowledge and insight."
This should give you some idea about why Kellogg is interested in knowing your personal growth story, your transformation through challenges.
To get started, shortlist the main challenges you have faced and overcame in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your success needs a personal focus in terms of learning and growth. The most powerful message of the essay has to be how overcoming the challenge has shaped you and helped you abilities to succeed in life/work.
Having chosen the challenging situation, give context of the issue, and WHY this was a big challenge for you: that is 'How you were tested'. Try to show not only the facts of the situation but what thought and emotions you were going through. Once you have established that, then move on to how you tackled the issue.
Be careful to ensure that the essay focuses, not on your frustration or disappointment, but on the attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the challenge. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use your skills and how you adapt, learn and change could be part of this section of the essay.
The strength of your learning and development through this experience and how you used this learning to make your life and yourself better is critical to the success of this essay. Give short examples of how the new version of you has succeeded in later situations through the new learning.
Essay 2. Leadership requires an ability to collaborate with and motivate others. Describe a professional experience that required you to influence people. What did this experience teach you about working with others, and how will it make you a better leader? (450 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all business schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. It is clear in the new messaging: At Kellogg, we develop brave leaders who inspire growth in people, organizations and markets. And to inspire any change, you need first to persuasively influence people. That is what Kellogg wants to know about you.
Assemble your most critical leadership experiences till date and choose 2-4 of them that best exemplify your leadership style. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck way back in time. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences. The leadership examples should portray your attitude and approach to leadership and also your ability to improve upon yourself.
Detail the exact context of situation including the people involved, your role and the need to influence people. Demonstrate what you thought, how you acted and what the outcome was. You can talk in terms of about immediate outcome of the situation and your longer term transformation that has shaped your current leadership style.
Video Essay. After submitting a completed application, each applicant will be asked to complete two Video Essay Questions. One will be about the candidate’s interest in Kellogg and the other will be a “getting to know you” type of question.
Essay Tips. A couple of guidelines when preparing for a video essay:
- Dress appropriately: Business casuals at least if not formals. Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and you should be dressed accordingly.
- Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a white/light colored wall as your background. Make sure you are lit from front- not from your back or over the head. Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, facebook, skype, twitter notifications both in cell phone and computer system.
- Look into camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
- Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make a more positive impression.
Kellogg's Instructions on video essays: Each applicant will complete two short video essay questions. The questions are designed to bring to life the person we have learned about on paper. There are 10 practice questions which candidates can complete as many times as they like to get comfortable with the format and technology. The practice questions and experience will simulate the actual video essay experience, so this is meant to be a useful tool and help applicants feel prepared. There is not an opportunity to re-do the answer to the official video essay questions. We encourage applicants to practice so they are comfortable with the format once it is time to complete the official questions. Candidates will have 20 seconds to think about their question and up to 1 minute to give their response. We estimate the Video Essays will take 30 minutes to complete – which includes time for set-up and answering all the practice questions.
Reapplicant Essay. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that you have made happen after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here. Note that the question is asking you to demonstrate a proactive stance in enhancing the quality of your application. So talking with that mindset.
Optional Essay. If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)
Optional Essay Tips. Use the Kellogg optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. If you believe some aspect in your application that needs to be explained, better do so. Adcoms might making incorrect estimations in absence of explanation. E.g. if you are not providing recommendation from your immediate supervisor, adcom might construe you are not on good terms with your manager and might misconstrue your interpersonal skills. So, explicitly describe the reasons.
Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it brief.
Go for it!
Essay 1. What's the greatest obstacle you have overcome (personally or professionally)? How has overcoming this obstacle prepared you to achieve success now and in the future? (500 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. Shortlist the main challenges or obstacles you have faced and overcome in life. While the obstacles can be personal, social, professional, economic or even political, your success needs a personal focus in terms of learning and growth. The most powerful message of the essay has to be how overcoming the obstacle has dramatically developed your ability to succeed in life/work. The essay prompt might well be - What is your greatest quality?
Having chosen the 'obstacle', clarify quickly the extent of the issue: leave no doubts as to why this qualifies as the 'greatest obstacle' you have surmounted. Then move on to how you tackled the issue. Be careful to ensure that the essay focuses, not on your frustration or disappointment, but on the attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the obstacle. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use your skills and how you adapt, learn and change could be part of this section of the essay.
The strength of your learning and development through this experience and how you used this learning to make your life and yourself better is critical to the success of this essay. Give short examples of how the new version of you has succeeded in later situations through the new learning. Also, indicate how it might help you in the future: if possible link it briefly with your goals in Essay 3.
Go for it!
Essay 2. What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely (personally and/or professionally). (500 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. The Kellogg motto of Think Bravely and their tag line "We believe business can be bravely led, passionately collaborative and world changing" are your clues to connecting this essay to Kellogg. The Kellogg Think Bravely video will help you better understand Kellogg's perspective on leadership.
Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all business schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. This essay calls for a revelation of your leadership attitude/qualities through your "most significant leadership experiences".
Assemble your most critical leadership experiences till date and choose 2-4 of them that best exemplify your leadership style. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck way back in time. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences. The leadership examples should portray your attitude and approach to leadership, hopefully in the collaborative leadership style that Kellogg deems best.
Detail the challenges that you faced during the experience; your problem solving skills, persuasiveness and ability to overcome setbacks could be key areas to be spotlighted. While impressive, quantifiable results are what will underline your achievements, your personal philosophy and practice of leadership will remain the primary focus.
Go for it!
Essay 3 Part 1. What career/role are you looking to pursue and why? (250 word limit)
Essay 3 Part 1 Tips. This is a simple goals essay - and might prove to the the essay that requires the most complex thought.
As a first step reflect deeply on your post-Kellogg goals in terms of roles, industry and geography. A greater focus on your short term goals is preferred.
Be realistic and as specific as you need to be while detailing your post-Kellogg career goal. How well you comprehend the industry/role you are preparing for should be reflected in your answer. Though not asked specifically, try to very briefly connect your goals with your life and career so far.
Whatever your choice, your goal should reflect your passion and commitment to it. While the goals have to be logical and credible, if you can add passion as well to this mix, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3 Part 2. Why are Kellogg and the MBA essential to achieving these career goals? (250 word limit)
Essay 3 Part 2 Tips. The second part of the Kellogg Goals Essay seeks answers to why and how specifically Kellogg is the best next logical step towards your career goals.
The unasked question is: How serious are you about seeking admission SPECIFICALLY to Kellogg?
Try to establish a perfect fit between your goals and Kellogg. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Kellogg in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts etc you expect to gain from Kellogg that will aid you in pursuing your goals.
Avoid clichéd responses, avoid cutting and pasting info from the Kellogg website, and personalize your answer as much as possible. Before writing this essay take steps to learn as much as possible about Kellogg - the school, student activities, class profile, faculty, courses. Use online and offline modes - websites, current Kellogg students, alumni, fairs/receptions etc. The objective is to implicitly and explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and SPECIFIC interest in Kellogg.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Required essay for Reapplicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application (though I doubt it). Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Kellogg optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the Kellogg optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Keep it brief.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. The Kellogg admissions committee is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay question: your past, your future and Kellogg.
Your objective here is to assess and evaluate your career progress while also addressing the relevance of a Kellogg MBA to your future career goals. Describe your career progression, and the reasons that connect Kellogg with your past, present and future. As usual in an MBA "goals essay", if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself.
Delve into the Pre-Kellogg, Kellogg and Post-Kellogg phases of your career (and life) to explore and reveal your personality to the Kellogg admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation. If you can add a dash of passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. Blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application. "Why Kellogg?" (and not any other business school) needs to be explicitly addressed here with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Kellogg website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.
Be realistic and be as specific as you need to be while detailing your Post-Kellogg career goals (both about the industry and the functional role). Find as many matches between what the Kellogg MBA specifically offers you and your future goals. Having said that please remember that perfect links of professional and personal "fit" are acceptable but not at the expense of credibility.
Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above you may have got it made.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences. (600 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. This essay replaces and rephrases the leadership focused question from 2008 & 2009 applications: "How have your past and current leadership experiences prepared you for Kellogg? What leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience?"
This is a straightforward essay that calls for a revelation of your leadership qualities. Assemble your most significant leadership experiences till date and portray your leadership capacity in the best light. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck way back in time. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences. If the essay also uncovers your attitude and approach to leadership, the Kellogg adcom will not complain.
You can tackle the second Kellogg link in this essay - what leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience - by matching the areas of special focus that Kellogg delivers in aiding leadership development with your own leadership traits/focus-areas that you find improvable.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. In spirit very similar to last year's question "Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community?", your potential impact at Kellogg is explicitly asked for this year.
Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What sets you apart? Why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever? What value do you add to the Kellogg class?
A repeat question from previous years 2007-2008/2008-2009 might help: "Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students."
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Now you have a legitimate defense when you bug your friends, peers, spouse for insights to write all those overlong MBA essays! Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked; but the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Read up on Kellogg - the school, student activities, class profile, faculty, courses etc. before you write this essay. Showing a fit with the school and how your attitude, skills and experience can add value to Kellogg, will be impossible without sound knowledge of Kellogg - and yourself!
Go for it!
Essay 4. Complete one of the following three questions or statements. Reapplicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required. (400 word limit)
Essay 4a. Describe a time you had to inspire a reluctant individual or group.
Essay 4a Tips. Moral courage. Decision making skills. Vision. Communication abilities. Strength of character. Ability to inspire. Persuasiveness. Reasoning power. These are just some of the qualities that you can base this essay on. 2009-2010's prompt "Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision." and the 2010-2011 prompt "Describe an instance where you encountered resistance in a professional team setting. How did you address the situation?" might help your clarify the substance of the essay.
For selecting the particular situation/story for the essay, look back to identify professional circumstances in which you found yourself facing resistance from a system or people - for an unpopular or innovative outlook, decision or stance (which you hopefully had good reasons to take). The objective is to describe how you went about inspiring change in the group and to write in a manner that underlines you as Kellogg-class leadership material. Though this need not be a fairy tale, a long-term positive conclusion to the story would be best.
As is often the case, the spotlight should be focused more on how you tackled the situation, actions you took, attitude you had and approaches that you initiated, rather than an exposition of what the situation was.
Go for it!
Essay 4b. People may be surprised to learn that I….
Essay 4b Tips. Show differences.
Show uniqueness.
Write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays. Hobbies, interests or social activities that highlight qualities like leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage etc. that make you a strong Kellogg applicant could be chosen. Though we do not have space for rambling stories one or two succinct anecdotes would help the cause.
Beware of overlaps with the other Kellogg essays especially essay 3.
Essay 4c. The riskiest personal or professional decision I ever made was.....
Essay 4c Tips. While this essay is in the spirit of the 2010-2011 prompt "The best mistake I ever made was...", we can veer away from failure and focus on a risky success!
Identify situations where you took risky decisions and explain why you took them. The value of this essay lies in how well you can explain your reasoning behind your decision and how well you evaluated the risks, the situations and the various options. You can use this essay to give a broader snapshot of your general attitude towards risk, your risk appetite and/or your ability to de-risk.
Of course, the story could end in failure, in which case please focus on your learning from the failure, and your future successes based on that learning. However a success story does seem a safer (less risky!) bet.
The stories can be either personal or professional.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Required essay for Reapplicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application (though I doubt it). Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. The Kellogg admissions committee is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay question: your past, your future and Kellogg.
Your objective here is to assess and evaluate your career progress while also addressing the relevance of a Kellogg MBA to your future career goals. Describe your career progression, and the reasons that connect Kellogg with your past, present and future. As usual in an MBA "goals essay", if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself.
Delve into the Pre-Kellogg, Kellogg and Post-Kellogg phases of your career (and life) to explore and reveal your personality to the Kellogg admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation. If you can add a dash of passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. Blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application. "Why Kellogg?" (and not any other business school) needs to be explicitly addressed here with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Kellogg website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.
Be realistic and be as specific as you need to be while detailing your Post-Kellogg career goals (both about the industry and the functional role). Find as many matches between what the Kellogg MBA specifically offers you and your future goals. Having said that please remember that perfect links of professional and personal "fit" are acceptable but not at the expense of credibility.
Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above you may have got it made.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences. (600 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. This essay replaces and rephrases the leadership focused question from 2008 & 2009 applications: "How have your past and current leadership experiences prepared you for Kellogg? What leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience?"
This is a straightforward essay that calls for an revelation of your leadership qualities. Assemble your most significant leadership experiences till date and portray your leadership capacity in the best light. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck way back in time. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences. If the essay also uncovers your attitude and approach to leadership, the Kellogg adcom will not complain.
You can tackle the second Kellogg link in this essay - what leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience - by matching the areas of special focus that Kellogg delivers in aiding leadership development with your own leadership traits/focus-areas that you find improvable.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. In spirit very similar to last year's question "Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community?", your potential impact at Kellogg is explicitly asked for this year.
Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What sets you apart? Why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever? What value do you add to the Kellogg class?
A repeat question from previous years 2007-2008/2008-2009 might help: "Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students."
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Now you have a legitimate defense when you bug your friends, peers, spouse for insights to write all those overlong MBA essays! Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked; but the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Read up on Kellogg - the school, student activities, class profile, faculty, courses etc. before you write this essay. Showing a fit with the school and how your attitude, skills and experience can add value to Kellogg, will be impossible without sound knowledge of Kellogg - and yourself!
Go for it!
Essay 4 Complete one of the following three questions or statements. Reapplicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required. (400 word limit)
Essay 4a. Describe an instance where you encountered resistance in a professional team setting. How did you address the situation?
Essay 4a Tips. Moral courage. Decision making skills. Vision. Communication abilities. Strength of character. Ability to persuade. Reasoning power. These are just some of the qualities that you can base this essay on. Last year's prompt "Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision." might help your clarify the substance of the essay.
For selecting the particular situation/story for the essay, look back to identify professional circumstances in which you found yourself facing resistance from a system or people - for an unpopular or innovative outlook, decision or stance (which you hopefully had good reasons to take). The objective is to describe why and how you went about it and to write in a manner that underlines you as Kellogg-class leadership material. Though this cannot be a fairy tale, please understand that a long-term positive conclusion to the story would be almost inevitable.
As is often the case, the spotlight should be focused more on how you tackled the situation, actions you took, attitude you had and approaches that you initiated, rather than an exposition of what the situation was.
Go for it!
Essay 4b. People may be surprised to learn that I….
Essay 4b Tips. Show differences.
Show uniqueness.
Write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays. Hobbies, interests or social activities that highlight qualities like leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage etc. that make you a strong Kellogg applicant could be chosen. Though we do not have space for rambling stories one or two succinct anecdotes would help the cause.
Beware of overlaps with the other Kellogg essays especially essay 3.
Essay 4c. The best mistake I ever made was…….
Essay 4c Tips. Whenever a b-school application requests a "failure essay" it is to understand how you faced a failure and what you learned. That objective cannot be clearer than in this essay where you write about a mistake that proved to of most benefit to you.
If you never fell, you would never walk - write about the fall that improved you walk the most! Once again I stress that the learning and subsequent actions following the mistake are critical to this essay. Identify a personal or professional failure which taught you things about yourself, your work and life that changed you the most. Once you decipher how the failure created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system, you can rush to the printers with the story!
Go for it!
Kellogg Reapplicant Essay
Required essay for Reapplicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Kellogg Reapplicant Essay Tips
They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application (though I doubt it). Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (600 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. The Kellogg admissions committee is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay question: your past, your future and Kellogg.
Your objective here is to assess and evaluate your career progress while also addressing the relevance of a Kellogg MBA to your future career goals. Describe your career progression, and the reasons that connect Kellogg with your past, present and future. As usual in an MBA "goals essay", if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself.
Delve into the Pre-Kellogg, Kellogg and Post-Kellogg phases of your career (and life) to explore and reveal your personality to the Kellogg admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation. If you can add a dash of passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. Blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application. "Why Kellogg?" (and not any other business school) needs to be explicitly addressed here with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Kellogg website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.
Be realistic and be as specific as you need to be while detailing your Post-Kellogg career goals (both about the industry and the functional role). Find as many matches between what the Kellogg MBA specifically offers you and your future goals. Having said that please remember that perfect links of professional and personal "fit" are acceptable but not at the expense of credibility.
Perhaps if you can convincingly accomplish all of the above you may have got it made.
Essay 2. Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences. (600 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. This essay replaces and rephrases the leadership focused question from 2008 & 2009 applications: "How have your past and current leadership experiences prepared you for Kellogg? What leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience?"
This is a straightforward essay that calls for an revelation of your leadership qualities. Assemble your most significant leadership experiences till date and portray your leadership capacity in the best light. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck way back in time. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences. If the essay also uncovers your attitude and approach to leadership, the Kellogg adcom will not complain.
You can tackle the second Kellogg link in this essay - what leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience - by matching the areas of special focus that Kellogg delivers in aiding leadership development with your own leadership traits/focus-areas that you find improvable.
Essay 3. Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What sets you apart? Why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever? What value do you add to the Kellogg class?
A repeat question from previous years 2008/2009 might help: "Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students."
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Now you have a legitimate defense when you bug your friends, peers, spouse for insights to write all those overlong MBA essays! Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked; but the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Umm... please read up on Kellogg - the school, student activities, class profile etc. before you write this essay.
Kellogg Essay 4 Complete one of the following three questions or statements. Reapplicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required. (400 word limit)
Essay 4a. Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
Essay 4a Tips. Moral courage. Decision making skills. Vision. Communication abilities. Strength of character. Reasoning power.
These are just some of the qualities that you can base this essay on.
For selecting the particular situation/story for the essay, look back to identify professional or personal circumstances in which you found yourself making an unpopular decision which you had good reasons to make. The objective is to describe why and how you went about it and to write in a manner that underlines you as Kellogg-class leadership material. Though this cannot be a fairy tale, please understand that a long-term positive conclusion to the story would help.
Essay 4b. b. People may be surprised to learn that I….
Essay 4b Tips. Show differences.
Show uniqueness.
Write about a quality, trait or achievement that has not been covered in the other essays. Hobbies, interests or social activities that highlight qualities like leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage etc. that make you a strong Kellogg applicant could be chosen. Though we do not have space for rambling stories one or two succinct anecdotes would help the cause.
Beware of overlaps with the other Kellogg essays especially essays 2 and 3.
Essay 4c. c. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
Essay 4c Tips. Mouth watering stuff! Write on ANYTHING you want to tell the Kellogg admissions committee. Preferably use this essay to traverse an area in your personality or life that has not been covered in the other essays.
Reapplicant Essay. Required essay for Reapplicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?
Reapplicant Essay Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have any objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application (though I doubt it). Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. A. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 1 Tips. Kellogg wants you to assess and evaluate your career progress in the context of your MBA application. This essay should also address the relevance of a Kellogg MBA for your future career goals. As usual in an MBA goals essay, if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. While "why Kellogg" is an important question that needs to be addressed in this essay, blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application.
Essay 2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 2 Tips. Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), what makes you different, why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever?
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked. But the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Essay 3. How have your past and current leadership experiences prepared you for Kellogg? What leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience? (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 3 Tips. A double-edged new essay question from Kellogg.
Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. So we will just assume that the good people at Northwestern University want an even stronger focus on your leadership profile this time.
You can tackle the second Kellogg link in this essay - what leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience - by matching the areas of special focus that Kellogg delivers in aiding leadership development with your own leadership traits/focus-areas that you find improvable.
Kellogg Essay 4 Complete two of the following six questions or statements. (Two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)
Essay 4 A. Outside of work I…
Essay 4 A Tips. Show differences.
Show uniqueness.
Talk about all your hobbies and interests.
Show non-work activities that highlight the qualities that make you a strong Kellogg applicant. These can include, but need not be limited to, leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage...
Essay 4 B. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
Essay 4 B Tips. Mouth watering stuff! Write on ANYTHING you want to tell the Kellogg admissions committee. Use this essay to traverse an area in your personality or life that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 4 C. Describe the most challenging professional relationship you have faced and how you handled it.
Essay 4 C Tips. Read your first draft and ask yourself - does this relationship portray my best interpersonal qualities? If you can show yourself as a mature, intelligent person who can calmly handle tough professional and personal situations, you will win 80% for this essay. Not 100% - that depends on how well you do that.
Essay 4 D. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? Question 4F must be answered by all reapplicants as one of the required two questions.
Essay 4 F Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. A. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 1 Tips. Kellogg wants you to assess and evaluate your career progress in the context of your MBA application. This essay should also address the relevance of a Kellogg MBA for your future career goals. As usual in an MBA goals essay, if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. While "why Kellogg" is an important question that needs to be addressed in this essay, blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application.
Essay 2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 2 Tips. Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), what makes you different, why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever?
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked. But the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Essay 3. How have your past and current leadership experiences prepared you for Kellogg? What leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience? (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 3 Tips. A double-edged new essay question from Kellogg.
Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. So we will just assume that the good people at Northwestern University want an even stronger focus on your leadership profile this time.
You can tackle the second Kellogg link in this essay - what leadership areas are you hoping to develop through your MBA experience - by matching the areas of special focus that Kellogg delivers in aiding leadership development with your own leadership traits/focus-areas that you find improvable.
Kellogg Essay 4 Complete two of the following six questions or statements. (Two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)
Essay 4 A. Outside of work I…
Kellogg Essay 4 A Tips
Show differences.
Show uniqueness.
Talk about all your hobbies and interests.
Show non-work activities that highlight the qualities that make you a strong Kellogg applicant. These can include, but need not be limited to, leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage...
Essay 4 B. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
Essay 4 B Tips. Mouth watering stuff! Write on ANYTHING you want to tell the Kellogg admissions committee. Use this essay to traverse an area in your personality or life that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 4 C. Describe the most challenging professional relationship you have faced and how you handled it.
Essay 4 C Tips. Read your first draft and ask yourself - does this relationship portray my best interpersonal qualities? If you can show yourself as a mature, intelligent person who can calmly handle tough professional and personal situations, you will win 80% for this essay. Not 100% - that depends on how well you do that.
Essay 4 D. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? Question 4F must be answered by all reapplicants as one of the required two questions.
Essay 4 F Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have objective or subjective feedback from Kellogg about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application should also find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. A. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 1 Tips. Kellogg wants you to assess and evaluate your career progress in the context of your MBA application. This essay should also address the relevance of a Kellogg MBA for your future career goals. As usual in an MBA goals essay, if you can establish a logical and credible link between your past, present and future, this Kellogg essay almost writes itself. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a great essay. While "why Kellogg" is an important question that needs to be addressed in this essay, blending key non-career aspects that are relevant to your story will only add to the strength of your application.
Essay 2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 2 Tips. Each MBA applicant is unique. But every admissions committee hungrily awaits candidates who can actually display that uniqueness in their essays. All MBA essay packages are basically about selling YOU: this Kellogg essay is an explicit expression of that. What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition), what makes you different, why should Kellogg bother talking to you when there are hundreds of other applicants with a comparable GMAT score or work experience or whatever?
To get info for this Kellogg application essay you should not mind knocking at many doors. Your friends, colleagues and family are excellent sources for giving you obvious answers which you might have overlooked. But the best source is always going to be the one you see in the mirror. Ask this person about you at work, play and studies to uncover traits, situations, values, distinctions, hobbies, passions and skills that set you apart. In addition to integrating this Kellogg essay with the ones that follow, all you have to do (!) is to portray a convincing picture of a person who can add definite value to Kellogg and the Kellogg student community.
Essay 3. You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (One to two pages double-spaced)
Essay 3 Tips. A favorite with Kellogg and with us.
It is interesting to see what a person does when given power. It is as interesting to see what that person does in a new situation. The structure of the question and it's almost unique nature, make this Kellogg essay worth spending some time on. You will have to use your logical persuasion, communication skills and even acting abilities (donning the role of a Kellogg Admissions Committee member) to get this essay right.
This essays provides excellent opportunities for
a. developing a closely argued case for your admission to Kellogg,
b. addressing critical weakness areas that are obvious in your application,
c. bringing in new perspectives about your recos (or resume) that might not have been possible in the other essays
and, d. demonstrating your powers of objective analysis and honest communication.
Kellogg Northwestern Essay 4 Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (Two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)
Essay 4 A. What have been your most significant leadership experiences to date?
Essay 4 A Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Kellogg is no exception. Write about an experience where your leadership made a significant difference. Select an experience based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your leadership skills. Choose an experience that not only has been a definite success in the context of team objectives but also helps underline your leadership skills. Choosing an example where you also learnt significantly would make it almost perfect.
The story for this Kellogg essay can go back in time, but should preferably be recent. Yes, you do not have to limit yourself to a single experience. But taking them at their word and listing out all your major leadership experiences (say 4-5) does not seem to be the best course of action.
Essay 4 B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved.
Essay 4 B Tips. Read your draft and ask yourself - was that really a situation in which you can feel an ethical dilemma. If you felt that was an ethical dilemma should you be applying to Kellogg or be safely ensconced in a federal penitentiary? Repeat this exercise 2-3 times.
The dilemma you choose should explain your own attitude towards ethics and show the strength of your value system. If you can link the situation with your personal/professional development and possibly show Kellogg how your ethical standards will help you in your chosen career - great!
Essay 4 C. Outside of work I…
Essay 4 C Tips. Show differences. Show uniqueness.
Show non-work activities that highlight the qualities that make you a strong Kellogg applicant. These can include, but need not be limited to, leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, teamwork, courage...
Essay 4 D. Describe a professional situation where you were able to successfully persuade others to see things your way.
Essay 4 D Tips Leadership in a situation where you were not a designated leader. That might be the best approach here. Communication skills, persuasive powers, logical thinking and innovation can all form part of this Kellogg application essay; but leadership, we feel, is the crux.
Essay 4 E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
Essay 4 E Tips. Mouth watering stuff! Write on ANYTHING you want to tell the Kellogg admissions committee. Use this essay to traverse an area in your personality or life that has not been covered in the other essays.
Essay 4 F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? Question 4F must be answered by all reapplicants as one of the required three questions.
Essay 4 F Tips. They can't be clearer than that. It would make a great difference if you have objective or subjective (Kellogg's) feedback about your last application. Seek out specific areas of critical weaknesses in your last Kellogg application and illustrate how they have been neutralized. Specific achievements - academic, professional or personal - that have occurred after your last Kellogg application can find a place here.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you (500 words)
- Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
- As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
Essay 1 Tips. You can take two possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree at UNC. We suggest that you devote about 200 words talking about your goals and 200 words describing how you will benefit from UNC and remaining 100 words talking about alternate career plan.
When talking about the backup plan, kindly write with as much detail and understanding that you would write your primary goals- giving enough insight into how they make sense for you and how you'd plan to achieve it. Ideally this would a less ambitious and a more safer goal.
Essay 2. Please select one topic below and respond to the prompt. (250 words)
- Topic 1: What is one thing that we do not know about you that you want us to know?
- Topic 2: Provide us an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it? Did you achieve the results you were looking for?
- Topic 3: Tell us about a time when you felt or witnessed someone being marginalized. How did you feel? What did you take away from the experience and how has it encouraged you to be an inclusive leader?
Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA.
Explain how your professional experience has shaped these goals, why this career option appeals to you,
and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree.
Additionally, please briefly address a backup plan should your short-term goal not come to fruition for any reason. (500 words maximum)
So many questions in one essay! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also be sure to address why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
This year UNC has added a new sub-question about your backup plan and it is done with the intent of understanding how much thought you have put into making your goals realistic and credible. An important aspect of a good plan is to have contigency measures in place. So just in case your plan A fails- what is your plan B?
When talking about the backup plan, kindly write with as much detail and understanding that you would write your primary goals- giving enough insight into how they make sense for you and how you'd plan to achieve it. Ideally this would a less ambitious and more safer goal.
What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
A rather blunt question! Instead of the admissions team at UNC trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job for them.
If you are thinking how can you show your uniqueness when you don't know what much about other candidates are like, you are right it is a difficult task.
One definitive way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is through your personal stories. You might have a similar title, maybe even same company, work experiences, and achievements like many other candidates but your perspectives and stories will truly make you stand out.
Do extensive research on the UNC MBA program and find ways in which you could to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples in your past to support your ability to offer value to UNC both from personal and professional standpoint.
Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
So many questions in one essay! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also be sure to address why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
A rather blunt question! Instead of the admissions team at UNC trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job for them.
If you are thinking how can you show your uniqueness when you don't know what much about other candidates are like, you are right it is a difficult task.
One definitive way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is through your personal stories. You might have a similar title, maybe even same company, work experiences, and achievements like many other candidates but your perspectives and stories will truly make you stand out.
Do extensive research on the UNC MBA program and find ways in which you could to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples in your past to support your ability to offer value to UNC both from personal and professional standpoint.
If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be one way to illustrate this. If your work isn't analytically rigorous, then you can show the courses/certifications you have undertaken or intend to take to enhance your quantitative abilities. Give specific details of the courses, the syllabi and your grades.
Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
So many questions in one essay! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also be sure to address why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
A rather blunt question! Instead of the admissions team at UNC trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job for them.
If you are thinking how can you show your uniqueness when you don't know what much about other candidates are like, you are right it is a difficult task.
One definitive way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is through your personal stories. You might have a similar title, maybe even same company, work experiences, and achievements like many other candidates but your perspectives and stories will truly make you stand out.
Do extensive research on the UNC MBA program and find ways in which you could to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples in your past to support your ability to offer value to UNC both from personal and professional standpoint.
If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be one way to illustrate this. If your work isn't analytically rigorous, then you can show the courses/certifications you have undertaken or intend to take to enhance your quantitative abilities. Give specific details of the courses, the syllabi and your grades.
Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt this optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit this optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other UNC essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Essay 1. Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. So many questions in one essay! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also be sure to address why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
Essay 2 (Optional). What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. A rather blunt question! Instead of the admissions team at UNC trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job for them.
If you are thinking how can you show your uniqueness when you don't know what much about other candidates are like, you are right it is a difficult task.
One definitive way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is through your personal stories. You might have a similar title, maybe even same company, work experiences, and achievements like many other candidates but your perspectives and stories will truly make you stand out.
Do extensive research on the UNC MBA program and find ways in which you could to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples in your past to support your ability to offer value to UNC both from personal and professional standpoint.
Essay 3 (Optional). If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be one way to illustrate this. If your work isn't analytically rigorous, then you can show the courses/certifications you have undertaken or intend to take to enhance your quantitative abilities. Give specific details of the courses, the syllabi and your grades.
Essay 1. Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. So many questions in one essay! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to crafting this essay. One way to write this could be by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and then making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show a grand vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrate that you have many solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both the cases, identify the critical need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also be sure to address why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
Essay 2 (Optional). What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. A rather blunt question! Instead of the admissions team at UNC trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job for them.
If you are thinking how can you show your uniqueness when you don't know what much about other candidates are like, you are right it is a difficult task.
One definitive way to differentiate yourself from other candidates is through your personal stories. You might have a similar title, maybe even same company, work experiences, and achievements like many other candidates but your perspectives and stories will truly make you stand out.
Do extensive research on the UNC MBA program and find ways in which you could to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples in your past to support your ability to offer value to UNC both from personal and professional standpoint.
Essay 3 (Optional). If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be one way to illustrate this. If your work isn't analytically rigorous, then you can show the courses/certifications you have undertaken or intend to take to enhance your quantitative abilities. Give specific details of the courses, the syllabi and your grades.
Essay 1. Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. LOT of questions here! Make sure to address ALL of them.
You can take several possible approaches to craft this essay. You could start by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and making a logical, credible case for your future goals.
Alternatively you could show grand vision of your future and taking the reader back into your career path and progression, and demonstrating that you have a lot of solid skills that make you fit for your goals. In both cases, in a concrete manner, identify the need-gaps from your past and present that can be fulfilled only with an MBA degree. And also let them know why now is the best time to move ahead in this direction.
Essay 2 (Optional). What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a blunt question. Instead of adcom trying to decipher what makes you unique and a strong addition to the class, they want you to do that job. But it is difficult to show your uniqueness when you don't know what other candidates are like.
One way to think about this is in terms of your personal stories. You might have similar title, work-experiences and even achievements like many other candidates but your personal experiences are only yours and make you truly stand out. So think about what you have achieved and what qualities have helped you get there.
Do you research on UNC MBA program and find ways in which you might want to contribute to UNC. Then look for examples to support your ability to contribute from both your personal and professional standpoint.
Essay 3 (Optional). If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work would be one way to illustrate this. If your work isn't analytically rigorous, then you can show the courses/certifications you have undertaken or intend to take to enhance your quantitative abilities. Give specific details of the courses, the syllabi and your grades.
Essay 4 (Optional). Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 4 Tips. First decide whether you need to write this essay at all.
Attempt this optional essay only if it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit this optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts on those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
This optional essay can also be used for mentioning impressive data points that CANNOT be accommodated in the other UNC essays.
If you feel that this essay will be a robust constructive addition to your candidature..
...Go for it!
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Here are some of the questions and topics that are asked in the online application- you might like to expand on any of these or come up with more reasons to show LBS London why they should admit you.
- Do you feel that your academic performance so far gives an accurate indication of your potential for success in the program? If so, why? If not, why not?
- Have you ever received any formal disciplinary action from an academic institution or been forced to withdraw from a course of study? If so, you must declare the information here.
- Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of people in your team.
- Have you attended an event on or off campus where you met with representatives from the school? If yes, please tell us when, where and who you met.
- We encourage applicants to take into consideration the impact of the study on family and friends. Who have you discussed your plans with, and what was the response? Feel free to give the names of members of the school community (alumni, students, faculty, staff, etc.) as appropriate.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. What specific areas of London Business School life are you most excited about getting involved in and where will you add value? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Being a highly competitive top-ranked school, LBS London wants to be sure that if they admit you, their community stands to gain from your presence in their program. For this reason LBS London has consistently and persistently demanded a focused and committed response from its applicants about how they will contribute to LBS London.
You can add value to a B-school in several possible ways: with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests, passions etc... There are umpteen ways to show that you bring unique value, and LBS London student body stands to benefit from you. Mention how your strengths, interests and passion connect with resources and opportunities at LBS London. Do your research, talk to students and alums and show LBS London that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Essay 3. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Here are some of the questions and topics that are asked in the online application- you might like to expand on any of these or come up with more reasons to show LBS London why they should admit you.
- Do you feel that your academic performance so far gives an accurate indication of your potential for success in the program? If so, why? If not, why not?
- Have you ever received any formal disciplinary action from an academic institution or been forced to withdraw from a course of study? If so, you must declare the information here.
- Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of people in your team.
- Have you attended an event on or off campus where you met with representatives from the school? If yes, please tell us when, where and who you met.
- We encourage applicants to take into consideration the impact of the study on family and friends. Who have you discussed your plans with, and what was the response? Feel free to give the names of members of the school community (alumni, students, faculty, staff, etc.) as appropriate.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading, but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA.
When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. What specific areas of London Business School life are you most excited about getting involved in and where will you add value? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Being a highly competitive top-ranked school, LBS London wants to be sure that if they admit you, their community stands to gain from your presence in their program. For this reason LBS London has consistently and persistently demanded a focused and committed response from its applicants about how they will contribute to LBS London.
You can add value to a B-school in several possible ways: with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests, passions etc... There are umpteen ways to show that you bring unique value, and LBS London student body stands to benefit from you. Mention how your strengths, interests and passion connect with resources and opportunities at LBS London. Do your research, talk to students and alums and show LBS London that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Essay 3. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application that is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that in this essay. Instead use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application by conveying any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Here are some of the questions and topics that are asked in the online application- you might like to expand on any of these or come up with more reasons to show LBS London why they should admit you.
- Do you feel that your academic performance so far gives an accurate indication of your potential for success in the program? If so, why? If not, why not?
- Have you ever received any formal disciplinary action from an academic institution or been forced to withdraw from a course of study? If so, you must declare the information here.
- Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of people in your team.
- Have you attended an event on or off campus where you met with representatives from the school? If yes, please tell us when, where and who you met.
- We encourage applicants to take into consideration the impact of the study on family and friends. Who have you discussed your plans with, and what was the response? Feel free to give the names of members of the school community (alumni, students, faculty, staff, etc.) as appropriate.
Essay 1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A standard goal-essay question that asks you to connect your past and future through the route of MBA at London Business School.
The phrasing of essay as 'post-MBA plan' might be a little misleading but you must do a thorough job describing your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals. You might want to give more attention and space to immediate post-MBA goal and bring in long-term career vision to anchor your argument about the need for LBS London MBA. When writing about your goals, ensure they are credible, practical and viable. Clearly mention the function and industry you want to pursue and why given your background it makes a logical next step for you.
"Why LBS London" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS London website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS London MBA the BEST business school program for you?" Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS London specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 2. How will you add value to the London Business School community? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. LBS London is a very competitive top-ranked school so they want to be sure that if they admit you, their community stands to gain from your presence in their program. For this reason LBS London has consistently and persistently demanded a clear and committed response from its applicants about how they will contribute to LBS London. Several questions from the LBS London essay archives will attest to that.
2012-2013: Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London Business School MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. Please describe how you will contribute to student clubs and the community and why?
2011-2012: What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute?
2006-2007/2007-2008: What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading?
You can add value to a b-school in several possible ways: with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests, passions etc... There are umpteen ways to show that you bring unique value and LBS London student body will benefit from you. Mention how your strengths, interests and passion connect with resources and opportunities at LBS London. Do your research, talk to students and alums and show LBS London that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Essay 3. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 3 Tips. There is a lot of information that LBS London asks you to explain in the online application which is often reserved for an optional essay, so don't repeat any of that here but use this space strategically to enhance the quality of your application. Use this essay is to convey any extraordinarily positive information that you could not capture in the first two essays.
Here are some of the questions and topics that are asked in the online application- you might like to expand on any of these or come up with more reasons to show LBS London why they should admit you.
- Do you feel that your academic performance so far gives an accurate indication of your potential for success on the programme? If so, why? If not, why not?
- Have you ever received formal disciplinary action from an academic institution or been forced to withdraw from a course of study? If so, you must declare the information here.
- Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of people in your team.
- Have you attended an event on or off campus where you met with representatives from the school? If yes, please tell us when, where and who you met.
- We encourage applicants to take into consideration the impact of study on family and friends. Who have you discussed your plans with, and what was the response? Feel free to give the names of members of the school community (alumni, students, faculty, staff etc) as appropriate.
Reapplicant Essay. How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? Have your views of London Business School or the MBA programme changed since you last applied? (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Use these 300 words to convince the LBS London Admissions Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic, community and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an LBS London admission this year. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your LBS London application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the LBS London reapplicant essay. Proactive LBS London-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from LBS London, might prove a trump card.
The second question, a new addition this year, attempts to discover how much you have matured as a prospective student and how much better knowledge of your career, goals, MBA and LBS London you have as compared to earlier.
Show marked, even dramatic, improvement. That's what this essay is about!
Essay 1. What will your future look like after completing your MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a combination of last year's first two essay questions: "In what role or sector do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal?" AND "Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision?".
Greater attention can be given to your immediate post-MBA plans since the short term goal is essential to the answer while the long term goal is optional. Also, traditionally LBS London has often zoomed into the immediate post-MBA career plans. Try to paint a logical career progression that connects your past with your future and with the LBS London MBA.
Ensure that your goals, most specifically the short term goals, are credible, practical and viable. A clear goal in terms of job profile and industry would be to your advantage - enabling you to construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Some background on how you have selected this job/function/company/industry and why it is important to you will help.
Passionately presenting your motivation for your chosen goal - one that possibly links convincingly with your longer term career vision - will be very welcome. Clear thinking, intelligence, strategic vision and passion, might be the key qualities you wanna highlight here. In addition to telling LBS London what you aim to do, you could also touch upon "why LBS London" and how it has helped you reach nearer your goals. Since the LBS London admissions blog beseeches you to "Think about how your relationship with LBS London will evolve in the years following your graduation." perhaps try to do that as well; the better place for that though will be the third essay.
Do your best!
Essay 2. What value will you add to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. LBS London has consistently and persistently demanded a clear and committed response from its applicants about how they will contribute to LBS London. Several questions from the LBS London essay archives will attest to that.
2012-2013: Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London Business School MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. Please describe how you will contribute to student clubs and the community and why?
2011-2012: What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute?
2006-2007/2007-2008: What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading?
Start by researching student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life in general at LBS London. Then choose the appropriate activities that dovetail with your tastes and aptitude. Endeavor to take a leap towards leadership and innovation; so, instead of simply detailing activities you might contribute to, attempt to use this essay to additionally demonstrate your leadership skills and potential. Perhaps this 2010-2011 essay prompt will be a further inspiration: "You have decided to stand for the role of Student Association President. Announcing your campaign to the London Business School community for the first time, please describe your manifesto.".
Deep research that uncovers aspects that are unique to LBS London will be critical to the success of this essay.
Linking your future involvement at LBS London with your past actions/successes in similar endeavors/field will help market your candidature while also adding to the credibility of your essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3. What is the School's responsibility to you and what is your responsibility to the School? (400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is an unusually blunt question, underlining the importance that LBS London places on how deeply and clearly you understand LBS London. As the LBS London admissions office blog states "..we are looking for applicants who will be part of the LBS London family for life.".
Therefore, your goal is simple: to understand how you will be part of LBS in the short and long term, and how you will ensure that it is a mutually productive relationship.
The section dealing with "Your responsibility to" LBS needs to explain how you will interact, adapt, contribute and thrive, as a student AND later as an alumnus. While pledging a 500 million euro lifetime contribution to the school might not be the way to go, definitely offer longer term commitment that enriches both you and the school.
The section dealing with "the School's responsibility to you" can specifically target what support and guidance you expect from LBS as a student aspiring towards a specific set of goals. How the LBS community and the School can enhance your professional/personal development over the years could form a shorter section.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? Have your views of London Business School or the MBA programme changed since you last applied? (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Use these 300 words to convince the LBS Admissions Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic, community and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an LBS admission this year. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your LBS application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the LBS reapplicant essay. Proactive LBS-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from LBS, might prove a trump card.
The second question, a new addition this year, attempts to discover how much you have matured as a prospective student and how much better knowledge of your career, goals, MBA and LBS you have as compared to earlier.
Show marked, even dramatic, improvement. That's what this essay is about!
Go for it!
Optional Essay. This is not a compulsory essay but please complete if you would like the opportunity to clarify or expand upon any information submitted in your application.
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the LBS optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the LBS optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the LBS optional essay is acceptable is when you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other LBS essays: maybe a VERY strong reason that promotes your LBS admit that absolutely requires another essay.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Go for it
Essay 1. 1. Please discuss your career progress to date and explain why now is the right time to undertake an MBA at London Business School? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. LBS has reverted to the simpler 2009-2010 goals essay pattern, changing from last year's combined: "Give us a brief assessment of your career progress to date. In what role do you see yourself working in immediately after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? How will your past and present experiences help you to achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA? (750 words)".
This simple two-part goals essays is simple enough: outline your career path and then justify your decision to pursue an LBS MBA now.
Career Progression: Explain the path your career has taken, highlight the key achievements and if possible uncover a logical theme that runs across your career (and logically leads to the MBA and thereafter). Please keep essay two and your goals in mind while writing this essay: ideally your career progress story will substantially explain the motivations for your selection of your short term (maybe even long term) job/function/company/industry and support it through the skills/knowledge you have gained. Showcasing career achievements, insights and learning will be welcome.
Why LBS? Why now?: "Why LBS" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS MBA the BEST business school program for you?" This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. "Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA?" seeks to know why NOW, rather than later (or earlier), is the ideal time for your LBS education.
Do your best!
Essay 2. Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This essay is a natural companion to Essay One, but is separated since LBS wants to highlight the individual importance of your long term and short term goals. Perhaps LBS is a little tired of fuzzy answers for one or the other or both!
From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays separately and then together, before you put pen to paper. Logical links between your long-term goals, short-term goals, past experiences and LBS, will help. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in making this a high point in your LBS application. Define each goal and explain your vision.
Short Term Goal: Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, practicality and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS. A 5 year goal is somewhat unusual in a goals essay, so clarity about your career progression post-MBA will need greater clarity than the average b-school goals essay. A clear goal in terms of job profile and industry would be to your advantage - enabling you to construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Specify how your experiences so far, especially in the current job, will help you achieve your goal.
Longer Term Career Vision: What is your career vision? What impact do you see yourself - within your function/industry/country/universe. Some lucid thinking and intelligence will go a long way in making this a high point in your LBS application. Logically link your long-term goals with the short-term goals, past experience and LBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence, might be the key qualities you wanna highlight here.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Give a specific example of when you have had to test your leadership and team working skills. Given this experience what role will you play in a first year study group? (300 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is a rephrased version of the 2009-2010 prompt: "Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Include any specific challenges you have faced. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your first year study group?".
Since we have just a single example to base the essay on, choose a story that allows you to present your skills and attitude in leadership/teamwork while also correlating your skills with the LBS study group. You can choose from any of the numerous leadership and team situations that you have experienced; the setting can be personal, professional or academic.
Though accomplishments have not been directly asked for, it stands to reason that you will not be cataloging your failures in team situations! A good, succinct, unique, credible story will make this essay. Since "test" is part of the essay prompt, delineate specific challenges you faced, and briefly explain how you overcame them, and possible even how it furthered your development as a team player and a leader.
Building some knowledge about the LBS study groups would be in order before attempting this essay. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni); this example of an LBS study group might help. Check out the LBS class profile. As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accordingly. For example, the very next essay again seeks your ideas about contributing to yet another facet of the LBS program - student club or campus community events. Like in the earlier couple of LBS essays keep the other essays in mind while writing this one.
Go for it!
Essay 4. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London Business School MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. Please describe how you will contribute to student clubs and the community and why? (300 words)
Essay 4 Tips. This again is a rephrasing of the prompt: "What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute?". I had really liked the old 2005-2006 LBS essay question which asked you to "initiate" an event or club; I liked the 2006-2007/2007-2008 question too which asked "What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading?". This essay prompt is less challenging - and only demands that you describe club/events you will "contribute" to.
However, why set your sights too low?! After researching student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life in general at LBS, and then choosing the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude, perhaps you can still take that leap towards leadership and innovation. Instead of simply detailing activities you might contribute to, attempt to use this essay to additionally demonstrate your leadership skills and potential. Perhaps this 2010-2011 essay prompt will be a further inspiration: "You have decided to stand for the role of Student Association President. Announcing your campaign to the London Business School community for the first time, please describe your manifesto.".
Linking your future involvement at LBS with your past actions/successes in similar endeavors/field will add definite credibility to your essay. Please make your decision about essay 5 before writing this essay, since certain aspects of approach, attitude and possibly even concrete actions, might overlap with essay 5a.
Go for it!
Essay 5 London Business School offers a truly global and diverse experience. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country or culture. What did you gain and how will your experience contribute to London Business School? (250 words)
Essay 5 Tips. LBS is proud of the "highly international nature" of its programme and considers itself especially "suitable for people who want international mobility". So it stands to reason that as an LBS applicant you are expected to have an inclusive, global outlook; so, if possible, showcase your international exposure.
Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay - how you will interact, adapt and thrive, in a multi-cultural environment and how this will help you enhance the LBS community. With a longer essay this time, you can write more substantial examples that underline your ability to deal with change and diversity.
Go for it!
Essay 6. Considering what you have already included in the application, what else would you like to tell us about yourself? You can approach this question however you like. (250 words)
Essay 6 Tips. This is somewhat similar to the famed Chicago Booth slide and Stern free-form non-essay challenges, except that LBS presents it in essay form. The limitless scope of the question might stump some of you. However, the basics challenge still remains the same: how to present your candidature credibly, impressively and differently.
Ask yourself, what else and what more would you like the LBS admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Try to portray yourself from a different angle, to highlight different aspects of yourself or even to re-emphasize what makes you tick. And try to build a theme while doing that.
The broad hint "however you like" should motivate you to be creative in form and/or approach and/or structure. Humor and insight could be the magic variables that score for you. And have some fun while doing all this.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? Have your views of London Business School or the MBA programme changed since you last applied? (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Use these 300 words to convince the LBS Admissions Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic, community and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an LBS admission this year. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your LBS application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the LBS reapplicant essay. Proactive LBS-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from LBS, might prove a trump card.
The second question, a new addition this year, attempts to discover how much you have matured as a prospective student and how much better knowledge of your career, goals, MBA and LBS you have as compared to earlier.
Show marked, even dramatic, improvement. That's what this essay is about!
Go for it!
Optional Essay. This is not a compulsory essay but please complete if you would like the opportunity to clarify or expand upon any information submitted in your application.
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the LBS optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the LBS optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the LBS optional essay is acceptable is when you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other LBS essays – a VERY strong reason that promotes your LBS admit that absolutely requires another essay.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. 1. Give us a brief assessment of your career progress to date. In what role do you see yourself working in immediately after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? How will your past and present experiences help you to achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA? (750 words)
Essay 1 Tips. LBS has combined the first two essays from last year to create a jumbo 6-part essay. Despite the multiple questions and the slightly unusual focus on your immediate post MBA job, this LBS essay remains a standard Goals Essay that essentially demands a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA. Why LBS has SO many sub-questions is perhaps because they got tired of fuzzy answers! - so lets give 'em clarity and focus.
Career Progression: The career progression is essentially to link what you are with what you aspire to be. Your background should also substantially explain the motivations for your selection of your short term (maybe even long term) job/function/company/industry. Convince the admissions committee that though you have some way to go you do have experience, skills and knowledge that (together with the LBS experience) will make your goals achievable. Briefly showcasing your career achievements will be welcomed.
Short Term Goal: Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, practicality and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS. A clear goal in terms of job profile and industry would be to your advantage - enabling you to construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Specify how your experiences so far, especially in the current job, will help you achieve your goal.
Longer Term Career Vision: What is your career vision? What impact do you see yourself - within your function/industry/country/universe. Some lucid thinking and intelligence will go a long way in making this a high point in your LBS application. Logically link your long-term goals with the short-term goals, past experience and LBS. Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence, might be the key qualities you wanna highlight here.
Why LBS? Why now?: "Why LBS" is a critical component of the question and should be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the LBS website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the LBS MBA the BEST business school program for you?" This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what LBS specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. "Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA?" and seeks to know why NOW, rather than later (or earlier), is the ideal time for your LBS education.
Do your best!
Essay 2. Give a specific example of when you have had to test your leadership and team working skills. Given this experience what role will you play in a first year study group? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a rephrased version of last year's prompt: "Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Include any specific challenges you have faced. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your first year study group?". The difference this time is that it is shorter by 200 words and we are limited to a single leadership/team-working example.
Since we have just a single example to base the essay on, choose a story that allows you to present your skills and attitude in leadership/teamwork while also correlating your skills with the LBS study group. You can choose from any of the numerous leadership and team situations that you have experienced; the setting can be personal, professional or academic.
Though accomplishments have not been directly asked for, it stands to reason that you will not be cataloging your failures in team situations! A good, succinct, unique, credible story will make this essay. Since "test" is part of the essay prompt, delineate specific challenges you faced, and briefly explain how you overcame them, and possible even how it furthered your development as a team player and a leader.
Building some knowledge about the LBS study groups would be in order before attempting this essay. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni); this example of an LBS study group might help. Check out the LBS class profile. As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accordingly. For example, the very next essay again seeks your ideas about contributing to yet another facet of the LBS program - student club or campus community events. Like in the earlier couple of LBS essays keep the other essays in mind while writing this one.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London Business School MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. Please describe how you will contribute to student clubs and the community and why? (300 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This again is a rephrasing of last year's prompt: "What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute?", and it is shorter by a 100 words.
I had really liked the old 2005-2006 LBS essay question which asked you to "initiate" an event or club; I liked the 2006-2007/2007-2008 question too which asked "What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading?". This essay prompt is less challenging - and only demands that you describe club/events you will "contribute" to.
However why sets your sights too low?! After researching student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life in general at LBS, and then choosing the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude, perhaps you can still take that leap towards leadership and innovation. Instead of simply detailing activities you might contribute to, attempt to use this essay to additionally demonstrate your leadership skills and potential.
Linking your future involvement at LBS with your past actions/successes in similar endeavors/field will add definite credibility to your essay. Please make your decision about essay 5 before writing this essay, since certain aspects of approach, attitude and possibly even concrete actions, might overlap with essay 5a.
Go for it!
Essay 4. London Business School offers a truly global and diverse experience. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country or culture. What did you gain and how will your experience contribute to London Business School? (300 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Phew! LBS has at last changed this prompt to expand its scope beyond international experience. By including experiences outside your home "culture" this essay is no longer a bugbear to candidates without international exposure.
Still, LBS is proud of the "highly international nature" of its programme and consider themselves especially "suitable for people who want international mobility". So it stands to reason that as an LBS applicant you are expected to have an inclusive, global outlook; so, if possible, showcase your international exposure.
Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay - how you will interact, adapt and thrive, in a multi-cultural environment and how this will help you enhance the LBS community. With a longer essay this time, you can write more substantial examples that underline your ability to deal with change and diversity.
Go for it!
5. Please choose ONE of the following:
Essay 5a. You have decided to stand for the role of Student Association President. Announcing your campaign to the London Business School community for the first time, please describe your manifesto. (150 words)
Essay 5a Tips. Hey, first off, lemme make an exception and play favorites. If essay 5b - "What is your most substantial achievement to date and why?" - does not overlap with content in earlier essays, go for that essay, and not this one; essay 5a requires at least a modicum of research, might possibly overlap with Essay 3 and could be difficult to write with passion.
However, if you do choose to write this essay start by learning more about the topic. The LBS Student Association and perhaps even a reading of the Student Association constitution might help. Once you have a handle on what the role of Student Association President represents lay out your vision/manifesto.
Try to display leadership, vision, innovation and a clear understanding of LBS through this short essay. Identify specific areas and specific actions that will make a difference to the LBS community. As in Essay 3, we will add to its credibility if at least some of the actions/ideas can correlate with what you personally might have demonstrably succeeded in in other walks of life. Also, ensure that this essay complements Essay 3, but without significant overlaps.
Go for it? Your call!
Essay 5b. What is your most substantial achievement to date and why? (150 words)
Essay 5b Tips. You have several accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic. Your choice of achievement for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, initiative, teamwork, intelligence and innovation are just some of the qualities that the story could showcase.
As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package. For example, the earlier essays, especially essays two thru four, require several stories focusing on several aspects of you; so choose the achievement carefully. Write accordingly.
Also, within the context of your LBS essay package this should be "your most significant accomplishment" - see that there are no contradictions there. Ideally, the "why" aspect should be apparent within the body of the story itself - an additional short sentence that clarifies the reason/s might be all the space we have to tackle that aspect in this short essay.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the LBS optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the LBS optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the LBS optional essay is acceptable is when you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other LBS essays – a VERY strong reason that promotes your LBS admit that absolutely requires another essay.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? Have your views of London Business School or the MBA programme changed since you last applied? (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Use these 300 words to convince the LBS Admissions Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic, community and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an LBS admission this year. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your LBS application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the LBS reapplicant essay. Proactive LBS-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from LBS, might prove a trump card.
The second question, a new addition this year, attempts to discover how much you have matured as a prospective student and how much better knowledge of your career, goals, MBA and LBS you have as compared to earlier.
Show marked, even dramatic, improvement. That's what this essay is about!
Go for it!
Essay 1. In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA? (600 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is a goals essay with a slight deviation from the norm. This LBS application question is one of the few Business School essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA. Please review the second LBS essay before writing this essay because some of the motivation and the goals story might be more appropriate there than in this first essay.
Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, practicality and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS. A clear goal in terms of job profile and industry would be to your advantage - enabling you to construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Some background on how you have selected this job/function/company/industry and why it is important to you will help.
In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question. This is the time where your extensive research for your Business School short-listing process comes in really handy.
"Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA?" is an add-on this year - and seeks to know why NOW rather than later (or earlier) is the ideal time for your LBS education.
Essay 2. Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This essay is a natural companion to Essay One, but is separated since LBS wants to highlight the individual importance of your long term goal and short term goal; perhaps LBS is a little tired of fuzzy answers for one or the other or both!
From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays together and then separate the points for each essays, before you put pen to paper. Logical links between your long-term goals and your short-term goals, past experience and LBS, will help.
Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in making this a high point in your LBS application. Define the goal and explain your vision. Show how it makes sense for you - and for LBS! Strategic thinking, passion and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Do your best!
Essay 3. Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Include any specific challenges you have faced. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your first year study group? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. I am certain that you have several leadership and team accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group. Though accomplishments have not been directly asked for, it stands to reason that you will not be cataloging your failures in team situations! Good, succinct, unique, true stories will make their day - give it to them. "Include any specific challenges you have faced" is appended this year; so explicitly detail the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni). As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accordingly. For example, the very next essay again seeks your ideas about contributing to yet another facet of the LBS program - student club or campus community events. Like in the earlier couple of LBS essays keep the other essays in mind while writing each of them.
Essay 4. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute? (400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. I had really liked the old 2006-2007 LBS essay question which asked you to "initiate" an event or club; I liked the 2007-2008 too which asked "What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading?".
This year the essay prompt is less challenging - and only demands that you describe club/events you will be "involved" with. However you do not have top set your sights too low. After researching student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life in general at LBS, and then choosing the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude, perhaps you can still take that leap towards leadership and innovation. Instead of simply detailing activities you might be part of why not use the essay to additionally demonstrate your leadership skills and potential.
Essay 5. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (150 words)
Essay 5 Tips. LBS is proud of the "highly international nature" of its programme and is supposed to be "suitable for people who want international mobility". So it stands to reason that as an LBS applicant you are expected to have a global outlook.
Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.
The only problem is - what if you have never crossed the borders of your country? Will an unstamped passport mean that you cannot apply to LBS? But LBS shows no sign of scrapping the question - so we can only do the best with what we have.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the LBS optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the LBS optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the LBS optional essay is acceptable is when you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other LBS essays – a VERY strong reason that promotes your LBS admit that absolutely requires another essay.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Reapplicant Essay. How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? (300 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Use these 300 words to convince the LBS Admissions Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic, community and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for an LBS admission this year. State compelling reasons why you deserve a second chance. What steps have you taken to strengthen your LBS application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in the LBS reapplicant essay. Proactive LBS-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from LBS, might prove a trump card.
Essay 1. In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This LBS application question is one of the few Business School essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA.
Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, logic and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS.
In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question.
Essay 2. Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays together and then separate the points for each essays, before you put pen to paper. There should be professional and personal reasons that link your long-term goals with your short-term goals, past experience and LBS.
Essay 3. Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group.
Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni).
Essay 4. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community? (400 words)
Essay 4 Tips Since you are asked to market an idea and an entity you can start by researching your market, creating strategic communication and marketing plans, and trying to create a marketing success. This is a truly enjoyable essay if approached in the right spirit, else it can be quite a pain. Given a choice why choose pain, huh?
Essay 5. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (150 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Essay 1. In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This LBS application question is one of the few business school essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA.
Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, logic and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS.
In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question.
Essay 2. Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays together and then separate the points for each essays, before you put pen to paper. There should be professional and personal reasons that link your long-term goals with your short-term goals, past experience and LBS.
Essay 3. Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group.
Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni).
Essay 4. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community? (400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Since you are asked to market an idea and an entity you can start by researching your market, creating strategic communication and marketing plans, and trying to create a marketing success. This is a truly enjoyable essay if approached in the right spirit, else it can be quite a pain. Given a choice why choose pain, huh?
Essay 5. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (150 words)
Essay 5 Tips Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Essay 1. In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This LBS application question is one of the few business school essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA.
Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, logic and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS.
In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question.
Essay 2. Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (200 words)
Essay 2 Tips. From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays together and then separate the points for each essays, before you put pen to paper. There should be professional and personal reasons that link your long-term goals with your short-term goals, past experience and LBS.
Essay 3. Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group.
Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni).
Essay 4. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community? (400 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Since you are asked to market an idea and an entity you can start by researching your market, creating strategic communication and marketing plans, and trying to create a marketing success. This is a truly enjoyable essay if approached in the right spirit, else it can be quite a pain. Given a choice why choose pain, huh?
Essay 5. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (150 words)
Essay 5 Tips. Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.
Essay 1. In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (600 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This LBS application question is one of the few business school essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA.
Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, logic and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS.
In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question.
Essay 2. Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group.
Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni).
Essay 3. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself initiating? How would you set about organising this, and how would you communicate it to the wider School community? (400 words maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Since you are asked to market an idea and an entity you can start by researching your market, creating strategic communication and marketing plans, and trying to create a marketing success. This is a truly enjoyable leadership focused essay if approached in the right spirit, else it can be quite a pain. Given a choice why choose pain, huh?
Essay 4. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (100 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.
Essay 5. Please explain if you have been involved in charity/volunteer and/or entrepreneurial activities, giving examples of your involvement, the amount of time you gave to each activity and why you chose to get involved. (100 words maximum)
Essay 5 Tips. List and succinctly showcase your non-work or entrepreneurial activities. Your entrepreneurial and leadership skills might be an area of focus.
Essay 1. Introduce yourself. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute).
So what do you want to talk about in your introduction? They have seen your resume, they understand your work profile, they know your test scores. What more you want them to know?
We suggest using this space to talk about who you are, what defines you, perhaps what are your passions in life that have led you to make certain life and career choices. If you can try to bring in a memorable aspect of your uniqueness and distinction that will stay with them as they review your application, it will help you stand out from rest of the candidates!
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your two years as a Texas MBA student, and how that experience helped to prepare you for the post-MBA world. (500 words)
An interesting take on 'why McCombs' and how the B-school experience will help your career goals. Although the question is about that, you are required to speak it assuming that you have completed your MBA and ready to move on to your post-MBA career goals. So the experience that you will talk about at McCombs must be directly related to your career goals. You could talk about what opportunities, resources, activities, events you made use of at McCombs that helped you reach your career goals. You could also talk about what extra curricular activities you participated in and how they enriched your experience.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
Essay 1. Introduce yourself. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute).
So what do you want to talk about in your introduction? They have seen your resume, they understand your work profile, they know your test scores. What more you want them to know?
We suggest using this space to talk about who you are, what defines you, perhaps what are your passions in life that have led you to make certain life and career choices. If you can try to bring in a memorable aspect of your uniqueness and distinction that will stay with them as they review your application, it will help you stand out from rest of the candidates!
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your two years as a Texas MBA student, and how that experience helped to prepare you for the post-MBA world. (500 words)
An interesting take on 'why McCombs' and how the B-school experience will help your career goals. Although the question is about that, you are required to speak it assuming that you have completed your MBA and ready to move on to your post-MBA career goals. So the experience that you will talk about at McCombs must be directly related to your career goals. You could talk about what opportunities, resources, activities, events you made use of at McCombs that helped you reach your career goals. You could also talk about what extra curricular activities you participated in and how they enriched your experience.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
Essay 1. Introduce yourself. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute).
So what do you want to talk about in your introduction? They have seen your resume, they understand your work profile, they know your test scores. What more you want them to know?
We suggest using this space to talk about who you are, what defines you, perhaps what are your passions in life that have led you to make certain life and career choices. If you can try to bring in a memorable aspect of your uniqueness and distinction that will stay with them as they review your application, it will help you stand out from rest of the candidates!
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your two years as a Texas MBA student, and how that experience helped to prepare you for the post-MBA world. (500 words)
An interesting take on 'why McCombs' and how the B-school experience will help your career goals. Although the question is about that, you are required to speak it assuming that you have completed your MBA and ready to move on to your post-MBA career goals. So the experience that you will talk about at McCombs must be directly related to your career goals. You could talk about what opportunities, resources, activities, events you made use of at McCombs that helped you reach your career goals. You could also talk about what extra curricular activities you participated in and how they enriched your experience.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
Essay 1. Introduce yourself. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute).
Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute), Share your about.me profile.
Essay Tips. McCombs is aiming to gauge your intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with new media options in this essay prompt.
If possible, try to avoid the somewhat uncreative description about where you come from and what you do in the opening section of the essay. Think about what kind of information you would want to share with your future classmates so they remember you. Think about 1-2 distinct qualities. Pick something unique, surprising, charming, awe-inspiring, even humorous! Keep the tone professional but relaxed.
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. It might help to review couple of high-rated profiles. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. Picture yourself at graduation. Describe how you spent your two years as a Texas MBA student, and how that experience helped to prepare you for the post-MBA world. (500 words)
Essay Tips. Simply put this essay is asking you to explain- what value McCombs will add to you and what value YOU will add to McCombs community.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
McComb's tight-knit community can gain from you in several possible ways. You can bring value with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests and passions and in many more ways. Mention in specific details, how your strengths will connect with resources and opportunities available at McCombs. So, do your research and show the adcom that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information to the admissions committee that you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the committee in considering your application. (250 words)
- For example, if your standardized test scores are low or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum.
- If relevant to your circumstances, please also discuss any other factors that you think may impact your candidacy (i.e., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or any significant weaknesses in your application or extenuating personal circumstances)
Optional Essay Tips. If you decide to write this essay, make sure your address these shortfalls with an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. Keep it short, take the ownership of your weakness without blaming others or the situation and briefly explain the reason(s) behind it. Also show in some ways you have worked or will work to mitigate those weakness.
To address lack of quantitative coursework in your background you could show examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work. If your recommenders can vouch for your quant abilities- even better!. You could also mention courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities.
Essay 1. McCombs Texas Essay 1. At The University of Texas at Austin, what starts here changes the world. You are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2018, meeting your cohort for the first time. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates, including relevant information about your personal and professional life. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute), Share your about.me profile.
Essay Tips. McCombs is aiming to gauge your intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with new media options in this essay prompt.
If possible, try to avoid the somewhat uncreative description about where you come from and what you do in the opening section of the essay. Think about what kind of information you would want to share with your future classmates so they remember you. Think about 1-2 distinct qualities. Pick something unique, surprising, charming, awe-inspiring, even humorous! Keep the tone professional but relaxed.
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. It might help to review couple of high-rated profiles. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. The McCombs School of Business is where leadership is earned. We have an inclusive environment where our dynamic and driven students take an active role in the Texas MBA community. Please discuss why the Texas MBA is the ideal program for you, what you hope to achieve, and how you will contribute to your classmates' experience. (500 words)
Essay Tips. Simply put this essay is asking you to explain- what value McCombs will add to you and what value YOU will add to McCombs community.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
McComb's tight-knit community can gain from you in several possible ways. You can bring value with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests and passions and in many more ways. Mention in specific details, how your strengths will connect with resources and opportunities available at McCombs. So, do your research and show the adcom that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information to the admissions committee that you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the committee in considering your application. (250 words)
- For example, if your standardized test scores are low or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum.
- If relevant to your circumstances, please also discuss any other factors that you think may impact your candidacy (i.e., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or any significant weaknesses in your application or extenuating personal circumstances)
Optional Essay Tips. If you decide to write this essay, make sure your address these shortfalls with an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. Keep it short, take the ownership of your weakness without blaming others or the situation and briefly explain the reason(s) behind it. Also show in some ways you have worked or will work to mitigate those weakness.
To address lack of quantitative coursework in your background you could show examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work. If your recommenders can vouch for your quant abilities- even better!. You could also mention courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities.
Essay 1. McCombs Texas Essay 1. At The University of Texas at Austin, what starts here changes the world. You are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2018, meeting your cohort for the first time. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates, including relevant information about your personal and professional life. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute), Share your about.me profile.
Essay Tips. McCombs is aiming to gauge your intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with new media options in this essay prompt.
If possible, try to avoid the somewhat uncreative description about where you come from and what you do in the opening section of the essay. Think about what kind of information you would want to share with your future classmates so they remember you. Think about 1-2 distinct qualities. Pick something unique, surprising, charming, awe-inspiring, even humorous! Keep the tone professional but relaxed.
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. It might help to review couple of high-rated profiles. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. The McCombs School of Business is where leadership is earned. We have an inclusive environment where our dynamic and driven students take an active role in the Texas MBA community. Please discuss why the Texas MBA is the ideal program for you, what you hope to achieve, and how you will contribute to your classmates' experience. (500 words)
Essay Tips. Simply put this essay is asking you to explain- what value McCombs will add to you and what value YOU will add to McCombs community.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
McComb's tight-knit community can gain from you in several possible ways. You can bring value with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests and passions and in many more ways. Mention in specific details, how your strengths will connect with resources and opportunities available at McCombs. So, do your research and show the adcom that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information to the admissions committee that you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the committee in considering your application. (250 words)
- For example, if your standardized test scores are low or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum.
- If relevant to your circumstances, please also discuss any other factors that you think may impact your candidacy (i.e., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or any significant weaknesses in your application or extenuating personal circumstances)
Optional Essay Tips. If you decide to write this essay, make sure your address these shortfalls with an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. Keep it short, take the ownership of your weakness without blaming others or the situation and briefly explain the reason(s) behind it. Also show in some ways you have worked or will work to mitigate those weakness.
To address lack of quantitative coursework in your background you could show examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work. If your recommenders can vouch for your quant abilities- even better!. You could also mention courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities.
Essay 1. Imagine that you are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2017. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates, and include any personal and/or professional aspects that you believe to be significant. Select only ONE communication method that you would like to use for your response. Write an essay (250 words), Share a video introduction (one minute), Share your about.me profile.
Essay 1 Tips. McCombs is aiming to gauge your intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with new media options in this essay prompt.
If possible, try to avoid the somewhat uncreative description about where you come from and what you do in the opening. Think about what kind of information you would want to share with your future classmates so they remember you. Think about 1-2 distinct qualities. Pick something unique, surprising, charming, awe-inspiring, even humorous! Keep the tone professional but relaxed.
If you want to make a video, make sure you dress appropriately and have clean backgrounds (no cluttered rooms!). Check the lighting and audio properly, and if possible have a friend help you with the recording.
For those who want to take a more tech-savvy approach with about.me, first decide what kind of image you want to project. This page would become part of your brand. It might help to review couple of high-rated profiles. If you are adding links to your other social media profiles, make sure your profiles are updated and clean of any content that might make an unfavorable impression.
Whatever medium you chose, show your enthusiasm to become part of McCombs!
Hook 'em Horns!
Essay 2. In the Texas MBA program, we promote a diverse and collaborative community by providing opportunities for growth in an academically rigorous environment. Please discuss why McCombs is the right program for you, what you hope to gain from your time in the Texas MBA Program both personally and professionally, and how you will contribute to your classmates' experiences. (500 words)
Essay Tips. Simply put this essay is asking you to explain- what value McCombs will add to you and what value YOU will add to McCombs community.
If your goals are clear and realistic and you have done enough research on McComb's business school, it should be relatively easy for you to justify why this is the right program for you. If you are struggling to answer that question, we suggest you do a thorough search on the program, connect with current students, alums and adcom and discuss how this business school will enable you to reach closer to your goals.
McComb's tight-knit community can gain from you in several possible ways. You can bring value with your industry knowledge, domain expertise, unique perspectives, extracurricular interests and passions and in many more ways. Mention in specific details, how your strengths will connect with resources and opportunities available at McCombs. So, do your research and show the adcom that you are eager and prepared to contribute to their community both as an MBA student and an alum.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information to the admissions committee that you believe is important and/or will address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the committee in considering your application. (250 words)
- For example, if your standardized test scores are low or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (i.e. calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum.
- If relevant to your circumstances, please also discuss any other factors that you think may impact your candidacy (i.e., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, or any significant weaknesses in your application or extenuating personal circumstances)
Optional Essay Tips. If you decide to write this essay, make sure your address these shortfalls with an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. Keep it short, take the ownership of your weakness without blaming others or the situation and briefly explain the reason(s) behind it. Also show in some ways you have worked or will work to mitigate those weakness.
To address lack of quantitative coursework in your background you could show examples that showcase how you use quantitative and numerical skills at work. If your recommenders can vouch for your quant abilities- even better!. You could also mention courses/certifications you have undertaken to enhance your quantitative abilities.
Please select one of the following three essays to complete (500 words max)
Essay Option 1: Principled Leadership: Georgetown McDonough places a strong emphasis on principled leadership,
providing both curricular and co-curricular opportunities to strengthen your leadership skills.
Describe a time when you’ve led a team in a professional environment to implement a new idea or process.
What leadership characteristics did you utilize? What could you have done to be more effective?
And most importantly, what skills will you be able to bring to the teams you lead at McDonough?
Essay 1 Tips. A very interesting leadership question! Often schools ask for a leadership story but Georgetown has gone a step ahead and keep specific focus on implementing new idea/process. The question also requires a high level of self-awareness and humility.
We suggest you start your leadership story by giving the context of the situation and the associated challenges. Show your thought process and what actions you took to assemble and lead your team. As you give details of the idea/ process, keep the technical jargan to a minimum and write simply and authentically. If possible, take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. If you are writing a professional story, try to get it also mentioned in the LOR by your recommenders to enhance the credibility and impact.
The last part of the question needs to tie your past experience and skill set with your time at Georgetown. Some of the skills you could highlight are: people management, teamwork, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and cross-cultural leadership
Essay Option 2: Hoyas Helping Hoyas: Georgetown McDonough embodies the ethos that people and organizations can and should contribute to the greater good. The admissions committee would like to better understand how you’ve demonstrated these values during uniquely challenging times. Describe a time where you’ve put the needs of others ahead of your own or ahead of the bottom line. We look forward to learning more about the challenge you faced, what unique characteristics you brought to that scenario, and what you learned from it.
Essay 2 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
For this answer, pick an example that is compelling, moving, and also presenting you in a strong position as a candidate. Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay Option 3: Personal Brand: Think of a business leader or role model you admire or aspire to be. What are the defining characteristics of his or her personal brand that you see in yourself? Give an example of how you have been able to emulate these characteristics in your professional career and how your personal brand will enrich the McDonough community.
Essay 3 Tips. A simple question, but the biggest point to remember here is that - even while talking about another person you admire, the essay must focus on YOU. In answering WHY you admire a person, you reveal your values and ideals and character, and that is what school is interested in learning about you.
While you can pick anyone as your role model, even someone from your own family, but if you select a known personality it would make your job easier. However, if you pick someone not as well known, then you will have to first give details about who they are and why are they a good leader. But please note, the main focus should be on YOU. You are applying for admission to Georgetown, not the leader you admire!
Also, at all times keep in mind that your purpose through every essay and application component is to make a case for your admission. So treat this also as a marketing opportunity and have fun with it!
Video Essay. Please introduce yourself to your future Georgetown MBA cohort in a one-minute video.
The admissions committee would like for you to appear in person for part of your video and we strongly encourage you to speak outside of the experiences noted on your resume.
You may use your phone, computer, or other means to record the video, but please ensure all audio and visual components are clear. We recommend a well-lit room and minimal noise distraction. Your video should be about 1 minute in length.
Video Tips. Follow Vibranture tips to record high-quality answers:
1. Dress appropriately: Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and you should be dressed accordingly. Ideally you should dress in business formals.
2. Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make you appear attentive, alert and make a positive impression.
3. Be upbeat and smile: Display your enthusiasm for the school and the process by being cheerful and in good spirits. Speak loudly and clearly and when appropriate smile. Although you are in a strict professional context, you don't need to be gloomy and serious. Think you are talking to your manager who is also your friend and speak with that mindset. :)
4. Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a light colored wall / curtains as your background. Avoid busy/distracting prints.
5. Look into the camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
6. Light from front: Position the light source in front of you so your face/ body is lit properly. Avoid placing lights on side or in the back/ top.
7. Good audio: Check your audio/ mic a few times and listen to your recorded voice. Avoid using headphones/ earphones - they tend to look clumsy and distracting, unless you are using wireless ones/ or black ones that are non-intrusive. For most part the mic in the laptop would be good.
8. Frame properly: Keep the camera at your eye level and frame in a way to place the top of frame close to top of head and bottom just above the waist. Also place yourself in the center and avoid anything in the background.
9. Minimize background sounds: Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, Facebook, Skype, Twitter notifications both in your cell phone and computer system.
10. Script before you speak: Take time to note down bullet points and practice/rehearse before you start recording.
Essay. “Describe a defining moment when you were challenged and exceeded expectations.” The moment can be a professional or personal one. If personal, then please also include how it had an impact on your professional development.
Essay Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Show your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey.
Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay. “Describe a defining moment when you were challenged and exceeded expectations.” The moment can be a professional or personal one. If personal, then please also include how it had an impact on your professional development.
Essay Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Show your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey.
Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay. What matters to you? Please share an experience from your past that illustrates why this matters to you and how it will enable you to contribute during your MBA Program (note: this does not necessarily need to be related to your professional goals). (500 words)
Essay Tips. The adcom wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for the adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
In the second part of the essay, you will need to relate this to how you will contribute to Georgetown. You might need to do more research on the school and its MBA program. Speaking with current students, alums, and adcom will help you identify how this school and its offerings are specifically aligned with your career goals. Also doing a thorough research about the community and figuring out where all you can get involved and add value will be immensely helpful.
Let your passion and enthusiasm for Georgetown come through in this essay, show to the adcom you can't wait to bleed Hoya blue!
Video Essay. We ask that you prepare a one-minute video, upload it to an accessible website (such as Youtube, Vimeo, Youku, or Tudou), and submit the direct video URL into your online application. Please introduce yourself to your future Georgetown MBA cohort. Use this video as an opportunity to bring life to your application. Please note that we cannot accept private or password protected videos.
Essay. Georgetown McDonough Essay 1. What matters to you? Please share an experience from your past that illustrates why this matters to you and how it will enable you to contribute during your MBA Program (note: this does not necessarily need to be related to your professional goals). (500 words)
Essay Tips. The adcom wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for the adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
In the second part of the essay, you will need to relate this to how you will contribute to Georgetown. You might need to do more research on the school and its MBA program. Speaking with current students, alums, and adcom will help you identify how this school and its offerings are specifically aligned with your career goals. Also doing a thorough research about the community and figuring out where all you can get involved and add value will be immensely helpful.
Let your passion and enthusiasm for Georgetown come through in this essay, show to the adcom you can't wait to bleed Hoya blue!
Essay. Why you? (Hint: we are looking for an answer that cannot be found from research on our website) (750 words or fewer)
Essay Tips. In other words: We get so many applications from great candidates, why should we take you?
What are your career goals and why an MBA from our school is so critical to your success? How do you think we can help you reach your goals? What makes Georgetown a good fit for you?
What do you bring to the table for us? How do you think you will contribute to our community better than any other applicant? What makes you a good fit with Georgetown?
So, show us why should we take you?
Once you start answering these questions one by one, you will find yourself making a strong case for why Georgetown should accept you. If your argument isn't compelling enough, you should perhaps do more research on the school and its MBA program. Speaking with current student, alums, adcom will help you identify how this school and its offerings are specifically aligned with your career goals. Also doing a thorough research about the community and figuring out where all you can get involved and add value will be immensely helpful.
Let your passion and enthusiasm for Georgetown come through in this essay, show to the adcom you can't wait to bleed hoya blue!
Optional Essay 1. If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your pos-MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through them show what motivates you on a personal level and if possible present them in such a way that they will make you an attractive candidate for McDonough Business School.
Optional Essay 2. Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)
Optional Essay 2 Tips. You could use this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the required essay. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, then write the optional essay.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay. Why you? (Hint: we are looking for an answer that cannot be found from research on our website) (750 words or fewer)
Essay Tips. In other words: We get so many applications from great candidates, why should we take you?
What are your career goals and why an MBA from our school is so critical to your success? How do you think we can help you reach your goals? What makes Georgetown a good fit for you?
What do you bring to the table for us? How do you think you will contribute to our community better than any other applicant? What makes you a good fit with Georgetown?
So, show us why should we take you?
Once you start answering these questions one by one, you will find yourself making a strong case for why Georgetown should accept you. If your argument isn't compelling enough, you should perhaps do more research on the school and its MBA program. Speaking with current student, alums, adcom will help you identify how this school and its offerings are specifically aligned with your career goals. Also doing a thorough research about the community and figuring out where all you can get involved and add value will be immensely helpful.
Let your passion and enthusiasm for Georgetown come through in this essay, show to the adcom you can't wait to bleed hoya blue!
Optional Essay 1. If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)
Optional Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward question expecting a simple answer. If you are not employed you could be still engaged in productive pursuits. You could be taking extra courses, perhaps giving your time to volunteering, taking a long due vacation with friends and family or simply taking time off to introspect and contemplate about your pos-MBA plans. Use this space to not only show the activities and occupations but also through them show what motivates you on a personal level and if possible present them in such a way that they will make you an attractive candidate for McDonough Business School.
Optional Essay 2. Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)
Optional Essay 2 Tips. You could use this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the required essay. If this aspect of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, then write the optional essay.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly help your application.
Essay 1. Why do you intend on pursuing an MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path and how will the Desautels MBA program add value to your future career? (500 words)
Essay 2. What qualities would you look for in an MBA classmate when working on a team project and describe how your background and leadership skills will enhance the experience of others?(500 words)
Essay 3. Describe a difficult decision you made and the process that you went through to make it.(500 words)
Essay 1. Describe a situation where you failed to achieve an objective, and what you learned from it.(Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2. Describe an experience where, working in a team as a member or leader, you successfully managed to deal with a challenge posed by the diversity of the group.(Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3. As concisely as possible, please explain why you intend on pursuing your MBA studies at this time and how will the Desautels MBA program help you in achieving your professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1. Describe a challenge you have faced either professionally or academically, and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. What did you learn from it? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2. While pursuing your MBA studies, what steps do you believe you need to take in order to achieve your career goals? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3. As concisely as possible, please explain why you intend on pursuing your MBA studies at this time and how will the Desautels MBA program help you in achieving your professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1. Describe a challenge you have faced either professionally or academically, and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. What did you learn from it? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2. While pursuing your MBA studies, what steps do you believe you need to take in order to achieve your career goals? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3. As concisely as possible, please explain why you intend on pursuing your MBA studies at this time and how will the Desautels MBA program help you in achieving your professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1. Describe a situation where you failed to achieve an objective, and what you learned from it. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2. Describe an experience where, working in a team as a member or leader, you successfully managed to deal with a challenge posed by the diversity of the group. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3. As concisely as possible, please explain why you intend on pursuing your MBA studies at this time and how will the Desautels MBA program help you in achieving your professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 1. Describe a situation where you failed to achieve an objective, and what you learned from it. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2. Describe an experience where, working in a team as a member or leader, you successfully managed to deal with a challenge posed by the diversity of the group. (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 3. As concisely as possible, please explain why you intend on pursuing your MBA studies at this time and how will the Desautels MBA program help you in achieving your professional goals. (Maximum 500 words)
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Please give careful thought to your personal statements. As a guide, your response to each question should be between 100 and 300 words long (a maximum character limit applies).
Essay 1. What are your long term career goals?
Essay 2. What is unique about your background and experience that you would bring to your classmates at MBS?
Essay 3. What gaps in your knowledge or skills do you hope that this program will help you to work on?
Essay 4. Describe a workplace situation where you had a responsibility for managing people. Reflect on what you learned.
Statement of Purpose. Please share your short term professional goals. What role does a Notre Dame MBA play in helping you achieve these goals? (max 100 words)
Statement of Purpose Tips. This is a straightforward career goals essay in which you must write about your desired post-MBA role and what aspects of the MBA program will help you reach your goals. 100 words barely allows you any freedom to describe details about your goals or career plans- so you will need to be very focussed in your answer.
Essay Option 1. Cardinal O'Hara established the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame in 1921, firmly committed to the idea that "the primary function of commerce is service to mankind". As the world economy continues to grow and change, how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?
Essay Option 1 Tips. Mendoza is a values-driven school and looks for students that share certain core elements of the values and would fit well with the culture of the school.
To make a compelling case for "how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?", you will need to first understand and reflect on your views on the meaning and purpose of a business enterprise. How in your opinion businesses can create a positive impact in the society? And what kind of businesses can do that? In your career, what has been your experiences?
To write almost 2 pages on this topic will require you to amply substantiate your answer with examples from real world. This is not an easy essay and to make a strong impression you would need to conduct research as well as make strong logical arguments to support the assertion.
Essay Option 2. The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C, with a mission to become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country”. In 1879, Father Sorin's vision for Notre Dame appeared to be at a sudden, abrupt end. A massive fire destroyed the building that housed virtually the entire University. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that he had dreamed too small, and decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. That Main Building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, not only as an iconic campus building, but as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.
Essay Option 2 Tips. For this essay, the school is asking you to give an example of a failure or a challenging time you have experienced. As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process about how you overcame it. Choose an example with inspirational learning - a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Mendoza, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. If the essay convincingly portrays a person who can face difficulties, overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, handle pressure, understand complex situations and continuously learn, you might have written the perfect essay. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real".
Essay Option 1. Cardinal O'Hara established the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame in 1921, firmly committed to the idea that "the primary function of commerce is service to mankind". As the world economy continues to grow and change, how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?
Essay Option 1 Tips. Mendoza is a values-driven school and looks for students that share certain core elements of the values and would fit well with the culture of the school.
To make a compelling case for "how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?", you will need to first understand and reflect on your views on the meaning and purpose of a business enterprise. How in your opinion businesses can create a positive impact in the society? And what kind of businesses can do that? In your career, what has been your experiences?
To write almost 2 pages on this topic will require you to amply substantiate your answer with examples from real world. This is not an easy essay and to make a strong impression you would need to conduct research as well as make strong logical arguments to support the assertion.
Essay Option 2. The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C, with a mission to become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country”. In 1879, Father Sorin's vision for Notre Dame appeared to be at a sudden, abrupt end. A massive fire destroyed the building that housed virtually the entire University. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that he had dreamed too small, and decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. That Main Building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, not only as an iconic campus building, but as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.
Essay Option 2 Tips. For this essay, the school is asking you to give an example of a failure or a challenging time you have experienced. As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process about how you overcame it. Choose an example with inspirational learning - a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Mendoza, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. If the essay convincingly portrays a person who can face difficulties, overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, handle pressure, understand complex situations and continuously learn, you might have written the perfect essay. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real".
Essay Option 1. Cardinal O'Hara established the Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame in 1921, firmly committed to the idea that "the primary function of commerce is service to mankind". As the world economy continues to grow and change, how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?
Essay Option 1 Tips. Mendoza is a values-driven school and looks for students that share certain core elements of the values and would fit well with the culture of the school.
To make a compelling case for "how do you see business acting as a positive force in the world?", you will need to first understand and reflect on your views on the meaning and purpose of a business enterprise. How in your opinion businesses can create a positive impact in the society? And what kind of businesses can do that? In your career, what has been your experiences?
To write almost 2 pages on this topic will require you to amply substantiate your answer with examples from real world. This is not an easy essay and to make a strong impression you would need to conduct research as well as make strong logical arguments to support the assertion.
Essay Option 2. The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C, with a mission to become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country”. In 1879, Father Sorin's vision for Notre Dame appeared to be at a sudden, abrupt end. A massive fire destroyed the building that housed virtually the entire University. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that he had dreamed too small, and decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. That Main Building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, not only as an iconic campus building, but as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.
Essay Option 2 Tips. For this essay, the school is asking you to give an example of a failure or a challenging time you have experienced. As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process about how you overcame it. Choose an example with inspirational learning - a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Mendoza, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. If the essay convincingly portrays a person who can face difficulties, overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, handle pressure, understand complex situations and continuously learn, you might have written the perfect essay. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real".
Essay Option 1. At Mendoza, we encourage our students, faculty, and staff to Ask More of Business. We embrace a threefold commitment to achieve this goal:
- Greater Good
- Effective Organizations
- Individual Integrity
Tell us about an experience in which you lived out one of those values.
Essay Option 1 Tips. Mendoza is a values-driven school and looks for students that share certain core elements of the values and would fit well with the culture of the school.
When writing about your experience, be sure to give context, describe challenges or conflicts and how you overcame them. Also clearly show the outcome/ results and how the experience has shaped you and possibly your values and outlook on life.
Essay Option 2. The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C, with a mission to become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country”. In 1879, Father Sorin's vision for Notre Dame appeared to be at a sudden, abrupt end. A massive fire destroyed the building that housed virtually the entire University. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that he had dreamed too small, and decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. That Main Building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, not only as an iconic campus building, but as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.
Tell us the story of a time in your own life or career when you had to overcome an obstacle, start over, or rebuild.
Essay Option 2 Tips. For this essay, the school is asking you to give an example of a failure or a challenging time you have experienced. As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process about how you overcame it. Choose an example with inspirational learning - a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Mendoza, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. If the essay convincingly portrays a person who can face difficulties, overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, handle pressure, understand complex situations and continuously learn, you might have written the perfect essay. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real".
Essay Option 3. We seek students who will become active, engaged members of our student body. Tell us about how you were able to make an impact at your alma mater, in your workplace, or in your community.
Essay Option 3 Tips. A clear and committed response about how you have contributed to your past organizations is required here.
You can talk about one significant achievement OR take a thematic approach. If you are selecting one event- then make sure to pick something that has had far reaching impact on your place of engagement. The personal story could be about a community service involvement, an initiative you led, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such options. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has made the world a better place because of you.
Mendoza Notre Dame Optional essay. The Notre Dame MBA Admissions Committee will accept supplemental essays from applicants who wish to provide additional information that has not been captured within other areas of the application. For example, applicants with low undergraduate GPA's may address any circumstances surrounding their performance or applicants who have been dismissed from school may want to consider addressing that issue. Ultimately, we will accept supplemental essays on any topic that you feel is important to the Committee and not contained or explained fully within other portions of the application. Please keep all submissions to one page, typed and double-spaced.
Essay 1. Your responsibility as a lifelong member of the Mendoza community is to Ask More of Business - to exemplify individual integrity, organizational excellence, and a concern for the greater good. How do you plan to do this in your professional career? Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, and no longer than 2 pages.
Essay Tips. Mendoza believes that amid the rapidly transforming technology and business landscape the only thing that endures is a solid foundation. A set of key principles which govern your life and business will hold strong despite the changes. For this business school proudly based on Catholic teachings, a core foundation is: seeking greater good. Notre Dame believes that businesses have immense power and opportunity to make tremendous positive social impact. How will your business or career path achieve that?
This is not a standard goal essay. You will have to introspect and identify the core principles of your professional life. Show with examples what has driven your career choices and what you aspire to pursue in future connects with Mendoza's mission statement. Go beyond the purely professional ambitions and skill sets and career goals and show the heart and soul of the path you want to pursue after MBA from Mendoza College of Business.
Essay 2. Effective business communication is a central skill for managers and visual presentations are an important and frequent method of communication. Demonstrate your ability to clearly, concisely and persuasively communicate important information by telling us about yourself using a short slide presentation
Essay Tips. Before getting into the technicalities of the slide presentation, first contemplate what is that you want to tell the Mendoza adcom? What strengths and unique aspects of your background and personality you want to highlight? Look at it in terms of a complete application package and think strategically about what more will enhance the quality of your application and chances of admission?
This is your opportunity not only to differentiate yourself but also to show 'fit' with Mendoza community. It would greatly help to review the core values of Mendoza's culture and see if there is resonance of those values with your own.
In addition to technical guidelines that come with the essay prompt, review Mendoza's detailed guide for creating effective PowerPoint presentation (takes a while to load).
Please consider the following guidelines when creating your presentation.
- You are free to cover any material about yourself that you think would be of value to the Admissions Committee.
- Please use whatever software programs you like to develop your presentation but note that the only acceptable formats for upload in the online application system is Adobe PDF.
- There is a strict maximum of FOUR slides, though you can provide fewer than four if you choose.
- The slides that you submit will be printed and added to your application file for review by the Admissions Committee. As a result, only text and static images will be seen. Videos, music, hyperlinks, etc will not be conveyed and should not be included. Color may be used.
- Your goal is to clearly, concisely and persuasively convey key information. Slides will be evaluated on these dimensions and not on graphic or presentation elements. Notes pages will not be accepted. You should plan to convey your entire message on the actual slides themselves.
Optional Essay. The Notre Dame MBA Admissions Committee will accept supplemental essays from applicants who wish to provide additional information that has not been captured within other areas of the application. For example, applicants with low undergraduate GPA's may address any circumstances surrounding their performance or applicants who have been dismissed from school may want to consider addressing that issue. Ultimately, we will accept supplemental essays on any topic that you feel is important to the Committee and not contained or explained fully within other portions of the application. Please keep all submissions to one page, typed and double-spaced.
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you could write this essay. Do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Essay 1. Your responsibility as a lifelong member of the Mendoza community is to Ask More of Business - to exemplify individual integrity, organizational excellence, and a concern for the greater good. How do you plan to do this in your professional career? Your essay should be typed, double-spaced, and no longer than 2 pages.
Essay Tips. Mendoza believes that amid the rapidly transforming technology and business landscape the only thing that endures is a solid foundation. A set of key principles which govern your life and business will hold strong despite the changes. For this business school proudly based on Catholic teachings, a core foundation is: seeking greater good. Notre Dame believes that businesses have immense power and opportunity to make tremendous positive social impact. How will your business or career path achieve that?
This is not a standard goal essay. You will have to introspect and identify the core principles of your professional life. Show with examples what has driven your career choices and what you aspire to pursue in future connects with Mendoza's mission statement. Go beyond the purely professional ambitions and skill sets and career goals and show the heart and soul of the path you want to pursue after MBA from Mendoza College of Business.
Essay 2. Effective business communication is a central skill for managers and visual presentations are an important and frequent method of communication. Demonstrate your ability to clearly, concisely and persuasively communicate important information by telling us about yourself using a short slide presentation
Essay Tips. Before getting into the technicalities of the slide presentation, first contemplate what is that you want to tell the Mendoza adcom? What strengths and unique aspects of your background and personality you want to highlight? Look at it in terms of a complete application package and think strategically about what more will enhance the quality of your application and chances of admission?
This is your opportunity not only to differentiate yourself but also to show 'fit' with Mendoza community. It would greatly help to review the core values of Mendoza's culture and see if there is resonance of those values with your own.
In addition to technical guidelines that come with the essay prompt, review Mendoza's detailed guide for creating effective PowerPoint presentation (takes a while to load).
Please consider the following guidelines when creating your presentation.
- You are free to cover any material about yourself that you think would be of value to the Admissions Committee.
- Please use whatever software programs you like to develop your presentation but note that the only acceptable formats for upload in the online application system is Adobe PDF.
- There is a strict maximum of FOUR slides, though you can provide fewer than four if you choose.
- The slides that you submit will be printed and added to your application file for review by the Admissions Committee. As a result, only text and static images will be seen. Videos, music, hyperlinks, etc will not be conveyed and should not be included. Color may be used.
- Your goal is to clearly, concisely and persuasively convey key information. Slides will be evaluated on these dimensions and not on graphic or presentation elements. Notes pages will not be accepted. You should plan to convey your entire message on the actual slides themselves.
Optional Essay. The Notre Dame MBA Admissions Committee will accept supplemental essays from applicants who wish to provide additional information that has not been captured within other areas of the application. For example, applicants with low undergraduate GPA's may address any circumstances surrounding their performance or applicants who have been dismissed from school may want to consider addressing that issue. Ultimately, we will accept supplemental essays on any topic that you feel is important to the Committee and not contained or explained fully within other portions of the application. Please keep all submissions to one page, typed and double-spaced.
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write this essay if you need to detail certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you could write this essay. Do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both of these in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Short Answer Questions & Tips. Select one prompt from each group. Respond to your selected prompts using 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 300 words total).
Before getting to each essay, let's understand why Ross is asking these questions. In the words of Soojin Kwon, Managing Director Full-time MBA Admissions and Program "The purpose of an application is to show us the many sides of who you are - academically, professionally, personally - so we can get a sense for how you’d fit into the Ross community. Essays are an opportunity to share information and insights about you that aren’t visible through a transcript, resume or rec letter. "
Now that we understand that your answers will be used to evaluate how well you will fit into the Ross community, let's look at each question keeping in mind that it should highlight your strengths, achievements, experiences, and facets of your personality that will make a strong application.
Group 1
I want people to know that I:
What aspect of you- your thoughts, talents, achievements, or experiences you would like people to know? Do you excel at something? Or perhaps there is an element in your profile that makes you interesting, unique, and memorable? Whatever you decide to write about, make sure it has gravity, strength, and enough power to impress the adcom. Your answer should be written keeping in mind that your audience for the answer should be broad – people in general, not only the adcom.
I made a difference when I:
All B-schools love students who can you make a positive impact. Here you could talk about a professional achievement at your company/ organization or a non-work related but an important difference you made perhaps in the community. Demonstrate that because of your presence, your actions, and your ideas, you made the world a better place.
I was aware that I am different when:
Ross values diversity. The diversity here can be of thoughts, perspectives, experiences, attitudes - or anything else. Use this opportunity to talk about a unique, interesting, and important facet of your profile. If you decide to attempt this question- and we'd encourage that you do- kindly introspect deeply and showcase your inner strengths.
Group 2
I was humbled when:
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less.” ― C.S. Lewis
There is a particular reason Ross is asking you this question- it is to evaluate your cultural fit with Ross.
MBA students are leaders and highly accomplished individuals. However, often, there is a risk that the accomplished might become 'too proud' and lose touch with their humility and humanity. Ross stresses on collaboration and greatly values the trait of humility. So, if you can answer this question in a self-reflective, authentic way - you'll win the hearts of Ross adcom.
And let's assure you - when/ if you meet your future MBA classmates at Ross (or any other top b-school), you'll be impressed and humbled :)
I am out of my comfort zone when:...
What makes you uncomfortable deeply reveals your character, personality, and values. The two main risks here are 1. choosing an example that is trivial and not reflective enough; 2. writing about something that could be easily misunderstood and might hurt your admission chances.
Since you don't have too many words to explain your thoughts, the likelihood of the same increases. Therefore, we suggest that you pick an example which is authentic and important while also simple enough to communicate in a few words
I was challenged when:
Ross has changed the question this year. Instead of “I find it challenging when people,” they now want to focus the answer on yourself and discuss your struggles. You can also take it positively and describe a situation where you were pushed to go beyond your boundaries and had to deliver on new expectations.
Essay 1. Short Answer Questions & Tips. Select one prompt from each group. Respond to your selected prompts using 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 300 words total).
Group 1
I want people to know that I:
What aspect of you- your thoughts, talents, achievements, or experiences you would like people to know? Do you excel at something? Or perhaps there is an element in your profile that makes you interesting, unique, and memorable? Whatever you decide to write about, make sure it has gravity, strength, and enough power to impress the adcom. Your answer should be written keeping in mind that your audience for the answer should be broad – people in general, not only the adcom.
I made a difference when I:
All B-schools love students who can you make a positive impact. Here you could talk about a professional achievement at your company/ organization or a non-work related but an important difference you made perhaps in the community. Demonstrate that because of your presence, your actions, and your ideas, you made the world a better place.
Group 2
I was humbled when:
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it's thinking of yourself less.” ― C.S. Lewis
There is a particular reason Ross is asking you this question- it is to evaluate your cultural fit with Ross.
MBA students are leaders and highly accomplished individuals. However, often, there is a risk that the accomplished might become 'too proud' and lose touch with their humility and humanity. Ross stresses on collaboration and greatly values the trait of humility. So, if you can answer this question in a self-reflective, authentic way - you'll win the hearts of Ross adcom.
And let's assure you - when/ if you meet your future MBA classmates at Ross (or any other top b-school), you'll be impressed and humbled :)
I am out of my comfort zone when:...
What makes you uncomfortable deeply reveals your character, personality, and values. The two main risks here are 1. choosing an example that is trivial and not reflective enough; 2. writing about something that could be easily misunderstood and might hurt your admission chances.
Since you don't have too many words to explain your thoughts, the likelihood of the same increases. Therefore, we suggest that you pick an example which is authentic and important while also simple enough to communicate in a few words
Read an example from Soojin Kwon's own attempt to answer the Ross essays.
Group 3
I was aware that I am different when:
Ross values diversity. The diversity here can be of thoughts, perspectives, experiences, attitudes - or anything else. Use this opportunity to talk about a unique, interesting, and important facet of your profile. If you decide to attempt this question- and we'd encourage that you do- kindly introspect deeply and showcase your inner strengths.
I was challenged when:
Ross has changed the question this year. Instead of “I find it challenging when people,” they now want to focus the answer on yourself and discuss your struggles. You can also take it positively and describe a situation where you were pushed to go beyond your boundaries and had to deliver on new expectations.
Essay 1. Short Answer Questions & Tips. Select one prompt from each group. Respond to your selected prompts using 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 300 words total).
Group 1
I want people to know that I: ... you could write about who are you, what are you? or perhaps even that you excel at something or something that makes you unique and memorable.
I turned an idea into action when I: ... The action-based learning at Ross is a unique MBA experience. This question begs a brief description of an example. Very briefly talk about the context and what you did, how you turned the idea into action. If you can also show teamwork and leadership in the example, that would be even better!
I made a difference when I: ...B-schools love students who can you make a positive impact. For this prompt talk about an example where your presence, your actions, your ideas were able to bring about a positive contribution.
Group 2
I showed my resilience when I:... 100words might be too less to talk about a profound experience. Your challenge lies not only in showing a significant incident but also capturing it concisely.
I was humbled when:.. not an easy question to answer. If this has happened with you, hopefully it was a memorable experience and would help adcom see deeply into your character, values and strengths
I am out of my comfort zone when:... there could be many things that might make you feel nervous and out of your comfort zone. Your challenge here would be to pick an example that is not trivial and reveals your personality.
Group 3
I was aware that I am different when:... ah, a question that needs deep introspection, otherwise a straightforward questions, like the rest of the questions :)
I find it challenging when people:.. a question similar to the comfort zone question, however, in this question, the people aspect is important and must focus on your interpersonal skills and challenges. You could even take an angle from ethics point of view.
A valuable thing I have taught someone is:... a huge part of b-school experience is peer-to-peer learning. If you have mentored someone officially or unofficially, this is your place to describe the same and impress the adcom with your ability to contribute to Ross community.
Essay 2. Please share your short-term and long-term career goals. What skills/strengths do you have that will be relevant to your career goals? How will Ross prepare you for your goals? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. A standard career goal essay that expects to know what you want to do in your career after MBA. Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Ross is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 1. Short Answer Questions & Tips. Select one prompt from each group. Respond to your selected prompts using 100 words or fewer (<100 words each; 300 words total).
Group 1
I want people to know that I: ... you could write about who are you, what are you? or perhaps even that you excel at something or something that makes you unique and memorable.
I turned an idea into action when I: ... The action-based learning at Ross is a unique MBA experience. This question begs a brief description of an example. Very briefly talk about the context and what you did, how you turned the idea into action. If you can also show teamwork and leadership in the example, that would be even better!
I made a difference when I: ...B-schools love students who can you make a positive impact. For this prompt talk about an example where your presence, your actions, your ideas were able to bring about a positive contribution.
Group 2
I showed my resilience when I:... 100words might be too less to talk about a profound experience. Your challenge lies not only in showing a significant incident but also capturing it concisely.
I was humbled when:.. not an easy question to answer. If this has happened with you, hopefully it was a memorable experience and would help adcom see deeply into your character, values and strengths
I am out of my comfort zone when:... there could be many things that might make you feel nervous and out of your comfort zone. Your challenge here would be to pick an example that is not trivial and reveals your personality.
Group 3
I was aware that I am different when:... ah, a question that needs deep introspection, otherwise a straightforward questions, like the rest of the questions :)
I find it challenging when people:.. a question similar to the comfort zone question, however, in this question, the people aspect is important and must focus on your interpersonal skills and challenges. You could even take an angle from ethics point of view.
A valuable thing I have taught someone is:... a huge part of b-school experience is peer-to-peer learning. If you have mentored someone officially or unofficially, this is your place to describe the same and impress the adcom with your ability to contribute to Ross community.
Essay 2. Please share your short-term and long-term career goals. What skills/strengths do you have that will be relevant to your career goals? How will Ross prepare you for your goals? (300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. A standard career goal essay that expects to know what you want to do in your career after MBA. Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Ross is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 1. What are you most proud of and why? How does it shape who you are today? (400 words)
Ross very clearly wants to get to know the person behind those awesome numbers the see in your GMAT, GPA and Resume. They want to know what drives you, what motivates you as a person.
You can talk about one significant achievement outside of work, OR take a thematic approach. If you are selecting one event- then make sure to pick something that has had far reaching impact on you.
On the other hand, a personal story could be about getting involved with community service, leading an initiative you, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such options. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Your goal here is to highlight the strengths that will make you a good candidate for Ross MBA.
Essay 2. What is your desired career path and why? (400 words)
A standard career goal essay that expects to know what you want to do in your career after MBA. The fairly open ended question gives you flexibility to build your narrative but be sure to include your short-term and long-term career plans and an explanation of why Ross MBA is critical for you to reach your goals. If you can include a vision about your career, that will make for a powerful and memorable essay.
Essay 1. What are you most proud of and why? How does it shape who you are today? (400 words)
Ross very clearly wants to get to know the person behind those awesome numbers the see in your GMAT, GPA and Resume. They want to know what drives you, what motivates you as a person.
You can talk about one significant achievement outside of work, OR take a thematic approach. If you are selecting one event- then make sure to pick something that has had far reaching impact on you.
On the other hand, a personal story could be about getting involved with community service, leading an initiative you, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such options. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Your goal here is to highlight the strengths that will make you a good candidate for Ross MBA.
Essay 2. What is your desired career path and why? (400 words)
A standard career goal essay that expects to know what you want to do in your career after MBA. The fairly open ended question gives you flexibility to build your narrative but be sure to include your short-term and long-term career plans and an explanation of why Ross MBA is critical for you to reach your goals. If you can include a vision about your career, that will make for a powerful and memorable essay.
Essay 1. What are you most proud of professionally and why? What did you learn from that experience? (400 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. There are three parts to this question and you must answer all the parts concisely in just 400 words.
If you have not done already, take sometime, look back at your professional life and think about 2-3 key strengths you have displayed over the years. These are the qualities that you would want to show to Ross adcom.
You can decide if you want to talk about one anecdote, that defining moment which clearly describes who you are and show its impact on you. OR you want to talk about a theme running through your career. A general guideline is to pick incidents, examples that are recent: something that happened within past 2-4 years. Adcom wants to know the most recent you.
Ideally your story will show elements of your strength as a leader, highlight your interpersonal skills and demonstrate the impact you had on your team, client or company. If you can quantify it- great! If you can show positive responses from others and maybe also have your recommenders talk about this achievement- even better!
While writing about your accomplishment(s) might be easy, it is the learning that will truly reveal your character and maturity- so make sure to give due importance and word count to this part.
Essay 2. What are you most proud of personally and why? How does it shape who you are today?(400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Ross very clearly wants to get to know the person behind those awesome numbers the see in your GMAT, GPA and Resume. They want to know what drives you, what motivates you as a person.
Again you can talk about one significant achievement outside of work, OR take a thematic approach. If you are selecting one event- then make sure to pick something that has had far reaching impact on you. The personal story could be about a community service involvement, an initiative you led, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such options. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Same as in essay1, your goal is to highlight the strengths that will make you a good candidate for Ross MBA.
Optional Essay. Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous two essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Detailed cover letter that tells us what you have been doing since you last applied and how your application is stronger. You can use the cover letter to update us on your goals, highlight your accomplishments, and discuss your reasons for seeking an MBA from Ross. This can be uploaded along with your updated resume. (Optional: you may submit one or more of our current essay questions.)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. The key to the Michigan Ross reapplicant essay (cover letter) is simple: demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were when you last applied and convince the Ross admissions committee that this new Version 2.0 of you is better, brighter, worthier.
Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant.
Identify your key experiences and achievements since your last application and directly/obliquely convey how this makes you better candidate who is better placed to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, feel free to go with them but you better have good reasons for the change.
Explain - more convincingly than last time - why the Ross MBA is the best option for helping you attain your goals. Demonstrating why Ross - SPECIFICALLY Ross - is your choice is an essential part of the reapplicant essay. Detail aspects of Ross's learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that will aid the achievement of your goals. If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
Ross, additionally, offers you the option of writing any or all of the application essays. Choose and write the ones you feel add greatest value.
Apply Early: a serious reapplicant has few reasons not to.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less. (100 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Though this is a miniscule essay with a seemingly straightforward question, this might be the most challenging Ross application response you might have to give this year.
The question you seek to answer could include: Who are you? What are you? What qualities, beliefs, values define you? What personality traits set you apart?
These are deep, meaningful questions whose answers might not always be easy. Talking to your friends, spouse or close relatives might help. However, the key to this essay is held by someone else - you. Ask yourself how you would encapsulate your self in 30 seconds or .. 100 words. Ask yourself some tough questions and put down what you feel might be the best answers of the lot.
The addition of "to your future Ross classmates" to last year's question might be used to adjust the tone of the essay.
The brevity of the response is another challenge in this opening Ross essay. Try to convert that into an opportunity - since brevity often concentrates focus on the particular.
Though the question of how you can contribute and/or add value to the Michigan Ross MBA class is the underlying theme, it would be better not to tackle it head-on in this mini-essay. Speak of yourself, and that should speak for you.
Essay 2a. What about your professional experiences has led you to determine that business school is the right next step? (150 words)
Essay 2a Tips. Answer all three parts of Essay 2 holistically and start by thinking about and maybe even writing the third part of the essay 'What career do you plan to pursue after business school and why?' before attempting the first two parts.
The first two parts of this year's Ross Goals essay focuses on Ross - so, once again you might need to work the two essays in tandem to avoid overlaps.
Instead of the usual future-goals concentration in the Why MBA Essay, this first part of the Ross Goals Essay obliges you to look backwards.
Identify aspects of your career such as leadership, knowledge, team work, relationships, learning, specific skills sets or absolutely anything else that you feel are the common denominators between your career success thus far and your proposed MBA aspirations. You could also identify aspects that have restricted your growth. Implicit connections with Ross which can be made explicit in the next two essay parts are quite welcome. For example, delving briefly on team work or multi-functional exposure could help you strongly focus on the Ross MAP (Multidisciplinary Action Program) a keynote feature of the Ross program.
Research the Michigan Ross MBA program thoroughly and analyze what type of student club or campus community event will aid you the most. Learn about student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life at Ross, and then choose the appropriate activity that aligns with your ambition and taste.
Go for it!
Essay 2b. As you have researched MBA programs, what actions have you taken to learn more about Ross and what has led you to believe that Ross is the right MBA program for you? (150 words)
Essay 2b Tips. As I mentioned earlier, approach of all three parts of Essay 2 holistically and start by thinking about the third part of the essay first.
Your objective here is simple - describe specifically why the Michigan Ross MBA program is ideal for you. The underlying question is: How serious are you about seeking admission SPECIFICALLY to Ross?
"Why Ross" has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Take the effort to understand the Ross program and ethos - through the Ross website, campus visit, alumni, students, online forums etc. Use this information to personalize your essay as much as possible, and then link your career goals with Michigan Ross as closely as you can. Go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Ross website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Michigan Ross (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.).
Go for it!
Essay 2c. What career do you plan to pursue after business school and why? (150 words)
Essay 2c Tips. This is a simple goals essay - but might prove to the essay that requires the most complex thought since this answer will have to be reflected across your entire application process.
As a first step reflect deeply on your post-Ross goals in terms of roles, industry and geography. A greater focus on your short term goals is preferred.
Be realistic and as specific as you need to be while detailing your post-Ross career goal. How well you comprehend the industry/role you are preparing for should be reflected in your answer.
Whatever your choice, your goal should reflect your passion and commitment to it. While the goals have to be logical and credible, if you can add passion as well to this mix, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn about yourself from that experience? (400 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Select a specific situation across your career wherein you faced disappointment, disenchantment or frustration. Be very careful to ensure that this essay focuses, not on your distress, frustrations or disappointments within the selected story, but on your attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the painful episode.
Having given the context, ensure that you move on to positive actions and results; always minimize the negativity in your essays. Your reasoning process, decision making skills, maturity, ability to overcome hurdles, people skills, proficiency in handling setbacks, strength of purpose and moral rectitude could be just a few of the possible critical factors that can be highlighted in this essay. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use innovation, a balanced mind and/or strength of spirit to make positive change could be further areas of focus.
What you learned from this episode - at a personal level - and how you have grown through this experience would form the concluding section of this essay. Since the only change from last year's prompt are the words "about yourself" ensure that the learning is personal and hopefully unique.
The only change to this essay is that this year the response is shorter by 100 words.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words)
Optional Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Ross optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the Michigan Ross optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Feel free to use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the other Ross essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Detailed cover letter that tells us what you have been doing since you last applied and how your application is stronger. You can use the cover letter to update us on your goals, highlight your accomplishments, and discuss your reasons for seeking an MBA from Ross. This can be uploaded along with your updated resume. Optional: you may submit one or more of our current essay questions.
Reapplicant Essay Tips. The key to the Michigan Ross reapplicant essay (cover letter) is simple: demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were when you last applied and convince the Ross admissions committee that this new Version 2.0 of you is better, brighter, worthier.
Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.0 applicant.
Identify your key experiences and achievements since your last application and directly/obliquely convey how this makes you better candidate who is better placed to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case your goals are different, feel free to go with them but you better have good reasons for the change.
Explain - more convincingly than last time - why the Ross MBA is the best option for helping you attain your goals. Demonstrating why Ross - SPECIFICALLY Ross - is your choice is an essential part of the reapplicant essay. Detail aspects of Ross's learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that will aid the achievement of your goals. If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
Ross, additionally, offers you the option of writing any or all of the application essays. Choose and write the ones you feel add greatest value.
Apply Early: a serious reapplicant has few reasons not to.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less. (100 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Though this is a miniscule essay with a seemingly straightforward question, this might be the most challenging Ross application response you might have to give this year.
The question you seek to answer could include: Who are you? What are you? What qualities, beliefs, values define you? What personality traits set you apart?
These are deep, meaningful questions whose answers might not always be easy. Talking to your friends, spouse or close relatives might help. However, the key to this essay is held by someone else - you. Ask yourself how you would encapsulate your self in 30 seconds or .. 100 words. Ask yourself some tough questions and put down what you feel might be the best answers of the lot.
The addition of "to your future Ross classmates" to last year's question might be used to adjust the tone of the essay.
The brevity of the response is another challenge in this opening Ross essay. Try to convert that into an opportunity - since brevity often concentrates focus on the particular.
Though the question of how you can contribute and/or add value to the Michigan Ross MBA class is the underlying theme, it would be better not to tackle it head-on in this mini-essay. Speak of yourself, and that should speak for you.
Essay 2. Describe your career goals. How will the Ross MBA help you to achieve your goals? What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community? (500 word maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward career goals and "why Ross" essay retained from last year with a new "What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community?" added on.
Your objective is simple - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals, why the Ross MBA is the logical next step for your future success and how the Ross community will benefit from inducting you.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your career goals - long term and short term. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice. While your past is not asked for, briefly presenting your career progression and using short, relevant examples from your career to demonstrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment to achieve your goals might be useful.
"Why Ross" has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Take the effort to understand the Ross program and ethos - through the Ross website, campus visit, alumni, students, online forums etc. Use this information to personalize your essay as much as possible, and then link your career goals with Michigan Ross as closely as you can. Go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Ross website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Michigan Ross (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.). For example, bringing specific focus to Multidisciplinary Action Program (MAP), a keynote feature of the Ross program, and then linking it directly with your goals might be a good idea.
The words "vision" and "unique" put some pressure on making your "contribution to the Ross community" visionary, broad and/or innovative. Trying to visualize how your interests, ideas and strengths would make an impact at Ross. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself initiating and/or leading at Ross? Thoroughly research student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life at Ross, and then choose the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude. Instead of simply detailing activities you might be part of try to use the essay to demonstrate your leadership/team/learning skills and potential. Feel free to propose a post-Ross contribution - if the idea is ambitious and visionary.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Select a specific situation across your career wherein you faced disappointment, disenchantment or frustration. Be very careful to ensure that this essay focuses, not on your distress, frustrations or disappointments within the selected story, but on your attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the painful episode.
Having given the context, ensure that you move on to positive actions and results; always minimize the negativity in your essays. Your reasoning process, decision making skills, maturity, ability to overcome hurdles, people skills, proficiency in handling setbacks, strength of purpose and moral rectitude could be just a few of the possible critical factors that can be highlighted in this essay. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use innovation, a balanced mind and/or strength of spirit to make positive change could be further areas of focus.
What you learned from this episode - at professional and personal levels - and how you have grown through this experience could form an apt conclusion to this essay.
Go for it!
Essay 4: Select one of the following questions. (300 word maximum each)
Essay 4a. What are you most passionate about? (300 word maximum)
Essay 4a Tips. Your approach to the first and second essays might dictate to a large extent how this essay turns out. In the first essay, the ultra-brief introduction, what you say about yourself should at least indicate what you might be most passionate about. In the second essay, the goals essay, you are writing about what you wanna do with the rest of your life; that would call for exceptional passion for that function/industry/job.
So there are two broad approaches possible with this essay.
First: Let your passion dovetail with the "goals essay" such that this essay automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the "goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach, reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift the more prosaic industry/statistics driven reasons for your future career choices to that essay; also, with this approach, "Why Ross" can be allotted more space.
Second: Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute to it and perhaps too how you are impacted and bettered by it. If it ties in, at least tangentially, with your goals, I won't complain!
Either way the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. This is the Ross essay that gives most space to focus totally on the key focus of your application - YOU. So let the essay reveal the kind of person you are, what your heart ticks for and the personal qualities and attitude that make you a great person/candidate. If your essay does not reflect that, write again!
Simple?
Go for it!
Essay 4b. Describe a personal challenge or obstacle and why you view it as such. How have you dealt with it? What have you learned from it? (300 word maximum)
Essay 4b Tips. Similar to, and different from, the 2009-2010 prompt "Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it." this essay might highlight an ongoing challenge or impediment that has been resolved to at least some extent, but has perhaps not been entirely overcome.
Identify attitudes, (dis)abilities, family/political/social/economic situations, viewpoints or habits which challenged you. Clarify what and how exactly you perceive/d the challenge and why you find/found it challenging.
Then move on to how you tackled the issue. Your application, intelligence and determination in how you face/d the challenge might be the X factor for this essay. Initial failure to succeed is quite acceptable as long as the struggle is shown to be committed and intelligent.
The learning from the challenge/obstacle and how you used your learning from the situation to make your life and yourself better is another key aspect to be covered here. Whether you choose a professional or a personal example, the learning and the development should have a personal touch.
This is a personal essay - an intimate soul-searching story about how you overcame obstacles or recovered from failure would be better appreciated than how you became a better salesman.
Concluding the essay with substantial, if not complete, success would end it on a good note.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Introduce yourself in 100 words or less. (100 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Though this is miniscule essay with a seemingly straightforward question, this might be the most challenging Ross application response you might have to give this year.
The question you seek to answer could include: Who are you? What are you? What qualities, beliefs, values define you? What personality traits set you apart?
These are deep, meaningful questions whose answers might not always be easy. Talking to your friends, spouse or close relatives might help. However, the key to this essay is held by someone else - you. Ask yourself how you would encapsulate your self in 30 seconds or .. 100 words. Ask yourself some tough questions and put down what you feel might be the best answers of the lot.
The brevity of the response is another challenge in this opening Ross essay. Try to convert that into an opportunity - since brevity often concentrates focus on the particular.
Though the question of how you can contribute and/or add value to the Michigan Ross MBA class is the underlying theme, it would be better not to tackle it head-on in this mini-essay. Speak of yourself, and that should speak for you.
Essay 2. Describe your career goals. How will the Ross MBA help you to achieve your goals? (500 word maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward career goals and "why Ross" essay.
Your objective is simple - describe, specifically and at length, your career goals, and why the Ross MBA is the logical next step for your future success.
Be realistic, visionary and focused while detailing your career goals - long term and short term. Exhibit passion for the industry and the functional role of your choice. While your past is not asked for, briefly presenting your career progression and using short, relevant examples from your career to demonstrate that you have the vision, skill-set and commitment to achieve your goals might be useful.
"Why Ross" has to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Take the effort to understand the Ross program and ethos - through the Ross website, campus visit, alumni, students, online forums etc. Use this information to personalize your essay as much as possible, and then link your career goals with Michigan Ross as closely as you can. Go beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Ross website and endeavor to make unique connections between you (skills, interests, goals, knowledge etc.) and Michigan Ross (pedagogy, centers of excellence, faculty, location, alumni etc.). For example, bringing specific focus to Multidisciplinary Action Program (MAP), a keynote feature of the Ross program , and then linking it directly with your goals might be a good idea.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
Essay 3 Tips. Select a specific situation across your career wherein you faced disappointment, disenchantment or frustration. Be very careful to ensure that this essay focuses, not on your distress, frustrations or disappointments within the selected story, but on your attitude, approach and actions that made you overcome the painful episode.
Having given the context, ensure that you move on to positive actions and results; always minimize the negativity in your essays. Your reasoning process, decision making skills, maturity, ability to overcome hurdles, people skills, proficiency in handling setbacks, strength of purpose and moral rectitude could be just a few of the possible critical factors that can be highlighted in this essay. How you make your judgments about events/circumstances, the methods you adopt to understand varied aspects of a situation and how you use innovation, a balanced mind and/or strength of spirit to make positive change could be further areas of focus.
What you learned from this episode - at professional and personal levels - and how you have grown through this experience could form an apt conclusion to this essay.
Go for it!
Michigan Ross Essay 4 Select one of the following questions. (300 word maximum each)
Essay 4a. What are you most passionate about and why? (300 word maximum)
Essay 4a Tips. Your approach to the first and second essays might dictate to a large extent how this essay turns out. In the first essay, the ultra-brief introduction, what you say about yourself should at least indicate what you might be most passionate about. In the second essay, the goals essay, you are writing about what you wanna do with the rest of your life; that would call for exceptional passion for that function/industry/job.
So there are two broad approaches possible with this essay.
First: Let your passion dovetail with the "goals essay" such that this essay automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the "goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach, reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift the more prosaic industry/statistics driven reasons for your future career choices to that essay; also, with this approach, "Why Ross" can be allotted more space.
Second: Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute to it and perhaps too how you are impacted and bettered by it. If it ties in, at least tangentially, with your goals, I won't complain!
Either way the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. This is the Ross essay that gives most space to focus totally on the key focus of your application - YOU. So let the essay reveal the kind of person you are, what your heart ticks for and the personal qualities and attitude that make you a great person/candidate. If you essay does not reflect that, write again!
Simple?
Go for it!
Essay 4b. We expect that Ross MBAs will not only be effective leaders, but also effective teachers. How will you contribute to the learning experience of your peers at Ross? (300 word maximum)
Essay 4b Tips. EACH person has knowledge that can be passed on, and the skills to pass it on - to teach. Additionally, EVERY individual possesses skills and qualities that enables him/her to enhance a learning environment. This essay is about how YOU use these qualities and how good a teacher you are and why.
However "contribute to the learning experience" can go far more than actually teaching someone. Apart from obvious skills like communication and understanding, other skills and qualities that help you facilitate a good learning environment might include leadership, empathy, relationship building, and teamwork. Brief examples, of how these qualities and skills have helped you teach, coach or train a group/person, will definitely strengthen your essay.
Further buttress this essay by using your knowledge of Ross to identify specific areas and activities where you will be most effective and persuasively explaining why you think so. Never forget that learning often (if not mostly!) happens outside the classroom; so look at clubs and activities where your contribution will enhance the learning experience of your Ross peers. If you have been lazy and haven't read about Ross' MAP program despite my sweet urgings earlier in this page, do it now! While you are at it some dope on Action Based Learning would help as well. While your essay does not necessarily need MAP as a focus, some reference to MAP will be appreciated.
Go get 'em!
Long Answers: (500 words)
Essay 1. Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross?
Essay 2. Describe your most significant professional accomplishment. Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took and the impact you had on your organization.
Short Answers: (300 words)
Essay 3. If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead? (for example, teacher, musician, athlete, architect, etc.) How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems?
Essay 3 Tips. This is a curve ball!
If you feel like saying "You know .. I actually want to be designing buildings and giving shape to habitats, not shelling out management mumbo-jumbo to well-heeled clients. I wrote that in Essay 1 just because my dumbo essay consultant told me to", RESIST the temptation.
This is NOT the place where you unload all your doubts and worries about your future career choices. (Choose your counselor or mother for that.) Deviating widely from your career path and taking the first part of the question at face value might land you in troubled waters! Please ensure that Essay 1 has career goals that display your passion and commitment to your chosen field of work; if you do not really (I mean REALLY) enjoy what you hope to do post-mba what the hell are you going to all this trouble for??
A much more sober approach in Essay 3 is to choose an area of outside work interest (and activity) which preferably puts you in intensive leadership or teamwork situations.
And then detail how - since you have already demonstrated you skills in leadership or/and teamwork in that arena and have surely solved the problems that cropped up - that experience will "contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems" or solving issues that require inputs from people of varied professional backgrounds or uncovering creative solutions in one industry/function using knowledge from another ...
And you know why "teacher, musician, athlete, architect" sounds so good - though there will be very few applicants who would put that as their post-Ross goal; because ALL OF US teach, sing, run, build [DIY anyone?]. Your different interests and the varied roles you play when you trek, play team sports, lead volunteer community efforts, coach a school football team or organize an MBA essay writing camp (!?) can be used to show how you tackle and solve complex problems without a blinkered approach.
Read up on Ross' MAP or Multidisciplinary Action Project initiative to understand why this question has been asked.
Go get 'em!
Essay 4. Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.
Essay 4 Tips. If you never fell, you would never walk.
Find a period or situation in your life (personal or professional) which you found difficult to face. If during that period your success was in doubt (or you actually failed) and you learnt things about yourself and became a new improved version of your old self - you have made the right start. Once you decipher how the situation created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system, you can rush to Ross with your story!
Once again I stress that the learning from the situation is the key aspect to be covered in MBA "failure" essays. Write how you reacted to the challenge, and how you used your learning from the situation to make your life and yourself better.
Whether you choose a professional or a personal example, the learning and the development should have a personal touch. Ross has the courage to ask how "you grew PERSONALLY" - so don't give a wishy-washy professional advancement story. e.g. A soul-searching essay about how you built back your self-confidence after a traumatic period would be better appreciated than how you became a better salesman [though that too might have been a result].
Go for it!
Michigan Ross Optional Question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy?
You must answer the following four questions.
Long Answers: (500 word)
Essay 1. Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals. Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? What and/or who influenced your decision to apply to Ross?
Essay 2. Describe your most significant professional accomplishment. Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took and the impact you had on your organization.
Short Answers: (300 words)
Essay 3. If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead? (for example, teacher, musician, athlete, architect, etc.) How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems?
Essay 3 Tips. This is a curve ball!
If you feel like saying "You know .. I actually want to be designing buildings and giving shape to habitats, not shelling out management mumbo-jumbo to well-heeled clients. I wrote that in Essay 1 just because my dumbo essay consultant told me to", RESIST the temptation.
This is NOT the place where you unload all your doubts and worries about your future career choices. (Choose your counselor or mother for that.) Deviating widely from your career path and taking the first part of the question at face value might land you in troubled waters! Please ensure that Essay 1 has career goals that display your passion and commitment to your chosen field of work; if you do not really (I mean REALLY) enjoy what you hope to do post-mba what the hell are you going to all this trouble for??
A much more sober approach in Essay 3 is to choose an area of outside work interest (and activity) which preferably puts you in intensive leadership or teamwork situations.
And then detail how - since you have already demonstrated you skills in leadership or/and teamwork in that arena and have surely solved the problems that cropped up - that experience will "contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems" or solving issues that require inputs from people of varied professional backgrounds or uncovering creative solutions in one industry/function using knowledge from another ...
And you know why "teacher, musician, athlete, architect" sounds so good - though there will be very few applicants who would put that as their post-Ross goal; because ALL OF US teach, sing, run, build [DIY anyone?]. Your different interests and the varied roles you play when you trek, play team sports, lead volunteer community efforts, coach a school football team or organize an MBA essay writing camp (!?) can be used to show how you tackle and solve complex problems without a blinkered approach.
Read up on Ross' MAP or Multidisciplinary Action Project initiative to understand why this question has been asked.
Go get 'em!
Essay 4. Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life. Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.
Essay 4 Tips. If you never fell, you would never walk.
Find a period or situation in your life (personal or professional) which you found difficult to face. If during that period your success was in doubt (or you actually failed) and you learnt things about yourself and became a new improved version of your old self - you have made the right start. Once you decipher how the situation created a difference in your thought process, leadership style, behavior or value system, you can rush to Ross with your story!
Once again I stress that the learning from the situation is the key aspect to be covered in MBA "failure" essays. Write how you reacted to the challenge, and how you used your learning from the situation to make your life and yourself better.
Whether you choose a professional or a personal example, the learning and the development should have a personal touch. Ross has the courage to ask how "you grew PERSONALLY" - so don't give a wishy-washy professional advancement story. e.g. A soul-searching essay about how you built back your self-confidence after a traumatic period would be better appreciated than how you became a better salesman [though that too might have been a result].
Go for it!
Michigan Ross Optional Question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy?
Essay 1: Please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions. (250 words or fewer)
Essay 1 Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Essay 2. MIT Sloan Video Statement: Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.
Essay 2 Tips. Sloan's guidance:
Please make sure you are using a working Internet connection not wireless or shared wireless connection. If your Internet is not a strong signal you will not be able to upload. Please also make sure you have the most up to date browser. You will need to use an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.
We suggest using Google Chrome* or Firefox as your browser. If using Google Chrome - please click the camera icon in your browser to allow the site to access your microphone. If you are having issues with your microphone please re-start your computer for Google Chrome to access your microphone.
Once the video statement question is viewed you will have 60 seconds to prepare, and then 60 seconds to record your answer. You will only have one attempt to record your response.
Since this is a timed response, we strongly suggest that you do couple of round of practice. Start by making a script about who you are, where you come from, what unique attributes you will share with your MIT Sloan classmates? Then rehearse your reponse a few times, including in front of webcam. When you feel ready, go ahead and record the response!
Essay 1: Please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions. (250 words or fewer)
Essay 1 Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Essay 2. MIT Sloan Video Statement: Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.
Essay 2 Tips. Sloan's guidance:
Please make sure you are using a working Internet connection not wireless or shared wireless connection. If your Internet is not a strong signal you will not be able to upload. Please also make sure you have the most up to date browser. You will need to use an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.
We suggest using Google Chrome* or Firefox as your browser. If using Google Chrome - please click the camera icon in your browser to allow the site to access your microphone. If you are having issues with your microphone please re-start your computer for Google Chrome to access your microphone.
Once the video statement question is viewed you will have 60 seconds to prepare, and then 60 seconds to record your answer. You will only have one attempt to record your response.
Since this is a timed response, we strongly suggest that you do couple of round of practice. Start by making a script about who you are, where you come from, what unique attributes you will share with your MIT Sloan classmates? Then rehearse your reponse a few times, including in front of webcam. When you feel ready, go ahead and record the response!
Essay 1: Please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions. (250 words or fewer)
Essay 1 Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Essay 2. MIT Sloan Video Statement: Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.
Essay 2 Tips. Sloan's guidance:
Please make sure you are using a working Internet connection not wireless or shared wireless connection. If your Internet is not a strong signal you will not be able to upload. Please also make sure you have the most up to date browser. You will need to use an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.
We suggest using Google Chrome* or Firefox as your browser. If using Google Chrome - please click the camera icon in your browser to allow the site to access your microphone. If you are having issues with your microphone please re-start your computer for Google Chrome to access your microphone.
Once the video statement question is viewed you will have 60 seconds to prepare, and then 60 seconds to record your answer. You will only have one attempt to record your response.
Since this is a timed response, we strongly suggest that you do couple of round of practice. Start by making a script about who you are, where you come from, what unique attributes you will share with your MIT Sloan classmates? Then rehearse your reponse a few times, including in front of webcam. When you feel ready, go ahead and record the response!
Essay 1: Please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions. (250 words or fewer)
Essay 1 Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Essay 2. MIT Sloan Video Statement: Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.
Essay 2 Tips. Sloan's guidance:
Please make sure you are using a working Internet connection not wireless or shared wireless connection. If your Internet is not a strong signal you will not be able to upload. Please also make sure you have the most up to date browser. You will need to use an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.
We suggest using Google Chrome* or Firefox as your browser. If using Google Chrome - please click the camera icon in your browser to allow the site to access your microphone. If you are having issues with your microphone please re-start your computer for Google Chrome to access your microphone.
Once the video statement question is viewed you will have 60 seconds to prepare, and then 60 seconds to record your answer. You will only have one attempt to record your response.
Since this is a timed response, we strongly suggest that you do couple of round of practice. Start by making a script about who you are, where you come from, what unique attributes you will share with your MIT Sloan classmates? Then rehearse your reponse a few times, including in front of webcam. When you feel ready, go ahead and record the response!
Essay 1. We have one required essay at the time of submission: Tell us about a recent success you had: How did you accomplish this? Who else was involved? What hurdles did you encounter? What type of impact did this have? (500 words or fewer).
Essay 1 Tips. MIT Sloan has a long history of asking questions about achievements and that is a little surprise given the fact they clearly proclaim to look for candidates who have 'demonstrated personal achievements'.
Before starting the essay, it would also help to know Sloan's approach on evaluating your accomplishments: "We are as interested in your path to accomplishment as we are in the results that you have attained. We want to know the effect you have on the people with who you engage, and, in turn, how you influence the world around you."
First of all understand that choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in all MBA "story" essays. Choose an appropriate achievement/ success based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to the success, the discomfort-meter of the event (hurdles) and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, courage, innovation, initiative, and teamwork are just some of the qualities that the incident could reflect on.
Give the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why it should be considered a success. Illustrate the path that led from your thought process to the action to the results. The positive changes made possible by your action would underline the strength of the story and your achievement. Ideally the example would showcase your strength of character, robust value system, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
When describing the outcome, see if you can give both qualitative and quantitative results. If you were appreciated and received accolades from people around you- include that as well.
Go for it!
Essay 2. A second, short-answer question will be asked only of those invited to interview: The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. Please share with us something about your past that aligns with this mission. (250 words or fewer).
Essay 2 Tips. Once the Sloan admission committee has made sure that you are a worthy of an MBA seat at the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management, they want to check that you are a good cultural 'fit' with the school and its mission.
Why is this important?
First of all, the culture and mission of a school is at the heart of its brand. This brand attracts both prospective students and recruiters. To ensure that MIT carries on its brand, it needs to admit students who are aligned with and will contribute positively to its culture and repute. Secondly this also helps the school put together a group of like-minded students who will make the best use of what Sloan has to offer and will take initiatives to further enhance MIT Sloan's mission.
Sloan will be looking at your past behaviors to predict your potential for success at MIT an beyond. Choose examples from your career, preferably in the recent past, that demonstrate your leadership, innovation and business thinking. Select professional examples since they have the most obvious connect with the essay but you could also pick academic, personal or volunteer examples. Detail the context of each action and show the adcom what you thought, felt, said, did in the instances you decide to show.
Essay 1. We have one required essay at the time of submission: Tell us about a recent success you had: How did you accomplish this? Who else was involved? What hurdles did you encounter? What type of impact did this have? (500 words or fewer).
Essay 1 Tips. MIT Sloan has a long history of asking questions about achievements and that is a little surprise given the fact they clearly proclaim to look for candidates who have 'demonstrated personal achievements'.
Before starting the essay, it would also help to know on evaluating your accomplishments: "We are as interested in your path to accomplishment as we are in the results that you have attained. We want to know the effect you have on the people with who you engage, and, in turn, how you influence the world around you."
First of all understand that choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in all MBA "story" essays. Choose an appropriate achievement/ success based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to the success, the discomfort-meter of the event (hurdles) and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, courage, innovation, initiative, and teamwork are just some of the qualities that the incident could reflect on.
Give the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why it should be considered a success. Illustrate the path that led from your thought process to the action to the results. The positive changes made possible by your action would underline the strength of the story and your achievement. Ideally the example would showcase your strength of character, robust value system, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
When describing the outcome, see if you can give both qualitative and quantitative results. If you were appreciated and received accolades from people around you- include that as well.
Go for it!
Essay 2. A second, short-answer question will be asked only of those invited to interview: The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. Please share with us something about your past that aligns with this mission. (250 words or fewer).
Essay 2 Tips. Once the Sloan admission committee has made sure that you are a worthy of an MBA seat at the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management, they want to check that you are a good cultural 'fit' with the school and its mission.
Why is this important?
First of all, the culture and mission of a school is at the heart of its brand. This brand attracts both prospective students and recruiters. To ensure that MIT carries on its brand, it needs to admit students who are aligned with and will contribute positively to its culture and repute. Secondly this also helps the school put together a group of like-minded students who will make the best use of what Sloan has to offer and will take initiatives to further enhance MIT Sloan's mission.
Sloan will be looking at your past behaviors to predict your potential for success at MIT an beyond. Choose examples from your career, preferably in the recent past, that demonstrate your leadership, innovation and business thinking. Select professional examples since they have the most obvious connect with the essay but you could also pick academic, personal or volunteer examples. Detail the context of each action and show the adcom what you thought, felt, said, did in the instances you decide to show.
Essay 1. The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and generate ideas that advance management practice. Discuss how you will contribute toward advancing the mission based on examples of past work and activities. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. Sloan will be looking at your past behaviors to predict your potential for success at MIT an beyond. Answer this essay to demonstrate that you are a good [and have the potential to be a great] "principled, innovative business leader".
Choose examples from your career, preferably in the recent past, that demonstrate your leadership, innovation and business thinking. Select professional examples since they have the most obvious connect with the essay but you could also pick academic, personal or volunteer examples. Detail the context of each action and show the adcom what you thought, felt, said, did in the instances you decide to show.
While the three year limit does not apply to the essay, we suggest you try to pick recent examples in that time frame. If required, older examples can be briefly mentioned to show your consistency and/or growth across the years.
Essay 2. MIT Sloan Essay 2. Write a professional letter of recommendation on behalf of yourself. Answer the following questions as if you were your most recent supervisor recommending yourself for admission to the MIT Sloan MBA Program: (750 words or fewer)
Essay 2 Tips. MIT keeps looking for creative ways to get to know you. Until recently it was the cover letter essay and this year this challenging task might have you biting your nails.
You can handle this essay and have some fun on the way, if you approach it with the right attitude. An honest self-awareness exercise and result of that revealed in this essay will do you good beyond Sloan application.
While answering this question, you don't necessarily have to answer each questions one-by-one. You could write it more like an essay but do make sure to cover all the question. From the 750 words, how much space you give to each section is also up to you.
- How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant? : In the capacity of your 'most recent supervisor'
- How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity? : Think in terms of attitude and approaches that differentiate you. You are an accomplished professional and enthusiastic about your contributions but be careful to maintain a delicate balance of showcasing your strengths without putting others down.
- Please give an example of the applicant's impact on a person, group, or organization: If you are soliciting a recommendation from your current supervisor, it might be advisable to speak with him/her and make sure there is no contradictions in the examples and storylines. You might each decide to show a unique impact you have made in the company.
- Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people: It is hard to objectively look at yourself while you interact with other people. You could seek inputs from your colleagues to know how you are perceived. Pick example where your team working and leadership skills are highlighted.
- Which of the applicant's personal or professional characteristics would you change? In other words what are your areas of improvement? Think about something which is in your control and possibly you are already beginning to work on. If you have received constructive feedback from your manager or peers, that might be your guide. In addition, have a look at Stanford's recommendation format to get some ideas on the topics that you could touch upon.
- Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant: Best place to write about a strength that you couldn't capture in other points. You don't have to address this question but this is your additional chance to recommend yourself to MIT, so why leave it?!
Optional Essay. The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us to know about you, in any format.
Optional Essay Tips. The 2012-2013 essay prompt is a good guide to this optional essay as it asks a similar question but much more fully: "The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us or your future classmates to know about you. This may be in written or multimedia format."
The key factor that sets this Sloan optional essay apart from regular b-school optional essays is the freedom of format. A multimedia response enormously expands the potential of this essay. You could make a video, PowerPoint slide deck, website, blog, infographic, collage, song, short-film. The possibilities are endless!
Though my preliminary advice on most optional essays is to decide whether you want to write it at all, here I would strongly urge a response, given the scope offered by Sloan. Still, attempt the MIT Sloan optional essay/multimedia-response only if you feel that it will improve the strength of your application.
As a first step IGNORE the format aspect completely and focus on identifying the content for the essay. Single out everything, not covered in the rest of the Sloan application, that might aid your candidature. These could be achievements, qualities, skills, passions, interests that have not been accommodated in the other Sloan essays. Feel free to think expansively as the essay/presentation need not be limited to a single theme or event.
Unless you have grave shortfall in your application, it might be better to highlight strong positives or simply show other facets of your personality and passion in this space.
Do your best!
Essay 1. The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and generate ideas that advance management practice. Discuss how you will contribute toward advancing the mission based on examples of past work and activities. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. The object of the essay is to demonstrate that you are a good [and have the potential to be a great] "principled, innovative business leader"; the "improve the world and generate ideas that advance management practice" is more of a blue sky vision: don't be unnecessarily daunted by that. You don't have to be Drucker to write this essay!
Choose examples from your career that demonstrate your leadership, innovation and business thinking. Select professional examples since they have the most obvious connect with the essay but apt academic, personal or volunteer examples are welcome too.
Showcase your accomplishments and try to align the said qualities through them. Detail the context of each action and remember the Sloan admissions committee's refrain that 'We are interested in learning more about you and how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response.'
While the three year limit does not apply to this essay try to use recent example. If required, older examples can be briefly used to show your consistency and/or growth across the years.
Make the choice of the examples keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays/options.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Describe a time when you pushed yourself beyond your comfort zone. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 2 Tips. Once again start with the Sloan instructions: 'We are interested in learning more about you and how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. For Essay 2 only, please limit the experiences you discuss to those which have occurred in the past three years'.
The objective of this essay is to discover how well you learn, adapt and succeed in situations that are difficult and different to your earlier beliefs , experience and 'comfort zone'.
Choose an appropriate achievement (why would you choose an instance in which you achieved nothing?!) based on the general importance of the achievement, the extent of your contribution to its success, the discomfort-meter of the event and what the story tells about you. Your leadership skills, courage, innovation, initiative and teamwork are just some of the qualities that the incident could reflect on.
Shortlist instances in the last three years when you found yourself pushing your boundaries - at work or outside - and hopefully succeeding with impressive impact. It could involve introducing an innovative concept new to you as well, working in new ways, taking life decisions that are difficult and novel: the context can be professional or personal.
Give the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why it should be considered "beyond your comfort zone". Illustrate the path that led from your thought process to the action to the results. The positive changes made possible by your action would underline the strength of the story and your achievement.
Like in all essay packages, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays/options.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us to know about you, in any format.
Optional Essay Tips. The 2012-2013 essay prompt is a good guide to this optional essay as it asks a similar question but much more fully: "The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us or your future classmates to know about you. This may be in written or multimedia format."
The key factor that sets this Sloan optional essay apart from regular b-school optional essays is the freedom of format. A multimedia response enormously expands the potential of this essay.
Though my preliminary advice on most optional essays is to decide whether you want to write it at all, here I would strongly urge a response, given the scope offered by Sloan. Still, attempt the MIT Sloan optional essay/multimedia-response only if you feel that it will improve the strength of your application.
As a first step IGNORE the format aspect completely and focus on identifying the content for the essay. Single out everything, not covered in the rest of the Sloan application, that might aid your candidature. These could be achievements, qualities or skills that have not been accommodated in the other Sloan essays. Feel free to think expansively as the essay/presentation need not be limited to a single theme or event. Next, identify shortfalls in your application - which you have not covered in the cover letter essay. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
Now, make the decision about writing a straight essay or building a multimedia presentation. If multimedia is the route you choose to take, keep it within 60-90 seconds - approximately the time taken taken to convey a 300 words essay.
Do your best!
Cover Letter. Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.
Cover Letter Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Since the other essays offer only single-episode snippets of your life, this essay is where you try to make a wholesome presentation of your self/candidature.
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. Try to identify an instance when you found yourself introducing an innovative concept, taking a principled yet unpopular stand, fighting popular opinion, or implementing an out-of-the-box solution. The context can be professional or personal.
Give the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why it should be considered "beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular". Illustrate the path that led from your thought process to the action to the results. The positive changes made possible by your action would underline the strength of the story and your achievement. Ideally the example would showcase your strength of character, robust value system, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
Though this essay is the exact same as last year's, the response might be different because of the new essay # 2. The focus, this time, will have to be primarily (even exclusively) on the action and not on the persuasive skills since that is the designated focus in the very next essay.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so in this Sloan application, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
Essay 2. Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 2 Tips. Choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in all MBA "story" essays. Select a story for this one that shines a light on your ability to persuade, this essay could simultaneously showcase your leadership aptitude, people skills and emotional intelligence. The example should detail the context and rationale for your idea. It should also illustrate your approach in winning the opposition over to the idea - by understanding the opposition, communicating convincingly, clarifying ideas. Your leadership approach and the methodology you adopt would be critical to this essay's success. Ideally, this essay will showcase your diplomatic communication, persuasive skills, leadership and effective reasoning - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!). Bear in mind that this is not a randomly selected trait. This story should act as a preview of how you might be able to persuade your classmates at Sloan or your colleagues in a post-Sloan scenario to accept an idea they are opposed to.
Please ensure that the story differs thematically and in approach from the earlier essay, since persuasion and an unpopular stand are similar underlying themes in both essay questions. And lemme repeat: make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please describe a time when you had to make a decision without having all the information you needed. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Essay 3 Tips. This new essay prompt, offers you the theme of decision making. At least that is the obvious theme: about how you made a decision without possessing all the info you needed. However, consider that you are free to use this setting and change the theme to leadership in uncertain times or risk management in an uncontrolled environment or almost anything else that projects YOU as a credible, intelligent, calm, decisive hero.
Having chosen the theme describe in detail the process, actions and approach that you took to achieve your objective and make the right decision. Think deeply about what decision making means to you, how you approach it and how you go about gathering information before making your decision. Next choose a story that will portray these skills in the best light. While this could have been a personal decision that principally involved only you, a story and a decision that sees you in a leadership role will almost certainly have greater value.
As in all the Sloan essays the purpose is to judge your approach and attitude in a previous situation since that might be a reflection of your manner and method in future situations (at Sloan and in your long illustrious career thereafter) as well. Once again, please start writing this essay after the stories and themes for ALL the Sloan essays have been chosen.
Go for it!
Supplemental Information Essay. You may use this section to address whatever else you want the Admissions Committee to know. (250 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Supplemental Information Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the MIT Sloan supplemental essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Use this Sloan optional essay to mention anything, not covered in the rest of the application, that might aid your candidature. These could be achievements, qualities or skills that have not been accommodated in the other Sloan essays. The essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event. If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Do use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
Do your best!
Cover Letter. Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.
Cover Letter Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to do that in the supplemental information essay - not a great idea!). Now, what could be simpler?!
Since the other essays offer only single-episode snippets of your life, this essay is where you try to make a wholesome presentation of your self/candidature.
Why MIT Sloan is the best option for you AND why you will be a great addition to Sloan are critical components of this essay that need to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Sloan website and make a compelling argument that answers "Why is the Sloan MBA the BEST business school program for you?". This unasked question will be critical not only for your online application but also later in your interview. Personalize your answer as much as possible and plausibly connect what Sloan specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals. Some of the themes that you could use to link with MIT Sloan would be career progression and goals. Convince the admissions committee that your life and work have offered you the experiences, skills and knowledge that (together with the Sloan experience) will make your goals achievable. Ensure that your goals are presented with credibility, practicality and achievability and have an obvious fit with Sloan.
Briefly showcasing your accomplishments (related to work, academic, personal etc.) and trying to align them with the word-picture that you are presenting of yourself would be the next step. Some of this can also be accomplished while detailing your career progression. Since this is an all-purpose essay (oops.. cover letter) a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented; also choose the right example to detail your "impact on a group or organization" such that it merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. Try to identify an instance when you found yourself introducing an innovative concept, taking a principled yet unpopular stand, fighting popular opinion, or implementing an out-of-the-box solution. The context can be professional or personal.
Give the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why it should be considered "beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular". Illustrate the path that led from your thought process to the action to the results. The positive changes made possible by your action would underline the strength of the story and your achievement. Ideally the example would showcase your strength of character, robust value system, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
Though is essay is the exact same as last year's, the response might be different because of the new essay # 2. The focus, this time, will have to be primarily (even exclusively) on the action and not on the persuasive skills since that is the designated focus in the very next essay.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so in this Sloan application, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
Essay 2. Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas.
Essay 2 Tips. Choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in all MBA "story" essays. Select a story for this one that shines a light on your ability to persuade, this essay could simultaneously showcase your leadership aptitude, people skills and emotional intelligence. The example should detail the context and rationale for your idea. It should also illustrate your approach in winning the opposition over to the idea - by understanding the opposition, communicating convincingly, clarifying ideas. Your leadership approach and the methodology you adopt would be critical to this essay's success.
Ideally, this essay will showcase your diplomatic communication, persuasive skills, leadership and effective reasoning - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!). Bear in mind that this is not a randomly selected trait. This story should act as a preview of how you might be able to persuade your classmates at Sloan or your colleagues in a post-Sloan scenario to accept an idea they are opposed to.
Please ensure that the story differs thematically and in approach from the earlier essay, since persuasion and an unpopular stand are similar underlying themes in both essay questions. And lemme repeat: make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please describe a time when you took responsibility for achieving an objective. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 3 Tips. Once again a new essay prompt, it is similar to this question from 2008-2009 : "Please tell us about a time when you executed a plan."
Describe in detail the process, actions and steps that you took to achieve your objective and to convert an idea on paper into tangible actuality. While you could achieve the objective individually, one in which you had a leadership role will almost always have greater value. In addition the initiative you took to grab this particular opportunity might be an added dimension in this essay.
The heart of the essay would be your approach to executing ideas - how you visualize, manage, organize, plan, synchronize, and execute.
Like in all the Hallmark Sloan essays the purpose is to judge your approach and attitude in a previous situation since that might be reflection of your manner and method in future situations (at Sloan and later) as well.
Supplemental Information Essay. You may use this section to address whatever else you want the Admissions Committee to know.
Supplemental Information Essay Tips. As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the MIT Sloan supplemental essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Use this Sloan optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.
One other situation when the MIT Sloan supplemental essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an strongly positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other Sloan essays. The essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event. If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Cover Letter. Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.
Cover Letter Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to use the fourth Sloan essay to that purpose).
The "impact impact on a group or organization" portion is new this year and tries to compensate for editing out last year's first Sloan essay question: "Please tell us about a time when you had an impact on a group or organization. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did." Since this is an all-purpose essay a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented. Choosing an "impact example" that merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content would help things.
Essay 1. Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. Try to identify the times when you found yourself fighting popular opinion, introducing an innovative concept, taking a principled yet unpopular stand or implementing an out-of-the-box solution. The context can be professional or personal.
Apart from your motivations for the action, it might be useful to show how you (tried to) win over unenthusiastic or hesitant stakeholders, since your action would/should not have been easy to accept by everyone. While it is not essential that this be a "success" story where ultimately everyone agrees with your point of view, it won't serve you ill if you showcased your diplomatic communication, persuasive skills and reasoning abilities - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!). A display of your strength of character, robust value system, and/or intellectual courage might be adequate to polish off the essay.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so in this Sloan application, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other three essays.
Essay 2. Please describe a time when you coached, trained, or mentored a person or group. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 2 Tips. Each person has knowledge and qualities that grant him or her the potential to lead in extraordinary ways. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Sloan is no exception. This essay prompt demands a sharp focus on the coaching/teaching/mentoring aspect of your leadership.
Choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in most MBA "story" essays. Selecting the story for this one should be easy. Search out a story that shows you impacting an individual or a group (preferable) through exceptional training/mentoring/coaching. Select an instance in which your ability to coach, guide and/or impart knowledge made a significant difference.
As usual apart from describing the story and celebrating your success, the objective of the essay is also to uncover your attitude and approach towards leadership/mentoring/coaching/training. The story therefore will also act as a preview of how you might be able to coach/mentor individuals or teams at Sloan or in your post-Sloan career.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please describe a time when you took responsibility for achieving an objective. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 3 Tips. Once again a new essay prompt, it is similar to this question from 2008-2009 : "Please tell us about a time when you executed a plan."
Describe in detail the process, actions and steps that you took to achieve your objective and to convert an idea on paper into tangible actuality. While you could achieve the objective individually, one in which you had a leadership role will almost always have greater value. In addition the initiative you took to grab this particular opportunity might be an added dimension in this essay.
The heart of the essay would be your approach to executing ideas - how you visualize, manage, organize, plan, synchronize, and execute.
Like in all the Hallmark Sloan essays the purpose is to judge your approach and attitude in a previous situation since that might be reflection of your manner and method in future situations (at Sloan and later) as well.
Information Essay. You may use this section to address any specific circumstances related to your academic background. (250 words or less, limited to one page)
Information Essay Tips. Use this optional essay to address areas of concern in your academic background that might be detrimental to your MIT Sloan candidature. Academic underperformance, gaps in your academic resume, an earlier MBA etc. are some potential weaknesses that you might want to tackle.
Cover Letter. Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.
Cover Letter Tips. Write a formal sales document in cover letter format which highlights your key achievements, includes a leadership or team impact example, explains why you should be admitted to MIT Sloan and also mentions why you are interested in MIT Sloan...gasp.. And yes, this will also act as your "goals essay" (unless you plan to use the fourth Sloan essay to that purpose).
The "impact impact on a group or organization" portion is new this year and tries to compensate for editing out last year's first Sloan essay question: "Please tell us about a time when you had an impact on a group or organization. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did." Since this is an all-purpose essay a holistic picture of your candidature needs to be presented. Choosing an "impact example" that merges with the overall theme of your cover letter content would help things.
Essay 1. Please tell us about a challenging interaction you had with a person or group. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 1 Tips. For selecting the particular situation for the essay, look back to identify professional or personal circumstances when you found your interaction with a group/team or individual particularly challenging. While this essay could focus on your people skills, leadership abilities, your communication skills or any other relevant quality which you want to highlight, the what, why & how of the challenge and its resolution will determine the strength of the essay.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so here, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other three essays.
Though your essay does not have to be a fairy tale, a cheerful conclusion to this story (and the following ones) would be preferred - why depress people when you can help it?
Key: Describe what you thought, felt, said, and did in the situation - in a way that best expresses the qualities/skills you have chosen to highlight.
Essay 2. Please tell us about a time when you defended your idea. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 2 Tips. What are the general circumstances in which a person might find himself/herself fighting popular opinion? It could be the result of an innovative idea. Or perhaps a principled stand. Or.. well you can think too!
What were your motivations? What was your reasoning? How did you (try to) win over an unenthusiastic or hesitant stakeholders.
It is not essential that this be a "success" story where ultimately everyone agrees with your point of view. A display of your strength of character, robust value system, and/or intellectual courage might be adequate to polish off the essay. However it will be even better if you can additionally showcase your diplomatic communication, persuasive skills and effective reasoning - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!).
Sloan has stipulated a three year time-frame from which the stories can be chosen - increasing it from two years in last season's application. While a five year period would have been welcome, even this seemingly small expansion, would considerably widen the scope of choice for most applicants.
Essay 3. Please tell us about a time when you executed a plan. (500 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 3 Tips. Describe in detail the process, actions and steps that you took to convert a plan on paper into tangible actuality. While the plan could have been individually executed - one in which you had a leadership role will almost always add greater value.
The heart of the essay would be your approach to executing ideas - how you manage, organize, plan, synchronize, and execute.
Like in all the Sloan "thought, felt, said, and did" essays the purpose is to judge your approach and attitude in a previous situation since that might be reflection of your manner and method in future situations (at Sloan and later) too.
Essay 4. Please tell the Admissions Committee whatever else you would like us to know. (250 words or less, limited to one page)
Essay 4 Tips. Now this is an Harvard style optional essay - one which you have to answer anyway.
Use it for any purpose you feel will enhance your application, keeping in mind the themes tackled in the other essays.
The content of the essay can range from highlighting specific achievements to underlining your non-work/community activities or describing any quality of substantive value that could not not find a place in the other essays (and cover letter). This could even be made into a goals essay - if it has not been adequately tackled in the cover letter.
Go for it!
Supplemental Information Essay. You may use this section to address any specific circumstances related to your academic background. (250 words or less, limited to one page)
Supplemental Information Essay Tips. Use this optional essay to address areas of concern in your academic background that might be detrimental to your MIT Sloan candidature. Academic underperformance, gaps in your academic resume, an earlier MBA etc. are some potential weaknesses that you might want to tackle.
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your near-term (3-5 years) future career objectives and how pursuing a Nanyang MBA will help you achieve these. (400 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. While assessing your career progression, give special attention to why you chose your career path and what made you move from one role to another. Simply repeating your job description from resume won't help. Use this space to give rationale behind your career choices. Ideally your past experiences will fit in a theme which will extend to your future career goals. Since you are writing about short-term goals, be very specific about the industry and function and geography you want to work in post-MBA.
Try to also show how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for your future job but that you still find gaps in your understanding and abilities before you can successfully reach your vision. Make a case that these gaps can be filled only with Nanyang MBA. Do research on the various aspect of NTU MBA program and show specifically and clearly how the resources and opportunities you will get at the business school will help you achieve your goals.
Essay 2. Tell us about two achievements (one personal and one professional) that you are most proud of, and why you feel that to be so. (400 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. If you have not done already, take sometime and look back at your life and identify 3-4 key key strengths you have displayed over the years. These are the qualities that you would be proud of and want to show to NTU adcom.
For each aspect, you want to talk about one anecdote, that defining moment which clearly describes who you are and show its impact on you. A general guideline is to pick incidents, examples that are recent: something that happened within last 2-4 years. Adcom wants to know the most recent you.
Ideally your professional story will show elements of your strength as a leader, highlight your interpersonal skills and demonstrate the impact you had on your team, client or company. If you can quantify it- great! If you can show positive responses from others and maybe also have your recommenders talk about this achievement- even better!
The personal story could be about leading an initiative, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such examples. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Essay 3. Share with us a situation where you faced adversity. Describe how you resolved it and what you learned from this experience. (400 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Crisis builds character. No wonder, many B-schools tend to ask questions about adversity and challenges and setbacks and failures. The goal is to understand your personality, your values, thought process, perspectives and attitudes. How to deal with a problem, how you resolve it says a lot about you.
For this question, you will need to go further and do introspection to write about what you learned from this experience. Hopefully your learning will be a profound one and would help you deal with similar situations in a better way in the life.
Nanyang Social Responsibility. Briefly describe your involvement in any Social Responsibility or Sustainable Development activities (maximum 150 words)
The social responsibility /sustainability write-up makes a come back from previous years. This is a unique essay and seeks to understand your interest and contribution to your organization and community in this regard. You can either take a thematic approach and talk about a few activities or you could describe in detail one activity along with your role and the impact you have made.
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your near-term (3-5 years) future career objectives and how pursuing a Nanyang MBA will help you achieve these. (400 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. While assessing your career progression, give special attention to why you chose your career path and what made you move from one role to another. Simply repeating your job description from resume won't help. Use this space to give rationale behind your career choices. Ideally your past experiences will fit in a theme which will extend to your future career goals. Since you are writing about short-term goals, be very specific about the industry and function and geography you want to work in post-MBA.
Try to also show how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for your future job but that you still find gaps in your understanding and abilities before you can successfully reach your vision. Make a case that these gaps can be filled only with Nanyang MBA. Do research on the various aspect of NTU MBA program and show specifically and clearly how the resources and opportunities you will get at the business school will help you achieve your goals.
Essay 2. Tell us about two achievements (one personal and one professional) that you are most proud of, and why you feel that to be so. (400 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. If you have not done already, take sometime and look back at your life and identify 3-4 key key strengths you have displayed over the years. These are the qualities that you would be proud of and want to show to NTU adcom.
For each aspect, you want to talk about one anecdote, that defining moment which clearly describes who you are and show its impact on you. A general guideline is to pick incidents, examples that are recent: something that happened within last 2-4 years. Adcom wants to know the most recent you.
Ideally your professional story will show elements of your strength as a leader, highlight your interpersonal skills and demonstrate the impact you had on your team, client or company. If you can quantify it- great! If you can show positive responses from others and maybe also have your recommenders talk about this achievement- even better!
The personal story could be about leading an initiative, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such examples. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Essay 3. Share with us a situation where you faced adversity. Describe how you resolved it and what you learned from this experience. (400 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Crisis builds character. No wonder, many B-schools tend to ask questions about adversity and challenges and setbacks and failures. The goal is to understand your personality, your values, thought process, perspectives and attitudes. How to deal with a problem, how you resolve it says a lot about you.
For this question, you will need to go further and do introspection to write about what you learned from this experience. Hopefully your learning will be a profound one and would help you deal with similar situations in a better way in the life.
Nanyang Social Responsibility. Briefly describe your involvement in any Social Responsibility or Sustainable Development activities (maximum 150 words)
The social responsibility /sustainability write-up makes a come back from previous years. This is a unique essay and seeks to understand your interest and contribution to your organization and community in this regard. You can either take a thematic approach and talk about a few activities or you could describe in detail one activity along with your role and the impact you have made.
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your near-term (3-5 years) future career objectives and how pursuing a Nanyang MBA will help you achieve these. (400 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. While assessing your career progression, give special attention to why you chose your career path and what made you move from one role to another. Simply repeating your job description from resume won't help. Use this space to give rationale behind your career choices. Ideally your past experiences will fit in a theme which will extend to your future career goals. Since you are writing about short-term goals, be very specific about the industry and function and geography you want to work in post-MBA.
Try to also show how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for your future job but that you still find gaps in your understanding and abilities before you can successfully reach your vision. Make a case that these gaps can be filled only with Nanyang MBA. Do research on the various aspect of NTU MBA program and show specifically and clearly how the resources and opportunities you will get at the business school will help you achieve your goals.
Essay 2. Tell us about two achievements (one personal and one professional) that you are most proud of, and why you feel that to be so. (400 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. If you have not done already, take sometime and look back at your life and identify 3-4 key key strengths you have displayed over the years. These are the qualities that you would be proud of and want to show to NTU adcom.
For each aspect, you want to talk about one anecdote, that defining moment which clearly describes who you are and show its impact on you. A general guideline is to pick incidents, examples that are recent: something that happened within last 2-4 years. Adcom wants to know the most recent you.
Ideally your professional story will show elements of your strength as a leader, highlight your interpersonal skills and demonstrate the impact you had on your team, client or company. If you can quantify it- great! If you can show positive responses from others and maybe also have your recommenders talk about this achievement- even better!
The personal story could be about leading an initiative, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such examples. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Essay 3. Share with us a situation where you faced adversity. Describe how you resolved it and what you learned from this experience. (400 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Crisis builds character. No wonder, many B-schools tend to ask questions about adversity and challenges and setbacks and failures. The goal is to understand your personality, your values, thought process, perspectives and attitudes. How to deal with a problem, how you resolve it says a lot about you.
For this question, you will need to go further and do introspection to write about what you learned from this experience. Hopefully your learning will be a profound one and would help you deal with similar situations in a better way in the life.
Nanyang Social Responsibility. Briefly describe your involvement in any Social Responsibility or Sustainable Development activities (maximum 150 words)
The social responsibility /sustainability write-up makes a come back from previous years. This is a unique essay and seeks to understand your interest and contribution to your organization and community in this regard. You can either take a thematic approach and talk about a few activities or you could describe in detail one activity along with your role and the impact you have made.
Essay 1. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your near-term (3-5 years) future career objectives and how pursuing a Nanyang MBA will help you achieve these. (400 word limit)
Essay 1 Tips. While assessing your career progression, give special attention to why you chose your career path and what made you move from one role to another. Simply repeating your job description from resume won't help. Use this space to give rationale behind your career choices. Ideally your past experiences will fit in a theme which will extend to your future career goals. Since you are writing about short-term goals, be very specific about the industry and function and geography you want to work in post-MBA.
Try to also show how your past experiences and accomplishments have prepared you for your future job but that you still find gaps in your understanding and abilities before you can successfully reach your vision. Make a case that these gaps can be filled only with Nanyang MBA. Do research on the various aspect of NTU MBA program and show specifically and clearly how the resources and opportunities you will get at the business school will help you achieve your goals.
Essay 2. Tell us about two achievements (one personal and one professional) that you are most proud of, and why you feel that to be so. (400 word limit)
Essay 2 Tips. If you have not done already, take sometime and look back at your life and identify 3-4 key key strengths you have displayed over the years. These are the qualities that you would be proud of and want to show to NTU adcom.
For each aspect, you want to talk about one anecdote, that defining moment which clearly describes who you are and show its impact on you. A general guideline is to pick incidents, examples that are recent: something that happened within last 2-4 years. Adcom wants to know the most recent you.
Ideally your professional story will show elements of your strength as a leader, highlight your interpersonal skills and demonstrate the impact you had on your team, client or company. If you can quantify it- great! If you can show positive responses from others and maybe also have your recommenders talk about this achievement- even better!
The personal story could be about leading an initiative, mentoring someone in your family, deciding to live your life a certain way, taking a less-popular stance on a controversial topic.. and many more such examples. More than what you talk about, it is critical that you show WHY it was so important for you and how it has influenced you in a significant way.
Essay 3. Share with us a situation where you faced adversity. Describe how you resolved it and what you learned from this experience. (400 word limit)
Essay 3 Tips. Crisis builds character. No wonder, many B-schools tend to ask questions about adversity and challenges and setbacks and failures. The goal is to understand your personality, your values, thought process, perspectives and attitudes. How to deal with a problem, how you resolve it says a lot about you.
For this question, you will need to go further and do introspection to write about what you learned from this experience. Hopefully your learning will be a profound one and would help you deal with similar situations in a better way in the life.
Nanyang Social Responsibility. Briefly describe your involvement in any Social Responsibility or Sustainable Development activities (maximum 150 words)
The social responsibility /sustainability write-up makes a come back from previous years. This is a unique essay and seeks to understand your interest and contribution to your organization and community in this regard. You can either take a thematic approach and talk about a few activities or you could describe in detail one activity along with your role and the impact you have made.
Essay 1. How do you plan to spend your time on The NUS MBA to transform yourself personally & professionally? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. If the language of the question seems intimidating, don't worry. This is simply a WHY NUS? type of question.
The NUS admission team wants to know why are you intent on joining their progam and what opportunities you will leverage during your MBA.
Since the question talks about transformation, they are not looking for you to simply make a list of clubs and activities you want to be part of . Instead NUS wants to know how they can help you develop and grow.
The first step should be to understand your areas of development - both personally and professionally and then tie them up with the resources and opportunities at NUS. Since you have only 300 words, it would be good to talk about 3-4 areas of growth and transformation you are seeking from NUS.
Essay 1. How have people, events, and/or situations in your life influenced who you are today? (250 words/ 3500 characters)
Essay 1 Tips. A new and interesting question!
For this question, you will need to introspect deeply and look at themes and patterns in your life and understand how the people, events and situations have influenced your choices. Go beyond academics and career, and try to see yourself holistically. Use the space to talk about your close associates, your family, turning points in your life, your life experiences that have left a deep impact on you. If relevant, talk about childhood, your circumstances while growing up, and all other factors that have shaped you to become who you are today.
Essay 1. Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal including your industry, function and country of choice and how have your prior experiences motivated and prepared you to pursue these goals? (Max 300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. NUS has changed the essay prompt slightly from last year when they asked "We would like you to tell us about your post-MBA immediate career goal, describing your industry, function & country of choice and a plan on how you would achieve this goal."
In addition to knowing about the function and industry you want to join after MBA, they want to know how your past experiences have influenced your choices.
If you can give examples of few employers you might want to work with, that will show your focus and research.
While crafting this essay, you can take several possible approaches. You could start by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and making a logical and credible case for your future goals. Alternatively you could paint the vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, demonstrating that you have a solid skill-set that make you a good fit for your goals.
Essay 2. Name one current issue (economic / social / political) that Asia is facing and identify a couple of strategies that you feel may adequately address the issue.
Essay 2 Tips. This question requires a good understanding of the Asian market and your passion for the region and solving issues must be clearly demonstrated.
Essay 3. If there is anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee that was not covered in your application, please include here.
Essay 3 Tips. A new question this year! And a good opportunity to highlight those aspects of your profile and experiences that you couldn't showcase in other essays. Use this space to talk about a particular strength or strengths that will make you an attractive candidate for NUS.
Essay 1. Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal including your industry, function and country of choice and how have your prior experiences motivated and prepared you to pursue these goals? (Max 300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. In addition to knowing about the function and industry you want to join after MBA, they want to know how your past experiences have influenced your choices.
If you can give examples of few employers you might want to work with, that will show your focus and research.
While crafting this essay, you can take several possible approaches. You could start by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and making a logical and credible case for your future goals. Alternatively you could paint the vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, demonstrating that you have a solid skill-set that make you a good fit for your goals.
Essay 2. Name one current issue (economic / social / political) that Asia is facing and identify a couple of strategies that you feel may adequately address the issue.
Essay 2 Tips. This question requires a good understanding of the Asian market and your passion for the region and solving issues must be clearly demonstrated.
Essay 3. If there is anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee that was not covered in your application, please include here.
Essay 3 Tips. A new question this year! And a good opportunity to highlight those aspects of your profile and experiences that you couldn't showcase in other essays. Use this space to talk about a particular strength or strengths that will make you an attractive candidate for NUS.
Essay 1. Please answer ONE of the following short essay prompts. (Max 300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This new set is more personalized than the previous years questions about problem facing the organizations and you making a case for why you are a good candidate for admission.
a. I am passionate about… this is simple and straightforward. What will help you differentiate yourself and leave a lasting impact is showing details about your passion and how that enriches you. E.g saying that playing sports is your passion and some examples might not suffice. You should be able to talk about how this activity has shaped you or affects you in a significant manner.
b. My greatest challenge has been… use your best judgment to talk about a challenge which is an area of growth for you. It is not that incapacitating that it will make you unsuitable for a B-school, but impactful enough that conveys the seriousness of this question.
c. My biggest failure was...follow the CAR format, CONTEXT, ACTION, RESULT to talk about what was the situation, what challenges you faced, what decisions and choices you made, how you thought, acted and what was the final outcome. It would be prudent to pick example where you take responsibility and ownership of the failure on yourself.
Essay 2. Briefly describe your immediate post-MBA career goal including your industry, function and country of choice and how have your prior experiences motivated and prepared you to pursue these goals? (Max 300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. NUS has changed the essay prompt slightly from last year when they asked "We would like you to tell us about your post-MBA immediate career goal, describing your industry, function & country of choice and a plan on how you would achieve this goal."
In addition to knowing about the function and industry you want to join after MBA, they want to know how your past experiences have influenced your choices.
If you can give examples of few employers you might want to work with, that will show your focus and research.
While crafting this essay, you can take several possible approaches. You could start by talking about your past experiences, highlighting the reasons for your career choices and making a logical and credible case for your future goals. Alternatively you could paint the vision of your future and take the reader back into your career path and progression, demonstrating that you have a solid skill-set that make you a good fit for your goals.
Essay 3. If there is anything else you would like to share with the Admissions Committee that was not covered in your application, please include here.
Essay 3 Tips. A new question this year! And a good opportunity to highlight those aspects of your profile and experiences that you couldn't showcase in other essays. Use this space to talk about a particular strength or strengths that will make you an attractive candidate for NUS.
Good luck!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
: What are your short and long-term career goals?
: How will the MBA help you achieve them?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Stern is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2. Personal Expression
Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements: A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences). Six images that help illustrate who you are. A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.
Essay 2 Tips. In the growing digital and multimedia usage for both professional and personal expression, NYU Stern takes a step to incorporate the same as a medium to get to know you and evaluate your 'fit' with the school. It is a wonderful opportunity to express yourself creatively and show diverse aspects of your personality, interests and achievements. However, this could be a difficult and challenging essay if you are not very good with keeping pictorial records of your best moments/ memories. In that case, we'd suggest - go make new ones!
Have fun!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
: What are your short and long-term career goals?
: How will the MBA help you achieve them?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Stern is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2. Personal Expression
Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements: A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences). Six images that help illustrate who you are. A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.
Essay 2 Tips. In the growing digital and multimedia usage for both professional and personal expression, NYU Stern takes a step to incorporate the same as a medium to get to know you and evaluate your 'fit' with the school. It is a wonderful opportunity to express yourself creatively and show diverse aspects of your personality, interests and achievements. However, this could be a difficult and challenging essay if you are not very good with keeping pictorial records of your best moments/ memories. In that case, we'd suggest - go make new ones!
Have fun!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
: What are your short and long-term career goals?
: How will the MBA help you achieve them?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Stern is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2. Personal Expression
Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements: A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences). Six images that help illustrate who you are. A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.
Essay 2 Tips. In the growing digital and multimedia usage for both professional and personal expression, NYU Stern takes a step to incorporate the same as a medium to get to know you and evaluate your 'fit' with the school. It is a wonderful opportunity to express yourself creatively and show diverse aspects of your personality, interests and achievements. However, this could be a difficult and challenging essay if you are not very good with keeping pictorial records of your best moments/ memories. In that case, we'd suggest - go make new ones!
Have fun!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
: What are your short and long-term career goals?
: How will the MBA help you achieve them?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
Your past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that an MBA program from Stern is your means to get to your career vision.
Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2. Personal Expression
NYU Stern offers a portfolio of MBA programs designed to meet the needs of our applicants. Your program preferences are very important as you will be admitted to only one program. You cannot switch your program option after receiving your admissions decision.
A. Primary Program Preference (250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
Please indicate the primary MBA program for which you would like to be considered, as indicated in the Primary Program Selection section of the application.
Explain why the program you have selected is the best program for you.
B. Alternative Program Preference(s) (250 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
Please indicate any alternative program(s) for which you would also like to be considered, as indicated in the Alternative Program Selection section of the application and why you would also like to be considered for this/these program(s).
An alternate program does not need to be selected. If you have no alternate programs you do not need to complete this essay, just indicate "N/A"
Essay 2 Tips. First of its kind, this essay forces you to get to know about all the various MBA programs offered by NYU Stern and give reasons for your preference. The essay prompt itself is quite explanatory in terms of what you are required to answer. Choose wisely and explain well!
Essay 3. Personal Expression
Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements: A brief introduction or overview of your "Pick Six" (no more than 3 sentences). Six images that help illustrate who you are. A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.
Essay 3 Tips. In the growing digital and multimedia usage for both professional and personal expression, NYU Stern takes a step to incorporate the same as a medium to get to know you and evaluate your 'fit' with the school. It is a wonderful opportunity to express yourself creatively and show diverse aspects of your personality, interests and achievements. However, this could be a difficult and challenging essay if you are not very good with keeping pictorial records of your best moments/ memories. In that case, we'd suggest - go make new ones!
Have fun!
Additional Information. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Additional Information Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "why MBA"/Stern and "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
(a) Answer to why MBA and why now should ideally derive from where you are coming and where you want to go. You past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that Stern MBA is your means to get to your career vision..
(b) Stern competes with many top-notch schools on the East Coast and wants to know how much effort you have put into learning about their program. Do you love Stern for what they are or are you applying to it as a 'safer' option? If you do, show them you have reached out to students and alums, visited campus, met the adcom and Stern teams multiple times and then decided that Stern is THE school for you. Give them specifics of whom you connected with, what you spoke about and how did that influence your decision to apply.
(c) NYU Stern seeks focused candidates who can clearly articulate their career goals. Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2 Choose Option A or B.
Essay 2 A. Your Two Paths: The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today's ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. (500 word maximum)
(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
Essay 2 A Tips. Plans change. Economic, social and/or industry conditions vary between the time you apply and graduate. Also, YOU change. Thus plans change - often they have to change. This essay will test your ability to maturely and realistically perceive and adjust to changes, often transformative changes, in a dynamic economic/business scenario. Through this essay NYU hopes to attract students "who consider multiple approaches and are comfortable with non-linear thinking" and to help create "disruptive leaders who can think across traditional intellectual boundaries".
A challenging essay that forces you to think and open your mind to different ways you could apply your skills and knowledge in the areas of your interest. You obviously can not pick two highly diverse roles say a Marketing Manager or a CFO, but given the limitations of your skills think, about two somewhat related paths. Which one you will choose in what scenario could depend on the internal and/or external factors applicable in your situation.
Stern's mission statement is fairly broad and almost any career path one could justify it as 'transforming challenges into opportunities for business and society'. How will yours do requires you to think deeply and show with insight and maturity.
Essay 2 B. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application. If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
Essay 2 B Tips. First and foremost override the "creative" part of the question and figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and the rest of the application. When you are sure about 'what' you want to convey 'how' will become easier.
Think about the qualities that make you unique, make you standout from others with a similar background? Like every other essay, this is also your marketing tool and you are being evaluated for intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with taking charge of an ambiguous situation.
While thinking about the 'how' part includes not just the method of communication but also the medium. Unleash your imagination. Hand drawings, photographs, videos, one-act plays, collages, songs, poems, multimedia presentations - and hundreds of other options on an almost endless variety of mediums.
Have fun! Go for it!
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations:
Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
Essay 1 Tips. A straightforward "why MBA"/Stern and "career goals" essay from NYU Stern.
(a) Answer to why MBA and why now should ideally derive from where you are coming and where you want to go. You past experiences have given you knowledge and understanding and many skills but there is still a 'need-gap' that you want to fulfill before you can reach your goals. Ideally these goals would be beyond the immediate post-MBA goals, they would be part of your career vision. Show that Stern MBA is your means to get to your career vision..
(b) Stern competes with many top-notch schools on the East Coast and wants to know how much effort you have put into learning about their program. Do you love Stern for what they are or are you applying to it as a 'safer' option? If you do, show them you have reached out to students and alums, visited campus, met the adcom and Stern teams multiple times and then decided that Stern is THE school for you. Give them specifics of whom you connected with, what you spoke about and how did that influence your decision to apply.
(c) NYU Stern seeks focused candidates who can clearly articulate their career goals. Think about what industry and function you would like to pursue- ideally that should tie in with your longer term career vision so be careful not to write this part of answer in isolation. Make sure your goals are credible, feasible and realistic. E.g. if you are an international student do not write about pursuing entrepreneurial goals in the US without considering immigration related challenges.
Essay 2 Choose Option A or B.
Essay 2 A. Your Two Paths: The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today's ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. (500 word maximum)
(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
Essay 2 A Tips. Plans change. Economic, social and/or industry conditions vary between the time you apply and graduate. Also, YOU change. Thus plans change - often they have to change. This essay will test your ability to maturely and realistically perceive and adjust to changes, often transformative changes, in a dynamic economic/business scenario. Through this essay NYU hopes to attract students "who consider multiple approaches and are comfortable with non-linear thinking" and to help create "disruptive leaders who can think across traditional intellectual boundaries".
A challenging essay that forces you to think and open your mind to different ways you could apply your skills and knowledge in the areas of your interest. You obviously can not pick two highly diverse roles say a Marketing Manager or a CFO, but given the limitations of your skills think, about two somewhat related paths. Which one you will choose in what scenario could depend on the internal and/or external factors applicable in your situation.
Stern's mission statement is fairly broad and almost any career path one could justify it as 'transforming challenges into opportunities for business and society'. How will yours do requires you to think deeply and show with insight and maturity.
Essay 2 B. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application. If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
Essay 2 B Tips. First and foremost override the "creative" part of the question and figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and the rest of the application. When you are sure about 'what' you want to convey 'how' will become easier.
Think about the qualities that make you unique, make you standout from others with a similar background? Like every other essay, this is also your marketing tool and you are being evaluated for intelligence, attitude, personality and comfort level with taking charge of an ambiguous situation.
While thinking about the 'how' part includes not just the method of communication but also the medium. Unleash your imagination. Hand drawings, photographs, videos, one-act plays, collages, songs, poems, multimedia presentations - and hundreds of other options on an almost endless variety of mediums.
Have fun! Go for it!
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. You are at no disadvantage if you apply as a reapplicant. We encourage you to take every opportunity during the re-application process to demonstrate how you have become a more competitive applicant since your last application. You may use the optional essay, Essay 4, to proactively address how your application has improved.
First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were the last time around.
Step 1 is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays/applications are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not fully accurate but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: weak goals, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recommendations, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or generic "Why Stern" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays.
It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Try to take stock.
Step 2 is to convince the NYU admissions committee that YOU Version 2 is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.
> Goals: The greatest (and most improvable) area in a dinged application is usually the goals essay. Ensure that you make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
> NYU STERN: How will NYU Stern - SPECIFICALLY NYU STERN - help you reach your goals? What are the aspects of learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that you will find only at Stern that will aid the achievement of your goals? If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2 applicant.
> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to NYU illustrate how you can contribute better to Stern, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
and FINALLY
> APPLY EARLY: If you are a reapplicant apply in Round 1. What could you be possibly waiting for??!
Go for it!
Essay 1: Professional Aspirations: Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?.
Essay 2 Choose Option A or B.
Essay 2 A: Your Two Paths: The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today's ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. (500 word maximum)
(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
Essay 2 B: Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application. If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
Optional Essay: Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Reapplicant Essay: You are at no disadvantage if you apply as a reapplicant. We encourage you to take every opportunity during the re-application process to demonstrate how you have become a more competitive applicant since your last application. You may use the optional essay, Essay 4, to proactively address how your application has improved.
Essay 1. Professional Aspirations: Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (750 word maximum)
(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straightforward "why MBA"/Stern and "career goals" essay from NYU Stern: complicated by the following essay that overlaps, intertwines and intersects it at varied points. The essay remains essentially the same as last year except for the "Why Stern" emphasis and much clearer short term goals focus. A look at last year's essay 1 prompt would show the similarities and differences: "Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following: (a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position? (b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life? (c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?"
The best approach to start work on this essay might be to look for a connecting link between answer a. and answer c. of the essay and then try to bring New York University and Stern into the picture for answer b.
"Why MBA" and "Why Now?" make up the first component of the question. The NYU Stern "why MBA now" question is tougher than usual because the second essay has aspects of Why Stern: increasing the need to avoid repetition while being linked. Give clear, cogent reasons as to why an MBA makes sense and "Why Now". The "Why Now" part might seem tricky - try asking yourself why you would not pursue it later (or earlier) and the answer might be clearer.
In the next section for question (b) you have to plausibly connect NYU Stern specifically (and if possible, uniquely) with you and your future goals. Last year's essay 2 components are good guides to answering this question: "What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us. (b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective. (c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve." Personalize your answer as much as possible and avoid cutting/pasting info gleaned from the NYU website and make a compelling argument that establishes that Stern is the best choice for you. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond the obvious answers that 90% of the applicants will probably we writing. If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Stern. What kind of online and offline research have you done so far about Stern? Have you talked to current NYU Stern students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them? How can you show that your Stern application is a reflection of your specific interest in NYU Stern and not just another application made for bettering the odds.
Treat the post-Stern career goal question with moderation and realism. Focus on your short term professional plans and be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. A clear goal in terms of job profile and industry would be to your advantage - enabling you to construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Some background on how you have selected this job/function/company/industry and why it is important to you will help. This however is not a dream job essay. Remember that there is a reason why these three questions are grouped together. Find and express a logical link between your MBA decision, your Stern application and your post-MBA goal.
Go for it!
Essay 2 Choose Option A or B.
Essay 2 A. Your Two Paths: The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today's ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact. (500 word maximum)
(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?
(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?
(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?
Essay 2 A Tips. This new NYU essay tries to clue you in on something that b-school admissions committees and graduates have known for long. Plans change. Economic, social and/or industry conditions vary between the time you apply and graduate. Also, YOU change. Thus plans change - often they have to change. This essay will test your ability to maturely and realistically perceive and adjust to changes, often transformative changes, in a dynamic economic/business scenario. Through this essay NYU hopes to attract students "who consider multiple approaches and are comfortable with non-linear thinking" and to help create "disruptive leaders who can think across traditional intellectual boundaries".
Granted that this essay is challenging and potentially knotty, but like in all challenging essays this is a great opportunity to get ahead of your competition while they are still cursing the ad-com :)
The structure of this essay too similar to the last one and the best approach again would be to identify the connecting links between answer a. and answer c. of the essay and then try to bring New York University and Stern into the picture for answer b.
For part (a) come up with two plausible long term goals (as if one was not bad enough!) after thoroughly analyzing your skill set and passion and matching it with your estimation of how the business/work/economic scenario will change over the next 10-20 years. Show your logical progression in the two distinct work profiles over the long term. Apart from showing a credible career progression please take into account your view of macro-changes within the larger business over the years.
In part (c) identify the reasons (of the heart and the mind) that determine your long term goal. Perhaps having a clear favorite will make it easier: your decision.
The mission statement given here is key to answering part (b) of the essay. The NYU admissions committee believes that disruptive, non-linear thinking is "the mindset the business leaders of tomorrow need to succeed". Show how your thought process, choice of goals and the varied steps chosen to reaching those goals make you the kind of candidate they feel will succeed in the brave new world.
Go for it!.
Essay 2 B. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for this essay (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit this essay via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application. If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font. If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
Essay 2 B Tips. First and foremost override the "creative" part of the question and figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and the rest of the application. Try to look at the situation from an admissions committee perspective and then a NYU Stern classroom viewpoint. Realize that the subject is once again YOU.
While the question asks for a class perspective, you do NOT have to restrict yourself to that mode if you have a clearly better approach. Discover the theme and the general topics that you would like to highlight before you tackle the question of choosing the medium of expression.
The NOW think of the creative aspect which includes not just the method of communication but also the medium. Unleash your imagination. Perishables or used personal items are banned: so forget about presenting your unique variety of Fragrant Fried Rice or an ice sculpture or your favorite t-shirt. So what's left? Hand drawings, photographs, videos, one-act plays, collages, multimedia presentations - and hundreds of other options on an almost endless variety of mediums.
Have fun! Go for it!
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. You are at no disadvantage if you apply as a reapplicant. We encourage you to take every opportunity during the re-application process to demonstrate how you have become a more competitive applicant since your last application. You may use the optional essay, Essay 4, to proactively address how your application has improved.
Reapplicant Essay. Writing the NYU Stern reapplicant essay is a two-step process.
First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were the last time around.
Step 1 is difficult to comment on. Paraphrasing Tolstoy "Successful mba essays/applications are all alike, every dinged essay package is screwed up in it's own way". Not fully accurate but you could have gone wrong in a million ways and without a look at the essays I wouldn't have a clue. Still, some common errors are: weak goals, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recommendations, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, essays that are good individually but do not make a strong case as they lack an underlying theme, very few or generic "Why Stern" points, little or no non-work activities across the essays.
It is also possible that your essays are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Try to take stock.
Step 2 is to convince the NYU admissions committee that YOU Version 2 is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.
> Goals: The greatest (and most improvable) area in a dinged application is usually the goals essay. Ensure that you make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
> NYU STERN: How will NYU Stern - SPECIFICALLY NYU STERN - help you reach your goals? What are the aspects of learning, faculty, program, location, alumni, students etc. that you will find only at Stern that will aid the achievement of your goals? If you did a GREAT job of this part of the essay last year, add to it with mentions of how your enhanced knowledge/experience make the program EVEN MORE fitting for you.
> Think: Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2 applicant.
> Work: Through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to NYU illustrate how you can contribute better to Stern, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Mention 'em all.
and FINALLY
> APPLY EARLY: If you are a reapplicant apply in Round 1. What could you be possibly waiting for??!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font):
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straight career progression and career goals essay from NYU Stern. But it is also more than that. The clearly delineated questions allow space for Pre-Stern, Stern and Post-Stern phases of your career. But if you can tie them in with the basic theme of your NYU Stern essay you can also blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story. The "choices" part of the essay is why I have such a high regard for the NYU Stern essays. Now you have to push yourself, look beyond a straight career narration and explore and reveal parts of your personality as well. Yummy! - use this opportunity.
The NYU Stern "why MBA now" question is tougher than usual because the second essay is a thorough Stern centric analysis and expression essay. So you might not get away with putting in some basic info gleaned from the Stern website - that and more will be needed for NYU Stern essay 2. The approach might be to look for a connecting link between part a. and part c. of the essay and then try to bring New York University and Stern into the picture if required.
Treat the Post-Stern "career goal" question with moderation and realism. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. This however is not a dream job essay: the earlier parts of the essay should lead to your goal. Remember that there is a reason why these three questions are grouped together. Find and express a logical link between the three phases. Perfect links are acceptable but do make them credible; small deviations in career progress which retain credibility are far better than a perfect career progression that challenges credulity.
Essay 2. We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions: (500 word maximum)
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
Essay 2 Tips. (a) Again, hats off to NYU Stern. This is probably the most specific "why this B School?" application essay of the entire lot. And it obligates you to really work hard if you want to give a decent response to Stern. How serious are you about seeking admission at Stern? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far? Have you talked to current students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them?
(b) Why have you chosen NYU Stern as your career-changing tool? How will Stern help you learn and develop professionally and aid you in achieving your future career goals? What extracurricular activities at Stern excite and how are you qualified to learn from or contribute to those activities? Answering these questions should suffice for this part of the essay. How YOU benefit personally and professionally from Stern has to be expressed very differently from the thousands of other applicants. So strike that distinctive note, go beyond the obvious answers and distinguish yourself from your competition. Please ensure that there is minimal overlap with the next part of the essay and with the first essay.
(c) How would you contribute to the NYU Stern community? Which of your interests, ideas and strengths would make an impact at Stern? What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? Which event or club would you initiate? Which Stern activities would you be "involved" with? Thoroughly research student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life at Stern, and then choose the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude. Instead of simply detailing activities you might be part of try to use the essay to demonstrate your leadership/team/learning skills and potential.
Essay 3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. We do not recommend submitting anything that must be played or viewed electronically, that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Essay 3 Tips. First and foremost take some time to forget the "creative" part of the question. Figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and 2. Try to look at the situation from an admissions committee and then a NYU Stern classroom viewpoint. Once again the subject is YOU. Perhaps you can try a different take, but the subject remains the same. While the question asks for a class perspective, you do NOT have to restrict yourself to that mode IF you have a clearly better approach. NOW think of the creative aspect.
Unleash your imagination. Forget about presenting your unique variety of Fragrant Fried Rice or an ice sculpture (how'll you transport it?); and they don't want your old clothes either. So what's left? Hand drawings, photographs, a short one-act play, a collage - and any number of other options. If you really start thinking about it you can do much better than that. And please do not ask ME for a creative option - I am saving it for my NYU Stern application :-)
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript/s, plans to retake the GMAT and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information. If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4; If you are a reapplicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application; If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font):
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straight career progression and career goals essay from NYU Stern. But it is also more than that. The clearly delineated questions allow space for Pre-Stern, Stern and Post-Stern phases of your career. But if you can tie them in with the basic theme of your NYU Stern essay you can also blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story. The "choices" part of the essay is why I have such a high regard for the NYU Stern essays. Now you have to push yourself, look beyond a straight career narration and explore and reveal parts of your personality as well. Yummy! - use this opportunity.
The NYU Stern "why MBA now" question is tougher than usual because the second essay is a thorough Stern centric analysis and expression essay. So you might not get away with putting in some basic info gleaned from the Stern website - that and more will be needed for NYU Stern essay 2. The approach might be to look for a connecting link between part a. and part c. of the essay and then try to bring New York University and Stern into the picture if required.
Treat the Post-Stern "career goal" question with moderation and realism. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. This however is not a dream job essay: the earlier parts of the essay should lead to your goal. Remember that there is a reason why these three questions are grouped together. Find and express a logical link between the three phases. Perfect links are acceptable but do make them credible; small deviations in career progress which retain credibility are far better than a perfect career progression that challenges credulity.
Essay 2. We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions: (500 word maximum)
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
Essay 2 Tips. (a) Again, hats off to NYU Stern. This is probably the most specific "why this B School?" application essay of the entire lot. And it obligates you to really work hard if you want to give a decent response to Stern. How serious are you about seeking admission at Stern? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far? Have you talked to current students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them?
(b) Why have you chosen NYU Stern as your career-changing tool? How will Stern help you learn and develop professionally and aid you in achieving your future career goals? What extracurricular activities at Stern excite and how are you qualified to learn from or contribute to those activities? Answering these questions should suffice for this part of the essay. How YOU benefit personally and professionally from Stern has to be expressed very differently from the thousands of other applicants. So strike that distinctive note, go beyond the obvious answers and distinguish yourself from your competition. Please ensure that there is minimal overlap with the next part of the essay and with the first essay.
(c) How would you contribute to the NYU Stern community? Which of your interests, ideas and strengths would make an impact at Stern? What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? Which event or club would you initiate? Which Stern activities would you be "involved" with? Thoroughly research student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life at Stern, and then choose the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude. Instead of simply detailing activities you might be part of try to use the essay to demonstrate your leadership/team/learning skills and potential.
Essay 3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. We do not recommend submitting anything that must be played or viewed electronically, that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Essay 3 Tips. First and foremost take some time to forget the "creative" part of the question. Figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and 2. Try to look at the situation from an admissions committee and then a NYU Stern classroom viewpoint. Once again the subject is YOU. Perhaps you can try a different take, but the subject remains the same. While the question asks for a class perspective, you do NOT have to restrict yourself to that mode IF you have a clearly better approach. NOW think of the creative aspect.
Unleash your imagination. Forget about presenting your unique variety of Fragrant Fried Rice or an ice sculpture (how'll you transport it?); and they don't want your old clothes either. So what's left? Hand drawings, photographs, a short one-act play, a collage - and any number of other options. If you really start thinking about it you can do much better than that. And please do not ask ME for a creative option - I am saving it for my NYU Stern application :-)
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information you would like to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. An explanation must be provided in Essay 4 if:
You have been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation or required to withdraw from any college or university.
You have ever been convicted of a crime.
You cannot provide a recommendation from your current supervisor.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font):
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straight career progression and career goals essay from NYU Stern. But it is also more than that. The clearly delineated questions allow space for Pre-Stern, Stern and Post-Stern phases of your career. But if you can tie them in with the basic theme of your NYU Stern essay you can also blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story. The "choices" part of the essay is why I have such a high regard for the NYU Stern essays. Now you have to push yourself, look beyond a straight career narration and explore and reveal parts of your personality as well. Yummy! - use this opportunity.
The NYU Stern "why MBA now" question is tougher than usual because the second essay is a thorough Stern centric analysis and expression essay. So you might not get away with putting in some basic info gleaned from the Stern website - that and more will be needed for NYU Stern essay 2. The approach might be to look for a connecting link between part a. and part c. of the essay and then try to bring New York University and Stern into the picture if required.
Treat the Post-Stern "career goal" question with moderation and realism. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. This however is not a dream job essay: the earlier parts of the essay should lead to your goal. Remember that there is a reason why these three questions are grouped together. Find and express a logical link between the three phases. Perfect links are acceptable but do make them credible; small deviations in career progress which retain credibility are far better than a perfect career progression that challenges credulity.
Essay 2. We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions: (500 word maximum)
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.
Essay 2 Tips. (a) Again, hats off to NYU Stern. This is probably the most specific "why this B School?" application essay of the entire lot. And it obligates you to really work hard if you want to give a decent response to Stern. How serious are you about seeking admission at Stern? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far? Have you talked to current students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them?
(b) Why have you chosen NYU Stern as your career-changing tool? How will Stern help you learn and develop professionally and aid you in achieving your future career goals? What extracurricular activities at Stern excite and how are you qualified to learn from or contribute to those activities? Answering these questions should suffice for this part of the essay. How YOU benefit personally and professionally from Stern has to be expressed very differently from the thousands of other applicants. So strike that distinctive note, go beyond the obvious answers and distinguish yourself from your competition. Please ensure that there is minimal overlap with the next part of the essay and with the first essay.
(c) How would you contribute to the NYU Stern community? Which of your interests, ideas and strengths would make an impact at Stern? What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? Which event or club would you initiate? Which Stern activities would you be "involved" with? Thoroughly research student clubs, events, campus community activities and student life at Stern, and then choose the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude. Instead of simply detailing activities you might be part of try to use the essay to demonstrate your leadership/team/learning skills and potential.
Essay 3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. We do not recommend submitting anything that must be played or viewed electronically, that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Essay 3 Tips. First and foremost take some time to forget the "creative" part of the question. Figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and 2. Try to look at the situation from an admissions committee and then a NYU Stern classroom viewpoint. Once again the subject is YOU. Perhaps you can try a different take, but the subject remains the same. While the question asks for a class perspective, you do NOT have to restrict yourself to that mode IF you have a clearly better approach. NOW think of the creative aspect.
Unleash your imagination. Forget about presenting your unique variety of Fragrant Fried Rice or an ice sculpture (how'll you transport it?); and they don't want your old clothes either. So what's left? Hand drawings, photographs, a short one-act play, a collage - and any number of other options. If you really start thinking about it you can do much better than that. And please do not ask ME for a creative option - I am saving it for my NYU Stern application :-)
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information you would like to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. An explanation must be provided in Essay 4 if:
You have been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation or required to withdraw from any college or university.
You have ever been convicted of a crime.
You cannot provide a recommendation from your current supervisor.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your NYU Stern optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font):
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straight career progression and career goals essay from NYU Stern. But it is also more than that. The clearly delineated questions allow space for Pre-Stern, Stern and Post-Stern phases of your career. But if you can tie them in with the basic theme of your NYU Stern essay you can also blend in non-career aspects that are relevant to your story. The "choices" part of the essay is why I have such a high regard for the NYU Stern essays. Now you have to push yourself, look beyond a straight career narration and explore and reveal parts of your personality as well. Yummy! - use this opportunity.
Essay 2. The NYU Stern community is one of our strongest assets. Please answer the following questions about this community: (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? What actions have you taken to learn more about us?
(b) What is the most difficult piece of constructive feedback you have received, and what did you do as a result of it? How will this experience make you a better member of the Stern community?
Essay 2 Tips. Part (a) obligates you to show how serious you are about seeking admission to Stern? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far? Have you talked to current students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them?
What is part (b) of the question doing in this section ?!%? Guess they are trying to grasp how well you can learn, adapt and change in a situation (like your Stern MBA class) where you have access to multiple viewpoints (and unlimited advice?!). Choose an example that shows how well you learn, communicate (spelled LISTEN), understand and adapt in group settings.
Last year NYU Stern had asked one of the most specific "why this B School?" application essays of the entire lot in this section. They had followed up (a) with "(b) How would you contribute to our community as a student?" and "(c) How will you benefit personally and professionally from the Stern community?". Perhaps that's the clue. Through part (b) show how you can contribute to any student community, specifically the Stern community. Try to find a fit with part a. of the essay but the main objective here is to project your learning skills and open mindedness.
Essay 3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. We do not recommend submitting anything that must be played or viewed electronically, that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Essay 3 Tips. Unleash your imagination. Forget about presenting your unique variety of Fragrant Fried Rice or an ice sculpture (how'll you transport it?); and they don't want your old clothes either. So what's left? Hand drawings, photographs, a short one-act play, a collage - and any number of other options. If you really start thinking about it you can do much better than that. And please do not ask ME for a creative option - I am saving it for my NYU Stern application :-)
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information you would like to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. An explanation must be provided in Essay 4 if:
You have been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation or required to withdraw from any college or university.
You have ever been convicted of a crime.
You cannot provide a recommendation from your current supervisor.
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Stern optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any NYU Stern optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the NYU Stern optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application
Essay 1. Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Describe the following (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font):
(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from the NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?
Essay 1 Tips. This is a straight career progression and career goals essay from NYU Stern. But it is also more than that. The clearly delineated questions allow space for Pre-Stern, Stern and Post-Stern phases of your career.
Treat the Post-Stern "career goal" question with moderation and realism. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. This however is not a dream job essay: the earlier parts of the essay should lead to your goal.
Essay 2. The NYU Stern community is one of our strongest assets. Please answer the following questions about this community: (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? What actions have you taken to learn more about us?
(b) How would you contribute to our community as a student?
(c) How will you benefit personally and professionally from the Stern community?
Essay 2 Tips. Again, hats off to NYU Stern. This is probably the most specific "why this B School?" application essay of the entire lot. And it obligates you to really work hard if you want to give a decent response to Stern. How serious are you about seeking admission at Stern? What kind of online and offline research have you done so far? Have you talked to current students or alumni? Have you visited Stern or any of the fairs or receptions hosted by them?
The second part of the essay can be customized to fit NYU Stern but the real question is "what can you contribute to any student community?". Try to find a fit with part a. of the essay but the main objective here is to project your strengths. So do that. There are obvious answers to part c. Because this part is perhaps much easier than the preceding two, how YOU benefit personally and professionally from Stern might not be expressed very differently from a hundred other applicants. So look for that distinctive note, apart from the obvious answers.
Essay 3. Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. All submissions become part of NYU Stern’s permanent records and cannot be returned for any reason. We do not recommend submitting anything that must be played or viewed electronically, that is perishable (e.g. food) or that has been worn (e.g. used clothing). If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
Essay 3 Tips. First and foremost take some time to forget the "creative" part of the question. Figure out the various points that you would like the NYU Stern admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in Essays 1 and 2. Try to look at the situation from an admissions committee and then a NYU Stern classroom viewpoint. Once again the subject is YOU. Perhaps you can try a different take, but the subject remains the same. While the question asks for a class perspective, you do NOT have to restrict yourself to that mode IF you have a clearly better approach. NOW think of the creative aspect.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information you would like to bring to the attention of the admissions committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. An explanation must be provided in Essay 4 if:
You have been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation or required to withdraw from any college or university.
You have ever been convicted of a crime.
You cannot provide a recommendation from your current supervisor.
Optional Essay Tips. Use the NYU Stern optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. To move past the impossibilities and create the next breakthrough we must first understand where we started. Reflect on your story and experiences. Help us understand who you are. What is important to you and what drives you to do more? (350-word maximum)
Essay 2. In the space that lies between statistical evidence and carefully honed ethics—in a place where numbers and people intersect—we find incredible opportunity and untapped potential. Share with us your untapped potential and help us understand how Olin can help you achieve your post-MBA goals. (500-word maximum)
Essay 3. At Olin we build conscientious leaders who take extreme care to create a community of inclusion, respect and collaboration so that each person’s value can be fully recognized and realized. Please share your passions, hobbies, interests, greatest accomplishments and/or achievements. (100-word maximum)
Essay 1. At WashU Olin we champion better decision-making among leaders who will change the world, for good. We believe the thing that makes you different makes you valuable. Share with us what you believe makes you different and makes you a valuable addition to our community focused on change for good. (350-word maximum)
Essay 2. In our full-time MBA program, the Global Immersion will be your first hands-on experience, shaping your perspective and appreciation for differences. Through the immersion, you will change. You will become more nimble, mobile, and global. Knowing plans may change then, and throughout the program, share with us what your personal and professional goals are for life post-MBA. How do you anticipate Olin will help you achieve these goals? (500-word maximum)
Essay 3. We appreciate the value diverse backgrounds bring to WashU Olin. We strive to create a community of inclusion, respect, and collaboration so that each person’s value can be fully recognized and realized. Please share with us some of your personal story. This can be passions, hobbies, interests, fun facts, memorable moments, and/or noteworthy achievements. We want to know you by name and by story.(suggested 100-word maximum)
Essay 1. We never said it would be easy. Describe a time that you had made a challenging decision that changed your path or the path of another. (500-word maximum)
Essay 2. Tell us about your top five most influential social media posts. (500-word maximum)
Essay 3. Career plan: Please describe your immediate career plans after graduation from Olin. (250-word maximum)
Essay 1. At Olin, we aim to know every student by name and story. Please share your journey with us and why the pursuit of this degree is the right decision for you. (500-word maximum)
Essay 2. Please describe your immediate career plans after graduation from Olin. Don’t worry, we won’t hold you to them. (300 character maximum).
The purpose of these statements is to help the Admissions Committee get to know you. Any information you can provide concerning those qualities and experiences that distinguish you from other applicants will be especially helpful.
Essay 1. In one or two sentences, please describe your immediate career plans upon graduation from Olin.
Essay 2. At Olin, we pride ourselves on our close-knit community and aim to know every student by name and story. In an essay of no more than 500 words, please introduce yourself as you would to your future Olin classmates.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information not previously addressed in other areas of the application that you feel would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in its assessment of your candidacy. (300 word maximum)
The purpose of these statements is to help the Admissions Committee get to know you. Any information you can provide concerning those qualities and experiences that distinguish you from other applicants will be especially helpful.
Essay 1. In one or two sentences, please describe your immediate career plans upon graduation from Olin.
Essay 2. At Olin, we pride ourselves on our close-knit community and aim to know every student by name and story. In an essay of no more than 500 words, please introduce yourself as you would to your future Olin classmates.
Optional Essay. Please provide any additional information not previously addressed in other areas of the application that you feel would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in its assessment of your candidacy. (300 word maximum)
Essay 1. Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 1 Tips. You can start by thinking of an important element of your profile that is not covered in either your essays, CV and LORs and speak about that. It can be either an intance or an achievement or if you like it can be an impactful experience that shaped your thought process. You can also take a thematic approach to talk about your profile which helps the adcom see deeper into your values, personality and character.
Essay 1. Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 1 Tips. You can start by thinking of an important element of your profile that is not covered in either your essays, CV and LORs and speak about that. It can be either an intance or an achievement or if you like it can be an impactful experience that shaped your thought process. You can also take a thematic approach to talk about your profile which helps the adcom see deeper into your values, personality and character.
Essay 1. Consider a statistic or trend that shocks you. Why it is important to you and how could it be changed for the better? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Not an easy answer. You could make your job somewhat easier by looking for a stat or trend in your own industry/ domain and write a commentary on the same. It would be useful to make a balance of showing in-depth research and writing about your personal perspectives on the issue at hand.
Essay 2. Is there anything not covered in the application form which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you? (maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Carefully review your application and compare it against all your experiences and strengths you would like to present to the admissions committee. There are ample spaces in the application to talk about your professional achievements, research, awards etc. So use this space to talk about something new, perhaps an extracurricular passion or activity that you truly care about, an international experience, a particular powerful incident from your life. It will depend on your life experiences. If you are struggling with this answer and others, talk to us!
Essay 1. Consider a statistic or trend that shocks you. Why it is important to you and how could it be changed for the better? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Not an easy answer. You could make your job somewhat easier by looking for a stat or trend in your own industry/ domain and write a commentary on the same. It would be useful to make a balance of showing in-depth research and writing about your personal perspectives on the issue at hand.
Essay 2. Is there anything not covered in the application form which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you? (maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Carefully review your application and compare it against all your experiences and strengths you would like to present to the admissions committee. There are ample spaces in the application to talk about your professional achievements, research, awards etc. So use this space to talk about something new, perhaps an extracurricular passion or activity that you truly care about, an international experience, a particular powerful incident from your life. It will depend on your life experiences. If you are struggling with this answer and others, talk to us!
Reapplicant Essay. Reapplicants will need to complete an additional essay on the topic: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Despite its short length this is an important essay for all Oxford reapplicants.
Writing the Oxford reapplicant essay is a two-step process. First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back. Though it might be difficult to exactly identify all the reasons you were dinged last time, some common errors are: a weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, inability to show depth and/or breadth of vision/ideas, low GMAT, low work experience, low or unimpressive leadership exposure/skills. It is also possible that your essays and profile are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Whatever the reasons you will identify them only if you give your application and candidature a fresh look.
Once you have identified shortfalls in your previous application and candidature, take definite steps to convince the Oxford Said admissions committee that this new Version 2.0 of you is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.
Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.00 applicant. Next, through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Oxford illustrate how you can contribute better to Said, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Made a significant personal change? They are all potential reapplicant essay fodder. Very specifically - strengthen the goals essay. Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
250 words is a challenge limit when one sets about doing all of the above. So, be extra succinct - write a low-fat, high-content essay.
And APPLY EARLY: that will demonstrate your seriousness up-front.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How do you fit with Oxford Said's mission? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. The first and foremost exercise should be to review the recommended video in which Dead Peter Tufano talks about tackling word-scale problems. Think about what in your background proves that you have demonstrated problem solving and how and if your career vision of changing the world aligns with the Said Business School.
Even while talking about your goals and professional experiences, keep the essay engaging and interesting!
Essay 2. Is there anything not covered in the application form which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you? (maximum 250 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Carefully review your application and compare it against all your experiences and strengths you would like to present to the admissions committee. There are ample spaces in the application to talk about your professional achievements, research, awards etc. So use this space to talk about something new, perhaps an extracurricular passion or activity that you truly care about, an international experience, a particular powerful incident from your life. It will depend on your life experiences. If you are struggling with this answer and others, talk to us!
Essay 1. What should Oxford expect from you? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. The breadth of the question allows you to explore almost anything under the sun that is related to you and relatable to Oxford.
You bring with you your past experiences, expertise, accomplishments, strengths, weaknesses, passions, interests, integrity, dedication and potential to make a great Oxford alum.
Before writing the essay think: What kind of person am I? What am I passionate about? What are my key beliefs and how do I translate them into action?
What makes me tick? What are ideas and philosophies that drive me? What are my qualities and strengths that have fueled my success - and in turn how do these achievements underline my approach to life and work? Also consider- what are the characteristics that you believe will differentiate you in a group of high-reaching professionals?
Ask yourself these and more questions and then relate it to what it would imply about your proposed association with Said Business School, Oxford University.
Since the next essay is partial to your professional life try to show more of your personal side in this one.
Essay 2. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next 5 years? How will the MBA and Oxford assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Oxford Said focuses specifically on a medium term career span of five years. As a first step reflect deeply on your post-Said short term and long term goals. Think about why you are taking all the trouble of applying to Oxford Said in the first place. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while detailing your goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If possible briefly develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves.
This tight focus of 5 years both limits and expands the scope of the Oxford goals essay. The limitation is in how much you can write about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford Said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality. While credibility, logic and realism are critical, the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
'Why Oxford Said', is a critical, implicit component of this essay. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Oxford website and make a compelling argument to make a convincing "fit" with Said. Personalize your answer as much as possible and find as many matches between what Said specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 3. Please choose and answer one of the two essays below:
Essay 3a. Sport is pure competition. What does it teach us about companies, individuals, and markets? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3a Tips. This is an odd business school application question.
If you are confounded and unsure about how to proceed, that is exactly what the school intended, in the hope that your surprise will result in original and heart-felt essays.
To achieve that, you need to address some deeper questions such as:
How do you personally define competition - in professional or personal spheres?
How do you view the confluence of markets, companies and individuals?
What aspects of a person do you consider most important? What aspects of a company do you perceive as most critical? What aspects of a market do you think is most important?
What aspects of YOU do you consider most important?
What does sports signify to you personally?
After addressing these questions, choose a theme (or two) and put down your thoughts. There are no strict guidelines for this essay's structure, so choose a format and theme that suits you.
Once again remember that the purpose of this essay too is to sell your candidature. So, use your achievements as examples and when you use other examples let them also highlight your superior intellect, depth of vision and/or thought process. Choose from the innumerable awesome sporting examples to garnish and strengthen your viewpoint.
Go for it!
Essay 3b. The business of business is business. Is this true? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3b Tips. Widely and wrongly attributed to economist Milton Friedman or to long time General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan, "The business of business is business" is a much debated statement.
In its simplest form it means that the primary responsibility of a business is towards itself. Or, actually quoting Milton Friedman this time, "The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits".
The debate stems from the opposing view that every business should have larger "social" agenda as well, perhaps hardwired into its every action or at a lower level maybe through a Corporate Social Responsibility wing.
In this essay you need to state your position.
Ask yourself these fundamental questions: What does business mean to you? What is the purpose of business? What are the responsibilities of business?
Once you gain some clarity on these questions, read up on other dominant thoughts on the subject.
Now state your position. Wherever possible try to illustrate your stand with examples from your professional life. If not, illustrate using short examples from the thousands of business stories available.
Go for it!
Essay 1. What should Oxford expect from you? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. The breadth of the question allows you to explore almost anything under the sun that is related to you and relatable to Oxford.
You bring with you your past experiences, expertise, accomplishments, strengths, weaknesses, passions, interests, integrity, dedication and potential to make a great Oxford alum.
Before writing the essay think: What kind of person am I? What am I passionate about? What are my key beliefs and how do I translate them into action?
What makes me tick? What are ideas and philosophies that drive me? What are my qualities and strengths that have fueled my success - and in turn how do these achievements underline my approach to life and work? Also consider- what are the characteristics that you believe will differentiate you in a group of high-reaching professionals?
Ask yourself these and more questions and then relate it to what it would imply about your proposed association with Said Business School, Oxford University.
Since the next essay is partial to your professional life try to show more of your personal side in this one.
Essay 2. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next 5 years? How will the MBA and Oxford assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Oxford Said focuses specifically on a medium term career span of five years. As a first step reflect deeply on your post-Said short term and long term goals. Think about why you are taking all the trouble of applying to Oxford Said in the first place. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while detailing your goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If possible briefly develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves.
This tight focus of 5 years both limits and expands the scope of the Oxford goals essay. The limitation is in how much you can write about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford Said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality. While credibility, logic and realism are critical, the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
'Why Oxford Said', is a critical, implicit component of this essay. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Oxford website and make a compelling argument to make a convincing "fit" with Said. Personalize your answer as much as possible and find as many matches between what Said specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Essay 3. Please choose and answer one of the two essays below:
Essay 3a. Sport is pure competition. What does it teach us about companies, individuals, and markets? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3a Tips. This is an odd business school application question.
If you are confounded and unsure about how to proceed, that is exactly what the school intended, in the hope that your surprise will result in original and heart-felt essays.
To achieve that, you need to address some deeper questions such as:
How do you personally define competition - in professional or personal spheres?
How do you view the confluence of markets, companies and individuals?
What aspects of a person do you consider most important? What aspects of a company do you perceive as most critical? What aspects of a market do you think is most important?
What aspects of YOU do you consider most important?
What does sports signify to you personally?
After addressing these questions, choose a theme (or two) and put down your thoughts. There are no strict guidelines for this essay's structure, so choose a format and theme that suits you.
Once again remember that the purpose of this essay too is to sell your candidature. So, use your achievements as examples and when you use other examples let them also highlight your superior intellect, depth of vision and/or thought process. Choose from the innumerable awesome sporting examples to garnish and strengthen your viewpoint.
Go for it!
Essay 3b. The business of business is business. Is this true? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3b Tips. Widely and wrongly attributed to economist Milton Friedman or to long time General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan, "The business of business is business" is a much debated statement.
In its simplest form it means that the primary responsibility of a business is towards itself. Or, actually quoting Milton Friedman this time, "The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits".
The debate stems from the opposing view that every business should have larger "social" agenda as well, perhaps hardwired into its every action or at a lower level maybe through a Corporate Social Responsibility wing.
In this essay you need to state your position.
Ask yourself these fundamental questions: What does business mean to you? What is the purpose of business? What are the responsibilities of business?
Once you gain some clarity on these questions, read up on other dominant thoughts on the subject.
Now state your position. Wherever possible try to illustrate your stand with examples from your professional life. If not, illustrate using short examples from the thousands of business stories available.
Go for it!
Essay 1. What should Oxford expect from you? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A new addition last year, this essay is shorter by 250 words this year. Despite its seeming baldness and vagueness this Oxford Said essay simply seeks an answer to a question that is sought from you in EVERY b-school application: why should we be interested in you?
The breadth of the question allows us to explore almost anything under the sun that is related to you and relatable to Oxford.
Some of the preparatory questions you can ask yourself are: What kind of person am I? What am I passionate about? What are my key beliefs and how do I translate them into action? What makes you tick? What are ideas and philosophies that drive you? What are the qualities and strengths that have fuelled your success - and in turn how do these achievements underline your approach to life and work? What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest achievements? What are the characteristics that you believe will differentiate you in a group of high-reaching professionals? What are the qualities that have aided most in your past personal/professional accomplishments? Ask yourself these and more questions and then relate it to what it would imply about your proposed association with Said Business School, Oxford University.
Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the basic theme for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. However this is simply one of many approaches you could choose to take.
Use examples of accomplishments, decisions and actions to substantiate every view you put forth. Choose from your achievements, your hobbies, your academics, your personality traits, your passions, your work experiences, your life experiences, your attitude. Sell whatever you feel can sell credibly.
Like in earlier years, we believe that one of the main objectives here is to test the character of the applicants and see if he/she passes this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the limitless choices inherent in the question. So let the essay be mature and reasonable, yet passionate.
Since the next essay is partial to your professional life try to show more of your personal side here.
Exhibiting specific knowledge of, passion for and fit with Oxford will be an added advantage.
Go for it!
Essay 2. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next 5 years? How will the MBA and Oxford assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Last year's Oxford prompt was almost an exact replica except that it additionally had a focus on the current job "Explain why you chose your current job." Also, this year you have 250 less words for the essay.
Oxford Said focuses specifically on a medium term career span of five years. As a first step reflect deeply on your post-Said short term and long term goals. Think about why you are taking all the trouble of applying to Oxford Said in the first place. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while detailing your goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If possible briefly develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves.
This tight focus of 5 years both limits and expands the scope of the Oxford goals essay. The limitation is in how much you can write about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford Said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality. While credibility, logic and realism are critical, the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
"Why MBA", or better still "Why Oxford Said', is a critical, implicit component of the "Why MBA" question. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Oxford website and make a compelling argument to make a convincing "fit" with Said. Personalize your answer as much as possible and find as many matches between what Said specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Please choose and answer one of the two essays below:
Essay 3a. Sport is pure competition. What does it teach us about companies, individuals, and markets? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3a Tips. This is an odd business school application question.
If you are confounded and unsure about how to proceed, that is exactly what the school intended, in the hope that your surprise will result in original and heart-felt essays.
To achieve that, you need to address some deeper questions such as:
How do you personally define competition - in professional or personal spheres?
How do you view the confluence of markets, companies and individuals?
What aspects of a person do you consider most important? What aspects of a company do you perceive as most critical? What aspects of a market do you think is most important?
What aspects of YOU do you consider most important?
What does sports signify to you personally?
After addressing these questions, choose a theme (or two) and put down your thoughts. There are no strict guidelines for this essay's structure, so choose a format and theme that suits you.
Once again remember that the purpose of this essay too is to sell your candidature. So, use your achievements as examples and when you use other examples let them also highlight your superior intellect, depth of vision and/or thought process. Choose from the innumerable awesome sporting examples to garnish and strengthen your viewpoint.
Go for it!
Essay 3b. The business of business is business. Is this true? (maximum 500 words)
Essay 3b Tips. Widely and wrongly attributed to economist Milton Friedman or to long time General Motors head Alfred P. Sloan, "The business of business is business" is a much debated statement.
In its simplest form it means that the primary responsibility of a business is towards itself. Or, actually quoting Milton Friedman this time,"The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits".
The debate stems from the opposing view that every business should have larger "social" agenda as well, perhaps hardwired into its every action or at a lower level maybe through a Corporate Social Responsibility wing.
In this essay you need to state your position.
Ask yourself these fundamental questions: What does business mean to you? What is the purpose of business? What are the responsibilities of business?
Once you gain some clarity on these questions, read up on other dominant thoughts on the subject.
Now state your position. Wherever possible try to illustrate your stand with examples from your professional life. If not, illustrate using short examples from the thousands of business stories available.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Reapplicants will need to complete the two essays mentioned above and a third essay on the topic: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. Despite its short length this is an important essay for all Oxford reapplicants.
Writing the Oxford reapplicant essay is a two-step process.
First, discover and annihilate all weaknesses/errors in your earlier application.
Second, demonstrate that you are a far better candidate than you were 12 months back.
Though it might be difficult to exactly identify all the reasons you were dinged last time, some common errors are: a weak goal, inconsistencies within/across the essays/recos, a strong goal unsubstantiated by anything anywhere else in the application, inability to show depth and/or breadth of vision/ideas, low GMAT, low work experience, low or unimpressive leadership exposure/skills. It is also possible that your essays and profile are pretty good but you got the timing/profile/scores/recos wrong. Whatever the reasons you will identify them only if you give your application and candidature a fresh look.
Once you have identified shortfalls in your previous application and candidature, take definite steps to convince the Oxford Said admissions committee that this new Version 2.0 of you is better, brighter, worthier, sexier.
Jot down EVERY improvement you have made in EVERY aspect of your life. This will help you build an initial image of the Version 2.00 applicant. Next, through your experiences and achievements since you last applied to Oxford illustrate how you can contribute better to Said, gain more from it and are in a better position to achieve your short/long term goals. Been promoted? Got awards? Won new assignments? Made a significant personal change? They are all potential reapplicant essay fodder.
Very specifically - strengthen the goals essay. Make a stronger case for your goals by specifying why/how you have greater skills, experience, perspective etc. to make your dreams come true - long term and short term. Preferably stick with the goal/s given last year; in case you wanna change them you better have good reasons 'cos you will definitely have to put it down in the essay.
250 words is a challenge limit when one sets about doing all of the above. So, be extra succinct - write a low-fat, high-content essay.
And APPLY EARLY: that will demonstrate your seriousness up-front.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 750 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Oxford Said wants you to intensively assess and evaluate your career choices in the context of your MBA application and your future goals.
Perhaps uniquely, Oxford Said focuses specifically on your current job and a short term career span of five years. Given this dual-focus there is a greater need than in most MBA "goals essays" to develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves. This tight focus both limits and expands the scope of the first Oxford Said essay. The limitation is in how much you can talk about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach.
As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Said short term and long term goals. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Oxford Said in the first place. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while detailing your goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality. While credibility, logic and realism are critical the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
"Why Said" is a critical, implicit component of the "Why MBA?" question. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Oxford website and make a compelling argument to make a convincing "fit" with Said. Personalize your answer as much as possible and find as many matches between what Said specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (maximum 1000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Till 2009-2010 at a maximum of 2000 words, this was a greater challenge - and a greater opportunity. That being said, this Oxford Said essay is probably still - in the breadth of its scale and ambition, and also the space and opportunity for self-exploration and self-expression it gives - one of the most promising business school essays you will find.
In essence this essay gives you room to write on just about anything under the sun. Given its scope a each candidate should be willing to see the 1000 word limit as more than a simple word-length recommendation; it is in fact a deliberate challenge to your intellectual depth and maturity as a person and a Oxford Said MBA applicant.
We believe that the main objective here is to test the character of the applicants and see if they can pass this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the complexity, length and limitless choices inherent in the question. The path to take is to write an essay that shows clear thinking, a mature worldview, understanding of varied viewpoints, sharp intellect and strong analytical skills. Look at the LARGER perspective whatever be your choice of the essay theme.
Choose the "development, world event or book" so that a global perspective can be interposed with your personal experience. The last word of the Oxford essay question might be the best starting point for your preparations. WHY is the crucial question that you answer here. And please, having been presented with infinite choices, do not choose commonplace or repetitive topics. For example, if you are an Indian applicant, a thematic focus on Gandhi is best avoided!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 750 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Oxford Said wants you to intensively assess and evaluate your career choices in the context of your MBA application and your future goals.
Perhaps uniquely, Oxford Said focuses specifically on your current job and a short term career span of five years. Given this dual-focus there is a greater need than in most MBA "goals essays" to develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves. This tight focus both limits and expands the scope of the first Oxford Said essay. The limitation is in how much you can talk about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach.
As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Said short term and long term goals. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Oxford Said in the first place. It is essential that you be totally realistic and as specific as possible while detailing your goals. Be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking, and why. If your goals are more than ordinarily ambitious write credibly about those qualities/skills that qualify you to make those goals a reality. While credibility, logic and realism are critical the magic element that will transform your essay from a statement into a pledge would be - passion.
"Why Said" is a critical, implicit component of the "Why MBA?" question. Use application, research and intelligence to look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Oxford website and make a compelling argument to make a convincing "fit" with Said. Personalize your answer as much as possible and find as many matches between what Said specifically (and if possible, uniquely) offers you and your future goals.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (maximum 1000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. At a maximum of 2000 words till year, this was a greater challenge - and a greater opportunity. That being said, this Oxford Said essay is probably still - in the breadth of its scale and ambition, and also the space and opportunity for self-exploration and self-expression it gives - one of the most promising business school essays you will find.
In essence this essay gives you room to write on just about anything under the sun. Given its scope a each candidate should be willing to see the 1000 word limit as more than a simple word-length recommendation; it is in fact a deliberate challenge to your intellectual depth and maturity as a person and a Oxford Said MBA applicant.
We believe that the main objective here is to test the character of the applicants and see if they can pass this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the complexity, length and limitless choices inherent in the question. The path to take is to write an essay that shows clear thinking, a mature worldview, understanding of varied viewpoints, sharp intellect and strong analytical skills. Look at the LARGER perspective whatever be your choice of the essay theme.
Choose the "development, world event or book" so that a global perspective can be interposed with your personal experience. The last word of the Oxford essay question might be the best starting point for your preparations. WHY is the crucial question that you answer here. And please, having been presented with infinite choices, do not choose commonplace or repetitive topics. For example, if you are an Indian applicant, a thematic focus on Gandhi is best avoided!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Oxford Said wants you to intensively assess and evaluate your career choices in the context of your MBA application and your future goals.
Perhaps uniquely, Oxford Said focuses specifically on your current job and a short term career span of five years. Given this dual-focus there is a greater need than in most MBA "goals essays" to develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves. This tight focus both limits and expands the scope of the first Oxford Said essay. The limitation is in how much you can talk about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach.
Essay 2. Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (maximum 2000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Wow! This Oxford Said essay is probably - in the breadth of its scale and ambition, and also the space and opportunity for self-exploration and self-expression it gives - one of the best Business School essays you will find.
In essence this essay gives you room to write on just about anything under the sun. But yes, 2000 is a tall order. Each candidate should be willing to see the 2000 word limit as more than a simple word-length recommendation; it is in fact a deliberate challenge to your intellectual depth and maturity as a person and a Oxford Said MBA applicant.
We believe that the main objective here is to test the character of the applicants and see if they can pass this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the complexity, length and limitless choices inherent in the question. So we strongly recommend that you use the full 2000 words to write an essay that shows clear thinking, a mature worldview, understanding of varied viewpoints, sharp intellect and strong analytical skills. Look at the LARGER perspective whatever be your choice of the essay theme.
Choose the development, event or book so that a global perspective can be interposed with your personal experience. The last word of the Oxford essay question might be the best starting point for your preparations. WHY is the crucial question that you answer here. And please, having been presented with infinite choices, do not choose commonplace or repetitive topics. For example, if you are an Indian applicant, a thematic focus on Gandhi is best avoided!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Oxford Said wants you to intensively assess and evaluate your career choices in the context of your MBA application and your future goals.
Perhaps uniquely, Oxford Said focuses specifically on your current job and a short term career span of five years. Given this dual-focus there is a greater need than in most MBA "goals essays" to develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves. This tight focus both limits and expands the scope of the first Oxford Said essay. The limitation is in how much you can talk about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach.
Essay 2. Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (maximum 2000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Wow! This Oxford Said essay is probably - in the breadth of its scale and ambition, and also the space and opportunity for self-exploration and self-expression it gives - one of the best Business School essays you will find.
In essence this essay gives you room to write on just about anything under the sun. But yes, 2000 is a tall order. Each candidate should be willing to see the 2000 word limit as more than a simple word-length recommendation; it is in fact a deliberate challenge to your intellectual depth and maturity as a person and a Oxford Said MBA applicant.
We believe that the main objective here is to test the character of the applicants and see if they can pass this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the complexity, length and limitless choices inherent in the question. So we strongly recommend that you use the full 2000 words to write an essay that shows clear thinking, a mature worldview, understanding of varied viewpoints, sharp intellect and strong analytical skills. Look at the LARGER perspective whatever be your choice of the essay theme.
Choose the development, event or book so that a global perspective can be interposed with your personal experience. The last word of the Oxford essay question might be the best starting point for your preparations. WHY is the crucial question that you answer here. And please, having been presented with infinite choices, do not choose commonplace or repetitive topics. For example, if you are an Indian applicant, a thematic focus on Gandhi is best avoided!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? (maximum 1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Oxford Said wants you to intensively assess and evaluate your career choices in the context of your MBA application and your future goals.
Perhaps uniquely, Oxford Said focuses specifically on your current job and a short term career span of five years. Given this dual-focus there is a greater need than in most MBA "goals essays" to develop a realistic association between your past, present and future career moves. This tight focus both limits and expands the scope of the first Oxford Said essay. The limitation is in how much you can talk about your long term career aspirations. On the other hand a good Oxford said essay should be able to use the hard focus on the five year period to strengthen the credibility of your application with a logical, thematic approach.
Essay 2. Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? (maximum 2000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Wow! This Oxford Said essay is probably - in the breadth of its scale and ambition, and also the space and opportunity for self-exploration and self-expression it gives - one of the best Business School essays you will find.
In essence this essay gives you room to write on just about anything under the sun. But yes, 2000 is a tall order. Each candidate should be willing to see the 2000 word limit as more than a simple word-length recommendation; it is in fact a deliberate challenge to your intellectual depth and maturity as a person and a Oxford Said MBA applicant.
We believe that the main objective here is to test the character of the applicants and see if they can pass this Oxford Said test without being overwhelmed by the complexity, length and limitless choices inherent in the question. So we strongly recommend that you use the full 2000 words to write an essay that shows clear thinking, a mature worldview, understanding of varied viewpoints, sharp intellect and strong analytical skills. Look at the LARGER perspective whatever be your choice of the essay theme.
Choose the development, event or book so that a global perspective can be interposed with your personal experience. The last word of the Oxford essay question might be the best starting point for your preparations. WHY is the crucial question that you answer here. And please, having been presented with infinite choices, do not choose commonplace or repetitive topics. For example, if you are an Indian applicant, a thematic focus on Gandhi is best avoided!
Go for it!
Essay 1. Our admitted students stand out by doing interesting things with their personal and professional lives — something we describe as the ‘spike factor’; what are the things that you have done in your life that demonstrate Passion/ Grit/ Resilience/ Innovation/ Drive/ Ambition and more? This can cross all or any aspects of life outside of work – hobbies, volunteerism, awards, entrepreneurial ventures, sports and the arts. We believe that exposure to a rich diversity of viewpoints makes for a superior learning experience, and pride ourselves on building a diverse class of exceptional individuals who will go on to make the School proud as professionals and alumni.
Explain your spike factor (something unique about yourself) that you believe will contribute to the Rotman community and is aligned with Rotman values. (up to 1000 words)
Optional - Please upload 1-3 of your 'spikiest' pictures to the supplemental items section of your application here. Note: Your photos must be uploaded as a single PDF.
Essay 1 Tips. This question has 3 parts:
1. Describe what is unique about you
2. How will use your unique factor to contribute to Rotman
3. How is your unique factor aligned with Rotman values?
While the question is interesting and gives you enough space to showcase your strengths, the way they want your uniqueness to align
with Rotman values makes it narrow in scope and limits your freedom. However, if you think deeply, you might be able to find a few ways
in which you can connect your personal qualities with Rotmans values of:
Diversity
Excellence
Integrity
Respect
Essay 1. Please describe why you are pursuing an MBA? Why Rotman? Why now? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. A goal essay is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA and the associated experiences as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long-term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Rotman MBA an important next step to achieve them.
You could approach this essay by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to paint grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic. Also, your reasons for the NOW part of the question must come out clearly and authentically.
Reflection Question. List 3-5 attributes or characteristics that best describe you. Limit response to 50 characters.
Reflection Question Tips. A simple question but requires deep thought. What are your strengths and integral aspects of your personality? Do these make sense in the overall applicant strategy that you want to convey? If yes, then go for it!
Video Questions: The video interview component is a required part of Rotman Admissions process designed to give all candidates guaranteed "face time" with the Admissions Committee and showcase your personality, characteristics, passions, and values.
Few examples of practice video questions:
: Tell us why you've selected Rotman. What makes it the best fit and best choice for your MBA.
: Please introduce yourself. Talk about who you are and where you are headed
: Why should Rotman select you? What it is about your background that makes you a great candidate for our program?
: Why are you pursuing an MBA? What are your goals.
Video Questions Tips. A couple of guidelines when preparing for a video essay:
- Dress appropriately: Business casuals at least if not formals. Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and be dressed accordingly.
- Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a white/light colored wall as your background. Make sure you are lit from front- not from your back or over the head. Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, facebook, skype, twitter notifications both in cell phone and computer system.
- Look into camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
- Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make a more positive impression.
Essay 1. Please describe why you are pursuing an MBA? Why Rotman? Why now? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. A goal essay is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA and the associated experiences as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long-term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Rotman MBA an important next step to achieve them.
You could approach this essay by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to paint grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic. Also, your reasons for the NOW part of the question must come out clearly and authentically.
Reflection Question. List 3-5 attributes or characteristics that best describe you. Limit response to 50 characters.
Reflection Question Tips. A simple question but requires deep thought. What are your strengths and integral aspects of your personality? Do these make sense in the overall applicant strategy that you want to convey? If yes, then go for it!
Video Questions: The video interview component is a required part of Rotman Admissions process designed to give all candidates guaranteed "face time" with the Admissions Committee and showcase your personality, characteristics, passions, and values.
Few examples of practice video questions:
: Tell us why you've selected Rotman. What makes it the best fit and best choice for your MBA.
: Please introduce yourself. Talk about who you are and where you are headed
: Why should Rotman select you? What it is about your background that makes you a great candidate for our program?
: Why are you pursuing an MBA? What are your goals.
Video Questions Tips. A couple of guidelines when preparing for a video essay:
- Dress appropriately: Business casuals at least if not formals. Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and be dressed accordingly.
- Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a white/light colored wall as your background. Make sure you are lit from front- not from your back or over the head. Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, facebook, skype, twitter notifications both in cell phone and computer system.
- Look into camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
- Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make a more positive impression.
Essay 1. Please describe why you are pursuing an MBA? Why Rotman? Why now? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. A goal essay is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA and the associated experiences as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long-term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Rotman MBA an important next step to achieve them.
You could approach this essay by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to paint grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic. Also, your reasons for the NOW part of the question must come out clearly and authentically.
Reflection Question. List 3-5 attributes or characteristics that best describe you. Limit response to 50 characters.
Reflection Question Tips. A simple question but requires deep thought. What are your strengths and integral aspects of your personality? Do these make sense in the overall applicant strategy that you want to convey? If yes, then go for it!
Video Questions: The video interview component is a required part of Rotman Admissions process designed to give all candidates guaranteed "face time" with the Admissions Committee and showcase your personality, characteristics, passions, and values.
Few examples of practice video questions:
: Tell us why you've selected Rotman. What makes it the best fit and best choice for your MBA.
: Please introduce yourself. Talk about who you are and where you are headed
: Why should Rotman select you? What it is about your background that makes you a great candidate for our program?
: Why are you pursuing an MBA? What are your goals.
Video Questions Tips. A couple of guidelines when preparing for a video essay:
- Dress appropriately: Business casuals at least if not formals. Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and be dressed accordingly.
- Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a white/light colored wall as your background. Make sure you are lit from front- not from your back or over the head. Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, facebook, skype, twitter notifications both in cell phone and computer system.
- Look into camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
- Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make a more positive impression.
Essay 1. Please state your professional goals and how you plan to achieve them. (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. A goal essay is about connecting your past with your future via your present. Think about MBA and the associated experiences as your means to get to your goals.
Start by clearly describing your short and long-term goals, the rationale for your goals and why you consider Rotman MBA an important next step to achieve them.
You could approach this essay by first showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to paint grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Essay 2. Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have received recently. Please detail the circumstance and your plan to address it. (250 words maximum)
Essay 2 Tips. Rotman seeks to know your maturity, humility and openness to change and make yourself into a better version of yourself. But be careful to pick an area of improvement that doesn't seriously jeopardize your chances of admission. 250 words aren't enough to talk about all aspects of your personality, so to avoid being misunderstood, select an area which is credible, easy to understand and very much in your control to address.
When writing any anecdotal essay, start by describing the context and then move on to the action of story. Who gave you the advice and why? was it easy or difficult for you to accept it? Show with examples how you are planning to implement it and as a result how you foresee your life to change.
Reflection Question. List 3-5 attributes or characteristics that best describe you. Limit response to 50 characters.
Reflection Question. Look at your significant professional and personal experiences and think about what qualities seem to stand out. You could also ask your friends, family, colleagues what words they would use to describe you.
Video Questions. What is one lesson you have learned from your parents that you wish you had learned sooner? (90sec max)
What did you dream of being when you were a kid? (90 sec max)
Video Questions Tips. A couple of guidelines when preparing for a video essay:
- Dress appropriately: Business casuals at least if not formals. Treat these videos as mini-Skype interviews and be dressed accordingly.
- Suitable background: Keep a clean, neutral background. If possible have a white/light colored wall as your background. Make sure you are lit from front- not from your back or over the head. Aim for a quiet place with minimal distractions. Turn off your email, text, facebook, skype, twitter notifications both in cell phone and computer system.
- Look into camera: You want to appear talking to the person who would be watching your video, so try to make direct eye contact with them. Avoid looking away or down.
- Posture matters: Though mostly your torso up would be visible on the video, this is not the time and place to sit relaxed or slouch. A good posture will make a more positive impression.
Optional Essay. This is not a required part of the admissions process, but instead an opportunity to share anything you think the Admissions Committee should know that has not been covered by the rest of the application? There is no need to answer this question if you feel that your background has been thoroughly presented throughout the application.
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
If you are certain that this new essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy, start working on it!
Go for it!
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Video Essay and Timed Writing Sample. Before embarking on these application elements, you will need:
1. an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes
a stable webcam and proper keyboard
3. to be dressed in interview-appropriate clothing
Once you are set up, please use the unique link below to record two video essays and to complete a five-minute timed writing sample. Kindly note that these must be completed in one sitting, and you only get one chance to record your answer to each question. We suggest that you review our Application Tips, above, before getting started.
When registering, to ensure that the Video Essays and Timed Writing Sample get matched up with your application, please be sure to use the same email address that you are using for this application.
Timed writing sample tips from York: You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Tips from Schulich: In contrast to the written essays submitted with the application, this short essay question is written without time to deliberate. You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Video Essay and Timed Writing Sample. Before embarking on these application elements, you will need:
1. an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes
a stable webcam and proper keyboard
3. to be dressed in interview-appropriate clothing
Once you are set up, please use the unique link below to record two video essays and to complete a five-minute timed writing sample. Kindly note that these must be completed in one sitting, and you only get one chance to record your answer to each question. We suggest that you review our Application Tips, above, before getting started.
When registering, to ensure that the Video Essays and Timed Writing Sample get matched up with your application, please be sure to use the same email address that you are using for this application.
Timed writing sample tips from York: You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Tips from Schulich: In contrast to the written essays submitted with the application, this short essay question is written without time to deliberate. You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Video Essay and Timed Writing Sample. Before embarking on these application elements, you will need:
1. an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes
a stable webcam and proper keyboard
3. to be dressed in interview-appropriate clothing
Once you are set up, please use the unique link below to record two video essays and to complete a five-minute timed writing sample. Kindly note that these must be completed in one sitting, and you only get one chance to record your answer to each question. We suggest that you review our Application Tips, above, before getting started.
When registering, to ensure that the Video Essays and Timed Writing Sample get matched up with your application, please be sure to use the same email address that you are using for this application.
Timed writing sample tips from York: You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Tips from Schulich: In contrast to the written essays submitted with the application, this short essay question is written without time to deliberate. You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Video Essay and Timed Writing Sample. Before embarking on these application elements, you will need:
1. an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes
a stable webcam and proper keyboard
3. to be dressed in interview-appropriate clothing
Once you are set up, please use the unique link below to record two video essays and to complete a five-minute timed writing sample. Kindly note that these must be completed in one sitting, and you only get one chance to record your answer to each question. We suggest that you review our Application Tips, above, before getting started.
When registering, to ensure that the Video Essays and Timed Writing Sample get matched up with your application, please be sure to use the same email address that you are using for this application.
Timed writing sample tips from York: You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Tips from Schulich: In contrast to the written essays submitted with the application, this short essay question is written without time to deliberate. You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Video Essay and Timed Writing Sample. Before embarking on these application elements, you will need:
1. an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes
a stable webcam and proper keyboard
3. to be dressed in interview-appropriate clothing
Once you are set up, please use the unique link below to record two video essays and to complete a five-minute timed writing sample. Kindly note that these must be completed in one sitting, and you only get one chance to record your answer to each question. We suggest that you review our Application Tips, above, before getting started.
When registering, to ensure that the Video Essays and Timed Writing Sample get matched up with your application, please be sure to use the same email address that you are using for this application.
Timed writing sample tips from York: You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Tips from Schulich: In contrast to the written essays submitted with the application, this short essay question is written without time to deliberate. You will have up to 5 minutes to answer a question we provide in writing. This allows us see what you come up with on the spot. We will not expect a polished product, but will continue to look for interesting ideas, correct spelling and proper syntax.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
Go for it!
Essay 1. How will the Schulich MBA degree help you achieve your short and long-term career goals? (350 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A simple goal essay with enough space to talk about your past experiences, rationale for your goals and why you need an MBA from Schulich.
If you think about MBA as a bridge to connect your past and future, you will find it much easier to structure this essay. One approach could be first talking about your past and showing what you have learnt and accomplished till now and then describe where you want to go- thereby making the reader see and feel your need for an MBA. Another approach could be to show your grand vision of your future and then show where you are in the present moment, making a case for MBA to take you to your future. Whatever approach you take, make sure your goals are logical, credible and realistic.
Give enough thought and space to 'why Schulich MBA' part of the question. Ideally you would have done extensive online and offline research on how the school will help you achieve your goals before writing the essay. If not, do so now and the reasons for Schulich MBA will flow right into your essay!
Essay 2. Describe a time when you were faced with an ethical dilemma. What strategies did you use to resolve the issue? What would you have done differently if faced with a similar situation? (350 words)
Essay 2 Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about a challenging time associated with the ethical dilemma and how you overcame that.
Start by giving the context and the challenges associated with the situation. Show what decisions you had to make and if/ why those were difficult for you. What stand you took? Why did you decide that way? Describe your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey. Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Carefully address the last part of the question. Would you have done it the same way? if YES, why? if NO- why not? what else would you have done?
Optional Scholarship Essay. Describe your involvement in activities outside of work. How have they contributed to your personal achievements and enhanced your self-development? (500 words)
Optional Scholarship Essay Tips. With this strong focus on your personal side, Schulich wants to know what you truly care about and what kind of human being are you.
You might be involved in numerous activities but for this essay pick only those for which you can show significant impact on your personal life. If there are certain causes or ideas that you deeply care about and have contributed significant time and effort, show here with examples.
A thoughtful and mature reflection of the activities as part of your personality will truly differentiate you and make a strong addition to your application.
Optional Essay. Is there any other information or areas of concern in your academic or personal history that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in considering your application?
Optional Essay Tips. Do you need to even write this essay? That is the first question you should ask yourself.
Attempt this essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application. Do not submit a optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in that case simply redouble your efforts in those essays and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this space to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. For example, if you had a disciplinary issue in college, spend most of the space demonstrating what you learned from the experience and how you have been a better person/ student/ citizen ever since.
OR, you could use this this essay to highlight exceptional aspects of your candidature that could not be accommodated in the previous essays. Since this essay does not have to be limited to a single theme or event, disparate yet impressive info points can be quoted.
Go for it!
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (650 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (400 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (400 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (400 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (350 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (350 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Additional Information. Through all of the elements of your application, we believe that we get to know you well. Only complete this section if you have critical information you could not convey elsewhere on your application (e.g., extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance). Do not include essays, and please, be brief.
Additional Information Tips. Please use this space judiciously.
If there are any shortcomings in your background, comment on them with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it concise and to the point.
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (350 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Additional Information. Through all of the elements of your application, we believe that we get to know you well. Only complete this section if you have critical information you could not convey elsewhere on your application (e.g., extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance). Do not include essays, and please, be brief.
Additional Information Tips. Please use this space judiciously.
If there are any shortcomings in your background, comment on them with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it concise and to the point.
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford Stanford wants to know - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? They see your academic achievements and professional accomplishments, now they want to know what make you - YOU. A challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself, reflect and introspect and then articulate your findings for Stanford adcom. Yes, not an easy feat.
Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what drives you, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the underlying themes for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on significant personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This extremely difficult exercise, if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction + life story essay or an anecdotes-driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Please do check the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. Why Stanford? (350 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. Describe to the reader where you want to reach in your career and then devote a significant part of the essay to why you think Stanford MBA is indeed the bridge to take you there. Make your answer very specific to your personal context and career goals. The objective is to demonstrate implicitly or explicitly that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Think about the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program, and network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, and especially if you are based in the US, visit Stanford. You might be able to uncover unique aspects of the campus, culture, and the program that will help your essays stand out from other applicants.
Once again, reviewing Stanford essays guidance will be helpful: "The key here is that you should have ideas for your best self after Stanford, and related objectives for your Stanford education. How do you plan to take advantage of the incredible opportunities at Stanford? How do you envision yourself growing and learning here at Stanford GSB? And how will the Stanford experience help you become the person you aspire to be? You do not need to make up a path if you are uncertain, but a level of focused interests will enable you to make the most of your Stanford experience. Be honest with us, and especially with yourself, in addressing this question."
Additional Information. Through all of the elements of your application, we believe that we get to know you well. Only complete this section if you have critical information you could not convey elsewhere on your application (e.g., extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance). Do not include essays, and please, be brief.
Additional Information Tips. Please use this space judiciously.
If there are any shortcomings in your background, comment on them with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be totally counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue. Keep it concise and to the point.
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford's first essay question asks exactly what most Admission Committees want to ask and wish they had. It goes to the heart of what EVERY decent Business School application should want to know about you - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? Here is a chance to go beyond being a jumble of numbers (730, 112, 280, 4.3, 3.9 ugh!) and talk clearly and passionately about what makes you YOU. So grab it and don't let go.
This opening Stanford essay question is also probably the toughest MBA essay question you are likely to encounter. This is a challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself and rediscover the person you are. While you could start the exercise by asking friends and family about yourself, the person most qualified to give you clues to this Stanford essay is the one you see in the mirror. Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what makes you tick, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? If this sounds difficult and daunting - well, it is.
Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the basic theme for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on important personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This exercise, extremely difficult if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction plus life story essay or an anecdotes driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Since the other essays and the application itself offers you enormous scope selling your professional side, a keen focus on your personal outlook and life is recommended. Having said that I would recommend very strongly that an implicit (even direct) link be established between this and EVERY other Stanford essay. If something matters most to you it is reasonable to expect that it influences or even drives other aspects of your life.
I admire the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants, and feel that this lead should be followed by other b-schools. So let 'em have the last word. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are - and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Essay 2. What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford? (450 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward goals essay. However, by including a single word "REALLY", Stanford transforms a simple goals statement into a personal and less formal exposition of what you wanna do in life and how Stanford can help you do that.
One reason I admire these first two Stanford essays is because these are exactly the questions that all the other REALLY want to ask but don't. These are also the questions which you could use to rephrase other b-school essays to get to the crux what a goals essay or a personal intro essay really asks for.
Without doubt, the first step is to understand what it is that you want to do. How do you visualize your future? What is your career vision? What kind of work do you want to do, and why? What do you want to accomplish with/in your life. These are some of the questions that you might consider answering here. Quoting Bolton again "Tell us what, in your heart, you would like to achieve. What is the dream that brings meaning to your life? How do you plan to make an impact? We give you broad license to envision your future.".
The broader, higher level tone to the question might see you focusing more on a visionary longer term goal than a short term career objective. As the Stanford Site says, "Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past. You should address three distinct topics: your career aspirations, the role of an MBA education in achieving those aspirations, and your rationale for earning that MBA at Stanford, in particular.". Exhibit logic, intelligence and breadth of vision - and above all Passion - in expressing your dreams and future goals with conviction. Ask yourself, and answer in the essay, what and how you will impact the future.
Though you can actually make things a little simpler by thinking of this as the usual "goals" essay question I hope you won't. Approaching this essay exactly as it is meant to be - with all its unabashed personal focus - will help you not just with Stanford but will also make writing the "goals" essays for other schools much easier.
"Why Stanford?" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Stanford. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program and/or network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Stanford. This part of the essay also seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission to Stanford? What are the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted? Have you talked to current Stanford students or alumni? The objective is to implicitly or explicitly demonstrate that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and authenticity than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Once again I will let the Stanford essays guidance have the final say: "Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past. You should address two distinct topics: your career aspirations and your rationale for earning your MBA at Stanford, in particular. The best examples of Essay 2 express your passions or focused interests, explain why you have decided to pursue graduate education in management, and demonstrate your desire to take advantage of the opportunities that are distinctive to the Stanford MBA Program."
Go for it!
Essay 3. Answer one of the three 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. In your short answer responses we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations. (400 words - suggested)
Essay 3a. Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations. (300 words - suggested)
Essay 3a Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Stanford is no exception. Your leadership and team building skills are the two building blocks of this essay. Reflect on the story with those themes in mind. The "whose performance exceeded expectations" part can be used simply as a peg to conclude the story with or align it with the theme by detailing how your drive to go beyond the ordinary resulted in an extraordinary outcome.
Choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in most MBA essays. While the example can be any professional or personal experience from the last three years, finalize the story for this essay only after you have considered options for the other choice questions. Selecting the story for this one should be easy. Recollect and write about an experience where your leadership position and team building skills made a vastly positive difference to the outcome. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your skills in leadership and team development. Delve on facets of your leadership style, leadership strengths as well as team development skills including team creation, mentoring, personnel evaluation, training, motivation etc.
Conclude with how your ability to build, guide, drive and lead the team resulted in a performance that "exceeded expectations".
The only change in the essay from last year is the repetitive inclusion of "in the last three years" presumably because many candidates failed to appreciate the essay directive: so lets us keep it within the last three years.
Go for it!
Essay 3b. Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization. (400 words - suggested)
Essay 3b Tips. Each person has knowledge, skills and qualities that grant him or her the potential to impact and improve the world in extraordinary ways. This essay prompt requests an instance when your actions definitively improved, hopefully transformed, your organization.
The 2010-2011 essay "Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization." should help you sharpen your base preparation for this essay.
As usual, apart from describing the story and celebrating your success, the objective of the essay is to uncover your attitude, skills, qualities and approach that made this magic possible; the story therefore will also act as a preview of how you might be able to do at Stanford and/or in your post-Stanford career.
Sure, the obvious theme is once again leadership; however innovation, vision, team work, communication or any other set of skills could be your thematic choice. The story can be in a professional or personal setting; at your current employer or with an organization connected to your out-of-work activities (e.g. a sports club or a volunteer organization).
Describe in detail the motivation, challenges, process, actions and steps that you took to convert your thought into impact. While you could have achieved the objective individually, an example in which you had a leadership role will almost always have greater value. In addition, your initiative and vision in grabbing this particular opportunity might add further dimensions to the story.
Be clear about the improvement: use numbers and quantifiable results if and when possible.
Go for it!
Essay 3c. Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established. (400 words - suggested)
Essay 3c Tips. You can choose between two distinct thematic takes on this essay. The obvious option is creativity and innovation. The other possibility is ethical strength and independent spirit.
Try to identify an instance when you found yourself introducing an innovative concept, taking a principled yet unpopular stand, implementing an out-of-the-box solution or any other situation where you fought popular opinion or established thoughts. The context can be professional or personal. Please establish the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why your stand went against the grain.
Use this opportunity to showcase your out-of-the-box thinking, strength of character, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
The story could culminate with an affirmative transformational change driven by your stance/actions, though a positive result is not demanded by the essay prompt. However, the greater the impact of your action, the greater the power of the essay.
Try to bring a personal tone to the essay, especially in the part of the essay where you formulate your stance and then stand by it. Like in all essay packages, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
The only change in the essay from last year is the repetitive inclusion of "in the last three years" presumably because many candidates failed to appreciate the essay directive: so lets us keep it within the last three years.
Go for it!
Essay 1. What matters most to you, and why? (750 words - suggested)
Essay 1 Tips. Stanford's first essay question asks exactly what most Admission Committees want to ask and wish they had. It goes to the heart of what EVERY decent Business School application should want to know about you - WHAT MAKES YOU TICK? Here is a chance to go beyond being a jumble of numbers (730, 112, 280, 4.3, 3.9 ugh!) and talk clearly and passionately about what makes you YOU. So grab it and don't let go.
Stanford's first essay question is also probably the toughest MBA essay question you are likely to encounter. This is a challenging question that forces you to delve into yourself and rediscover the person you are. While you could start the exercise by asking friends and family about yourself, the person most qualified to give you clues to this Stanford essay is the one you see in the mirror. Ask yourself what you are most passionate about, what values you feel most strongly for, what dreams you yearn for most, what makes you tick, WHAT/WHO ARE YOU? If this sounds difficult and daunting - well, it is.
Thinking back on your life and identifying the crucial milestones in your life (and how/why you consider them critical) might help you uncover the basic theme for the essay. The choices you made at each stage of your life will be essential guides to supporting this theme and ensuring that the theme is credible. Look back on important personal and professional situations and try to analyze what decisions you made, why you succeeded or failed, how you thought and acted. This exercise, extremely difficult if done right, will pay rich dividends across your entire MBA application process, not just this one essay.
There are umpteen approaches to this essay - choose the one that suits you best. You can structure this essay as sections devoted to your key beliefs/passions or as an introduction plus life story essay or an anecdotes driven development and success story. Whichever route you take, the essay should be a personal, credible and passionate portrayal of YOU.
Since the other essays and the application itself offers you enormous scope selling your professional side, a keen focus on your personal outlook and life is recommended. Having said that I would recommend very strongly that an implicit (even direct) link be established between this and EVERY other Stanford essay. If something matters most to you it is reasonable to expect that it influences or even drives other aspects of your life.
I admire the guidance on the Stanford Site, which makes life easier for all MBA applicants, and feel that this lead should be followed by other b-schools. So let 'em have the last word. "The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are—and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives. They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life."
Go for it!
Essay 2. What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford? (450 words - suggested)
Essay 2 Tips. This is a straightforward goals essay. However, by including a single word "REALLY", Stanford transforms a simple goals statement into a personal and less formal exposition of what you wanna do in life and how Stanford can help you do that.
One reason I admire these first two Stanford essays is because these are exactly the questions that all the other REALLY want to ask but don't. These are also the questions which you could use to rephrase other b-school essays to get to the crux what a goals essay or a personal intro essay really asks for.
Without doubt, the first step is to understand what it is that you want to do. How do you visualize your future? What is your career vision? What kind of work do you want to do, and why? What do you want to accomplish with/in your life. These are some of the questions that you might consider answering here. Quoting Bolton again "Tell us what, in your heart, you would like to achieve. What is the dream that brings meaning to your life? How do you plan to make an impact? We give you broad license to envision your future.".
The broader, higher level tone to the question might see you focusing more on a visionary longer term goal than a short term career objective. As the Stanford Site says, "Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past. You should address three distinct topics: your career aspirations, the role of an MBA education in achieving those aspirations, and your rationale for earning that MBA at Stanford, in particular.". Exhibit logic, intelligence and breadth of vision - and above all Passion - in expressing your dreams and future goals with conviction. Ask yourself, and answer in the essay, what and how you will impact the future.
Though you can actually make things a little simpler by thinking of this as the usual "goals" essay question I hope you won't. Approaching this essay exactly as it is meant to be - with all its unabashed personal focus - will help you not just with Stanford but will also make writing the "goals" essays for other schools much easier.
"Why Stanford?" is an important part of the question which will require you to show your fit with Stanford. How can the Stanford education, exposure, students, location, program and/or network help you realize your dreams. Researching the school using online and offline means will pay rich dividends. If possible, especially if you are based in USA, visit Stanford. This part of the essay also seeks answers to these questions: How serious are you about seeking admission to Stanford? What are the unique aspects of Stanford that make it attractive to you and how well can you use them if admitted? Have you talked to current Stanford students or alumni? The objective is to implicitly or explicitly demonstrate that your Stanford application is a reflection of your serious, passionate and specific interest in Stanford.
Goals, even more than other essay topics, are more a matter of credibility and authenticity than anything else. If you can add passion as well, you have the recipe for a beautiful and effective essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3. 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. In your short answer responses (Essay 3, options A, B, C, or D), we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations. (300 words each - suggested)
Essay 3a. Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations. (300 words - suggested)
Essay 3a Tips. Leadership is the most focused-on single trait that almost all Business Schools look for: Stanford is no exception. Your leadership and team building skills are the two building blocks of this essay. Reflect on the story with those themes in mind. The "whose performance exceeded expectations" part can be used simply as a peg to conclude the story with or align it with the theme by detailing how your drive to go beyond the ordinary resulted in an extraordinary outcome.
Choosing the appropriate story from your life is a key ingredient of success in most MBA essays. While the example can be any professional or personal experience from the last three years, finalize the story for this essay only after you have considered options for the other choice questions. Selecting the story for this one should be easy. Recollect and write about an experience where your leadership position and team building skills made a vastly positive difference to the outcome. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your skills in leadership and team development. Delve on facets of your leadership style, leadership strengths as well as team development skills including team creation, mentoring, personnel evaluation, training, motivation etc.
Conclude with how your ability to build, guide, drive and lead the team resulted in a performance that "exceeded expectations".
Essay 3b. Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization. (300 words - suggested)
Essay 3b Tips. Each person has knowledge, skills and qualities that grant him or her the potential to impact the world in extraordinary ways. This essay prompt requests an instance when your actions definitively transformed your organization.
As usual apart from describing the story and celebrating your success, the objective of the essay is to uncover your attitude, skills, qualities and approach that made this magic possible; the story therefore will also act as a preview of how you might be able to do at Stanford and/or in your post-Stanford career.
Sure, the obvious theme is once again leadership; however innovation, vision, team work, communication or any other set of skills could be your thematic choice. The story can be in a professional or personal setting; at your current employer or with an organization connected to your out-of-work activities (e.g. a sports club or a volunteer organization).
Describe in detail the motivation, challenges, process, actions and steps that you took to convert your thought into impact. While you could have achieved the objective individually, an example in which you had a leadership role will almost always have greater value. In addition, your initiative and vision in grabbing this particular opportunity might add further dimensions to the story.
Be clear about the "lasting impact". Use numbers and quantifiable results if and when possible.
Go for it!
Essay 3c. Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative. (300 words - suggested)
Essay 3c Tips. Once more while leadership (thought leadership, people leadership) is the obvious theme, your ability to persuade and motivate could be overlapping themes.
Recollect and write about an experience wherein through example, ideas, leadership, enthusiasm and/or relationship building you were able to persuade and motivate a team towards a specific idea or objective. Select the example based on the extent of your contribution to the team's success and what the story tells about your ability to persuade and inspire.
Vision. Communication abilities. Strength of character. Ability to inspire. Persuasiveness. Reasoning power. Relationship building. Leadership. Networking. Any or all of these qualities you possess could be covered to the best advantage in this essay. Your ability to assess stakeholder/team opinions, identify trends and predict behavior are other potential areas of focus.
For selecting the particular situation/story for the essay, look back to identify situations in which you found yourself facing resistance or apathy - for an unpopular or innovative idea or initiative. The spotlight should be on how you approached the situation, actions you took, attitude you had and approaches that you initiated, rather than an exposition of what the situation was. Focus on illustrating the steps and skills/qualities through which you generated support for your objective.
Select a story that shines a light on your ability to persuade through your leadership aptitude, people skills and emotional intelligence. The example should detail the context and rationale for your idea. It should also illustrate your approach in winning the opposition over to the idea - by understanding the opposition, communicating convincingly and clarifying ideas. Your leadership approach and the methodology you adopt would be critical to this essay's success. Though this need not be a fairy tale, a long-term positive conclusion to the story would be welcome.
Please ensure that the story differs thematically and in approach from the other choice essays.
Go for it!
Essay 3d. Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined or established. (300 words - suggested)
Essay 3d Tips. You can choose between two distinct thematic takes on this essay. The obvious option is creativity and innovation. The other possibility is ethical strength and independent spirit.
Try to identify an instance when you found yourself introducing an innovative concept, taking a principled yet unpopular stand, implementing an out-of-the-box solution or any other situation where you fought popular opinion or established thoughts. The context can be professional or personal. Please establish the context, rationale and motivations for your action, and make apparent why your stand went against the grain.
Use this opportunity to showcase your out-of-the-box thinking, strength of character, innovation, reasoning ability and/or intellectual courage.
The story could culminate with a affirmative transformational change driven by your stance/actions, though a positive result is not demanded by the essay prompt. However, the greater the impact of your action, the greater the power of the essay.
Try to bring a personal tone to the essay, especially in the part of the essay where you formulate your stance and then stand by it. Like in all essay packages, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other essays.
Go for it!
Essay. The Tepper community is dynamic and unique. Each community member’s individual journey has shaped them into classmates who are collaborative and supportive. Describe how you have overcome adversity during your journey. What did you learn about yourself and how has that shaped who you are? (Maximum 350-500 words.)
Essay Tips. This is a multi-layered question and needs to be answered with deep thought and introspection. Like many of its peers, Tepper too places significant value on creating a collaborative culture and expecting each individual to add to the community and enhance each other's experience.
We suggest first thinking about an appropriate example of an adversity (or a theme of adversiies)
in your life and how that has made you who you are. Your adversity could be personal relating to your family or situations growing up,
or they could be more about certain limitations or challenges in your professional life. Whatever be the adversity, make sure to address three main things
How have you overcome the adversity?
What did you learn?
How has it affected you?
Essay. At Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School, we value our community and it is important for each person to contribute to its success. What difference will you make as a member of the MBA class at the Tepper School? (Maximum 350-500 words.)
Essay 1 Tips. Like many of its peers, Tepper too places significant value on creating a collaborative culture and expecting each individual to add to the community and enhance each other's experience.
There can be several ways in which you can add to the community. You can broadly divide this into - inside the classroom and outside the class. Within the class, you add value with your perspectives and engagement with the courses as well as helping your peers and team with learning about specific domain or industry knowledge you possess. Outside of classroom you can think about taking part in clubs and other extracurricular activities and use those opportunities to add value to the class and the community at large.
Essay Option 1. Carnegie Mellon University is an institution that never stops looking and moving ahead, pioneering the next way forward with technology, business and research to answer questions big and small. Personally or professionally, in what way have you been a pioneer?
Essay 1 Tips. Who is a pioneer? Someone who questions the status quo, challenges the norms and comes up with new ideas and despite opposition and challenges charts a new way. As you look back on your life's journey, think about instances where you have met opposition but still with your determination and courage have been able to create a path for yourself. Interestingly the question also offers you an option to talk about a personal narrative- this opens another good dimension and set of events to look at. However, please note that this is not a straightforward achievement essay. This has to be something outstanding, something distinctive something which no one else has done but only you have been able to achieve.
Essay Option 2. Amidst the ambiguous and unchartered nature of change, Carnegie Mellon University students and alumni rise above to envision and create. Discuss how you have anticipated change in your professional life. In what ways did you effectively collaborate to create your desired outcome?
Essay Option 2 Tips. It is becoming increasingly important for business schools to understand that their students are good in dealing with ambiguity and change. Not only the recruiting process is fretted with struggles but also when you go out in the real world and grow in ranks to become a leader- you’ll have to constantly grapple with change. So, think about a time when your organization or team or project was undergoing changes and how you worked with your team to effectively navigate and manage the situation. Like every other example question, try to answer this in three separate sections- starting with CONTEXT of the situation, followed by the ACTIONS you took, and finally ending with the RESULT of your actions.
Essay Option 3. At Carnegie Mellon University, our difference is what we imagine for the world and how we answer its challenges. What impact have you had on the world around you?
Essay Option 3 Tips. Every business school Looks for applicants who are star performers and who have created a significant impact in their community professionally or personally. If you have contributed in a positive manner to the world around, with new ideas, initiatives, challenging regressive paradigms and been able to bring positivity, growth, learning, and enhancing lives around you- talk about all that! Describe the context, show the actions you took and complete with the overall impact and results of your efforts.
Essay 1. Imagine that you meet up with a member of the admission committee at an airport while on a layover. You have an opportunity to make a memorable impression. Use this essay to introduce yourself. Include any information that you believe is important for the committee member to know about you both professionally and personally (maximum 300 words)
Essay 1 Tips. A huge part of MBA experience and recruiting includes meeting and working with strangers. Therefore, it is paramount that you have exceptional interpersonal skills.
Write this essay in an interesting manner capturing your unique strengths as well as impressing the adcom with your background and creativity. Think about this as an elevator pitch but take it a notch up and make it intriguing, engaging and memorable.
Have fun!
Goal Question 1. What is your professional goal immediately following graduation from Tepper? (150 words max)
Goal Question 1 Tips. You will be selecting your desired post-MBA function and industry from two drop down menus in the online application, so use this space to give more details about why you want to pursue a particular professional goal. Ideally your past, present and Tepper MBA should tie together well and seamlessly lead you into this role. There isn't too much space, so try to describe briefly your long-term career aspirations and regard the short-term goal as your means to achieve your vision.
Goal Question 2. What other role would you consider? In other words, what is your Plan B? (150 words max)
Goal Question 2 Tips. Given the uncertain economic times, schools appreciate your understanding and preparedness for an alternative post-MBA job. To tackle this, you can this think about it in two ways:
(1) Given on your past experiences, skill sets, and interests what different career paths you could take realistically?
(2) Considering your long-term goal, what different ways could lead you to your vision?
Once you have thought through these questions, you will find a few answers emerge that would help you define a Plan B.
Essay 1. Describe a defining moment in your life and explain how it shaped you as a person. (maximum 300 words)
Essay Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that has taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Show your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey.
Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay 2. Based on your research and interactions, describe how your strengths will contribute to the Tepper Community. How will you benefit from being a member of the Tepper MBA Program? (maximum 300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Please note this is not a simple 'why Tepper' question. Tepper expects you to conduct in-depth research on the school and its MBA program. Once you know what Tepper stands for and what are the opportunities to contribute, you can make a good case for how you will contribute to Tepper and benefit from being a part of their community.
Optional Essay. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application. This could include clarification of your employment or academic record, choice of recommenders or provide helpful context for the admissions committee in reviewing your application. (maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write about certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you should write this essay. But do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, you could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Goal Question 1. What is your professional goal immediately following graduation from Tepper? (150 words max)
Goal Question 1 Tips. You will be selecting your desired post-MBA function and industry from two drop down menus in the online application, so use this space to give more details about why you want to pursue a particular professional goal. Ideally your past, present and Tepper MBA should tie together well and seamlessly lead you into this role. There isn't too much space, so try to describe briefly your long-term career aspirations and regard the short-term goal as your means to achieve your vision.
Goal Question 2. What other role would you consider? In other words, what is your Plan B? (150 words max)
Goal Question 2 Tips. Given the uncertain economic times, schools appreciate your understanding and preparedness for an alternative post-MBA job. To tackle this, you can this think about it in two ways:
(1) Given on your past experiences, skill sets, and interests what different career paths you could take realistically?
(2) Considering your long-term goal, what different ways could lead you to your vision?
Once you have thought through these questions, you will find a few answers emerge that would help you define a Plan B.
Essay 1. Describe a defining moment in your life and explain how it shaped you as a person. (maximum 300 words)
Essay Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that has taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Show your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey.
Giving specific, concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay 2. Based on your research and interactions, describe how your strengths will contribute to the Tepper Community. How will you benefit from being a member of the Tepper MBA Program? (maximum 300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Please note this is not a simple 'why Tepper' question. Tepper expects you to conduct in-depth research on the school and its MBA program. Once you know what Tepper stands for and what are the opportunities to contribute, you can make a good case for how you will contribute to Tepper and benefit from being a part of their community.
Optional Essay. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application. This could include clarification of your employment or academic record, choice of recommenders or provide helpful context for the admissions committee in reviewing your application. (maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write about certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you should write this essay. But do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, you could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Goal Question 1. What is your professional goal immediately following graduation from Tepper? (1500 Characters max)
Goal Question 1 Tips. You will be selecting your desired post-MBA function and industry from two drop down menus in the online application, so use this space to give more details about why you want to pursue a particular professional goal. Ideally your past, present and Tepper MBA should tie together well and seamlessly lead you into this role. There isn't too much space, so try to briefly describe your long-term career aspirations and regard the short-term goal as your means to achieve your vision.
Goal Question 2. If you are not successful in your first choice of role after graduation, what other role would you consider? In other words, what is your Plan B? (1500 Characters max)
Goal Question 2 Tips Given the uncertain economic times, schools appreciate your understanding and preparedness for an alternative post-MBA job. To tackle this, you can this think about it in two ways:
(1) Given on your past experiences, skill sets, and interests what different career paths you could take realistically?
(2) Considering your long-term goal, what different ways could lead you to your vision?
Once you have thought through these questions, you will find a few answers emerge that would help you define a Plan B.
Essay 1. Describe a defining moment in your life and explain how it shaped you as a person. (maximum 300 words)
Essay Tips. What you decide to talk about will reveal your character, values and maturity.
Think about your most significant accomplishment or experience that forced you to think differently, or perhaps your failure that has taught you invaluable lessons. Whatever you choose to talk about, make sure it is a significant moment, a turning point in your life that has influenced you deeply.
Start by giving the context and if applicable any challenges associated with the situation. Show your thought process throughout the experience. Take the reader with you in your mental and emotional journey.
Giving specific concrete details to your story will make your narrative vivid and memorable.
Essay 2. Based on your research and interactions with the Tepper community, please share why you are a good fit with the Tepper MBA program. (maximum 300 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Demonstrating a good fit is comprised of:
1) clearly articulating that your goals and aspirations can be best reached with and through Tepper MBA
2) showing a fit with Tepper's core values and culture
3) detailing how you envision becoming part of and contributing to Tepper community
Do thorough research, talk to current students, alums and adcom, meet with Tepper's team in your city/country and understand Tepper's MBA program. Feel free to mention (with permission) names of people you meet and speak with. Capture the details of your interactions and if possible show how each interaction made you clearer and more determined to apply to Tepper School of Business.
Optional Essay. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application. This could include clarification of your employment or academic record, choice of recommenders or provide helpful context for the admissions committee in reviewing your application. (maximum 500 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Although the adcom gives example of weaknesses, don't be mislead to talk only about the negatives. You could write about certain impressive contributions or qualities that you could not capture in the other essays. If showing certain aspects of your personality, career or life adds to the value to your application, you should write this essay. But do not write this essay if you think quality of rest of your application is suboptimal. If that is the case, improve your other essays first.
Alternately, you could use this essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Absence of recommendation from current supervisor, areas of underperformance (academic or professional) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have explanations that are intelligent and credible.
Whether you decide to showcase your strengths or address your weakness, it might be better to not do both in the same space. Pick one aspect that you think will truly enhance your application.
Essay 1. How have events of the past year influenced the impact you would like to make in your community, career, or both? (250 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. UCLA has taken a very different approach this year. Just one short essay and that too not directly linked with career goals, makes it interesting yet somewhat difficult and intimidating.
We suggest you keep the focus of the impact of the year 2020 on your life - both professional and personal and then connect it with your goals and the impact you would like to make. It would be wise to briefly mention the expected changes and challenges in industry of your choice and how you will help overcome those challenges.
Essay 1. Describe your short-term and long-term career goals. How can the UCLA Anderson experience add value to your professional development? (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The changed wording from last years essay makes this essay somewhat tricky. Many schools emphasize the need for cultural fit but UCLA is going a step further by explicitly asking you to share your core values and demonstrate how UCLA's principles will be aligned with your career goals AND what do you plan to do while pursuing your MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Short Question: What are you passionate about and why? (300 words maximum)
Short Answer Tips. There are two approaches you can take.
First: Let your passion dovetail with the "goals essay" such that this essay automatically explains why you would choose that particular goal in the "goals essay". Mention why the arena in which you would be spending the rest of your career/life excites you. What is it about the work that you want to do post-MBA that tugs at your heart? If you choose this approach, reduce the "motivation for goals" portions of the goals essay and shift the more prosaic industry/statistics-driven reasons for your future career choices to that essay.
Second: Choose an outside-of-work passion/hobby that you pursue with zest. Write about your passion for that activity. How you started, how you contribute to it, and perhaps also about how you are impacted and enhanced by it.
Either way, the worst thing you can do in this essay is to write impersonally. If this essay does not reveal the person with a ticking heart behind this application, write again! Like EVERY other MBA essay that you will ever write if you can demonstrate genuine wow! level passion 50% of your work is done.
Optional Essay. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words) No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay.
Optional Essay Tips. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Anderson optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Keep it brief.
Essay 1. We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Many schools emphasize the need for fit but UCLA is going a step further by explicitly asking you to share your core values and demonstrate how UCLA's principles will be aligned with your career goals AND what do you plan to do while pursuing your MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Read through UCLA principles in detail, talk to current students, alums and adcom to find out how the cultural values translate into everyday thoughts and actions at UCLA. How collaborative is UCLA community and how they truly live the share success principle? How will they encourage you to stretch yourself and dare to dream different and big? Are they really serious about questioning the status quo and leading and adopting new paradigms? And how ALL this is critical to your success?
Optional Essay. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words) No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay.
Optional Essay Tips. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Anderson optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Keep it brief.
Essay 1. We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Many schools emphasize the need for fit but UCLA is going a step further by explicitly asking you to share your core values and demonstrate how UCLA's principles will be aligned with your career goals AND what do you plan to do while pursuing your MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Read through UCLA principles in detail, talk to current students, alums and adcom to find out how the cultural values translate into everyday thoughts and actions at UCLA. How collaborative is UCLA community and how they truly live the share success principle? How will they encourage you to stretch yourself and dare to dream different and big? Are they really serious about questioning the status quo and leading and adopting new paradigms? And how ALL this is critical to your success?
Optional Essay. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words) No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay.
Optional Essay Tips. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Anderson optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Keep it brief.
Essay 1. We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Many schools emphasize the need for fit but UCLA is going a step further by explicitly asking you to share your core values and demonstrate how UCLA's principles will be aligned with your career goals AND what do you plan to do while pursuing your MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Read through UCLA principles in detail, talk to current students, alums and adcom to find out how the cultural values translate into everyday thoughts and actions at UCLA. How collaborative is UCLA community and how they truly live the share success principle? How will they encourage you to stretch yourself and dare to dream different and big? Are they really serious about questioning the status quo and leading and adopting new paradigms? And how ALL this is critical to your success?
Optional Essay. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words) No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay.
The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Anderson optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Keep it brief.
Essay 1. We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. The changed wording from last years essay makes this essay somewhat tricky. Many schools emphasize the need for fit but UCLA is going a step further by explicitly asking you to share your core values and demonstrate how UCLA's principles will be aligned with your career goals AND what do you plan to do while pursuing your MBA at UCLA Anderson.
Read through UCLA principles in detail, talk to current students, alums and adcom to find out how the cultural values translate into everyday thoughts and actions at UCLA. How collaborative is UCLA community and how they truly live the share success principle? How will they encourage you to stretch yourself and dare to dream different and big? Are they really serious about questioning the status quo and leading and adopting new paradigms? And how ALL this is critical to your success?
Optional Essay. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words) No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay.
The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Attempt the Anderson optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application and if you have specific extenuating circumstances that need to be explained.
Use the optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resumes or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain greater focus on the correction for the issue.
Keep it brief.
Essay 1. Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you (500 words)
- Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
- As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
Essay 2. Please select one topic below and respond to the prompt. (250 words)
- Topic 1: What is one thing that we do not know about you that you want us to know?
- Topic 2: Provide us an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it? Did you achieve the results you were looking for?
- Topic 3: Tell us about a time when you felt or witnessed someone being marginalized. How did you feel? What did you take away from the experience and how has it encouraged you to be an inclusive leader?
Essay 1. Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you (500 words)
- Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
- As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
Essay 2. The UNC Kenan-Flagler community lives by its core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork.(250 words)
- Pick a core value that resonates most deeply with you.
- Identify the most challenging situation that you have encountered and how you responded while upholding that core value.
Essay 1. Please respond to the questions below that will assist us in learning more about you (500 words)
- Tell us what your immediate career goals are and how you will benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
- As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
Essay 2. The UNC Kenan-Flagler community lives by its core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork.(250 words)
- Pick a core value that resonates most deeply with you.
- Identify the most challenging situation that you have encountered and how you responded while upholding that core value.
Essay 1 (Required) Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 2 (Optional) What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 (Optional) If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional) Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1 (Required) Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 2 (Optional) What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 (Optional) If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional) Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1 (Required) Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 2 (Optional) What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 (Optional) If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional) Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1: Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 2 (Optional): What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (300 words maximum)
Essay 3 (Optional): If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional): Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1: What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2: Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 3: What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay 1. If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 1: What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2: Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 3: What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay 1. If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Optional Essay 2. Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1: What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? Do you have other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2: Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
Essay 3: What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional): If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay 5 (Optional): Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Essay One (Required): What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? Do you have other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Essay Two (Required): Briefly describe the career path you intend to pursue immediately after b-school. Explain why this career option appeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at this time. (500 words maximum)
Essay Three (Required): What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Essay Four (Required): Kenan-Flagler has five core values: excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork. If you could add one value what would it be and why? Be sure to explain how you have lived this value. (300 words maximum) We greatly value current student involvement in the admissions process. Essay #4 will be read and evaluated by a trained student admissions volunteer. Please do not put your name on this essay since we would like the student evaluation to be anonymous.
Essay Five (Optional): If your GMAT quantitative score is low, or if you have not had coursework in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting, please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay Six (Optional): Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you in order to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words maximum)
Additional Essay: The Admissions Committee believes that the MBA application is comprehensive and does not require submission of any supplemental information. If you feel that additional information or explanations are necessary, please use this page for that purpose.
Essay One (Required): What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? Do you have other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Essay Two (Required): Briefly describe the career path you intend to pursue immediately after b-school. Explain why this career option appeals to you and why an MBA is appropriate at this time. (500 words maximum)
Essay Three (Required): What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Essay Four (Required): What do you expect from your MBA program? How and when will you measure the return on your investment in the MBA? (500 words maximum)
Essay Five (Optional): If your GMAT quantitative score is low, or if you have not had coursework in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting, please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
Essay Six (Optional): Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you in order to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words maximum)
Essay 1 (Required): Describe your career progression to date, highlighting leadership and management positions and reasons for changing jobs or career paths, if applicable. Tell us how your experience, coupled with an MBA degree from UNC, will lead you to your short-term and long-term career goals. (1200 words maximum)
Essay 2 (Required): Describe the major obstacles or challenges you have faced in pursuit of your goals. Tell us how you addressed these challenges and how they have shaped you. (800 words maximum)
Essay 3 (Optional): Tell us about any international experience you have, either living or working abroad. Tell us how it has impacted your global perspective. (400 words maximum)
Essay 4 (Optional): UNC Kenan-Flagler seeks to enroll students from a variety of undergraduate majors. Regardless of your major, we strongly recommend that all students enter the program with some background in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting. If you have not studied one or more of these subjects in college or university, please tell us how you have developed proficiency in these areas. If you have not been exposed to one or more of these subjects, please tell us how you will prepare yourself prior to entering UNC Kenan-Flagler. (400 words maximum)
Written statements. Your written statements give us great insight into your unique qualities, goals and personality. We have four required written statements and all have a 75 word limit. Three statements are career-focused and one is a more creative statement.
Statement 1: What are your short-term career goals after obtaining your MBA and what functional area do you plan to study while in the MBA program?
Statement 2: What are some specific skills that you want to develop during your time in business school to help you achieve your career goals?
Statement 3: The role of the Vanderbilt MBA Career Management Center is to partner with students to discover and define their career goals; to educate and coach students in developing and refining skills and experiences to achieve their career goals; to facilitate partnerships among students, the business community and the Vanderbilt community. How do you plan to direct your career search and collaborate with the Career Management Center to work toward your career goals?
Statement 4: Our mission is to provide world-class business education on a personal scale. What does personal scale mean to you?
Optional Explanatory Statement: You may provide an additional statement to explain anything that you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. Many applicants use this statement to explain significant gaps in full-time employment, lack of recommendation from a current supervisor, or subpar academic performance.
Video essay. The video response is a chance for you to provide a glimpse of the authentic you, speaking without a script. The video questions are designed to be easy to answer and help us to get to know you as a person. You will have time to prepare your response and the application will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to record your answers.
Essay 1. While business school is a time for exploration, we do expect you to have a strong sense about why you want an MBA and what you hope to do once you graduate. Applying to business school is an introspective process, and we want to make sure you have a good sense for what you want from a program, where you hope it will lead you and why Owen is well suited to help you attain your goals. In addition, you should understand what skills you possess that will be transferrable to another job or industry.
Video Essay. The video essay is a required component of the online application. Our goal in asking you for a short video essay is to be able to get a glimpse of the authentic you, speaking without a script. The video questions are easy to answer and you should not be nervous about this. You will have time to prepare and to record your answer. Just follow the instructions on the application.
Essay 1. While business school is a time for exploration, we do expect you to have a strong sense about why you want an MBA and what you hope to do once you graduate. Applying to business school is an introspective process, and we want to make sure you have a good sense for what you want from a program, where you hope it will lead you and why Owen is well suited to help you attain your goals. In addition, you should understand what skills you possess that will be transferrable to another job or industry.
Video Essay. The video essay is a required component of the online application. Our goal in asking you for a short video essay is to be able to get a glimpse of the authentic you, speaking without a script. The video questions are easy to answer and you should not be nervous about this. You will have time to prepare and to record your answer. Just follow the instructions on the application.
Essay. What is your short-term career goal after the MBA and why? Discuss your current skill set and what you will need to add to these skills during the MBA. (350 words)
Optional Essay 1. You are strongly encouraged to provide an additional statement to clarify and explain any of the following: gaps of more than three months in full-time employment, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, limited full-time work experience (ignore if you are a recent undergraduate), poor academic performance, weak test scores, academic misconduct, violations of the law, or anything else you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. Applicants reactivating a previous application submitted within the last two years should provide their additional statement here. (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay 2. You may provide in the space below any additional information you would like for us to consider that would strengthen your application.(350 words)
Essay 1. Tell us what you want to do immediately after the MBA. What skills and attributes will help you be successful? (350 words)
Essay 2. In the world of social media, being concise is an attribute. Please select two of the following five prompts below and compose two responses in the form of a mock Tweet. Please limit responses to 140 characters.
- Share one thing the Admissions Committee should know about you.
- Describe yourself to your MBA classmates in three adjectives.
- What song lyric best describes your life?
- Aside from basic food and shelter, what three things can you not live without?
- What is the best advice you have ever received?
Optional Essay. You are strongly encouraged to provide an additional statement to clarify and explain any of the following: gaps of more than three months in full-time employment, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, limited full-time work experience (ignore if you are a recent undergraduate), poor academic performance, weak test scores, academic misconduct, violations of the law, or anything else you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. Applicants reactivating a previous application submitted within the last two years should provide their additional statement here. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1. Explain your short-term and long-term career plans as specifically as possible. When combined with your studies at Owen, how will your background, previous experiences, interests and personal attributes enable you to pursue these goals successfully? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2. Vanderbilt looks for individuals who will make an impact. Discuss a time when you made an impact in your professional or personal life. How has this experience equipped you to contribute to the Vanderbilt community? (500 words maximum)
Essay 2. Vanderbilt looks for individuals who will make an impact. Discuss a time when you made an impact in your professional or personal life. How has this experience equipped you to contribute to the Vanderbilt community? (500 words maximum)
Optional Essay 1. You are strongly encouraged to provide an additional statement to clarify and explain any of the following: gaps of more than three months in full-time employment, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, limited full-time work experience (ignore if you are a recent undergraduate), poor academic performance, weak test scores, academic misconduct, violations of the law, or anything else you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. Applicants reactivating a previous application submitted within the last two years should provide their additional statement here. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Describe an impactful experience or accomplishment that is not reflected elsewhere in your application. How will you use what you learned through that experience to contribute to the Wharton community? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Wharton Penn and also the larger MBA community.
You can start by thinking of an important element of your profile that is not covered in either your essays, CV and LORs and speak about that.
If you are struggling with finding an example, think about taking a thematic approach or talking about reasons behind some of your life choices and then connect it with how you can bring value to the Wharton community.
Essay 1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Describe an impactful experience or accomplishment that is not reflected elsewhere in your application. How will you use what you learned through that experience to contribute to the Wharton community? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Wharton Penn and also the larger MBA community.
You can start by thinking of an important element of your profile that is not covered in either your essays, CV and LORs and speak about that.
If you are struggling with finding an example, think about taking a thematic approach or talking about reasons behind some of your life choices and then connect it with how you can bring value to the Wharton community.
Essay 1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Describe an impactful experience or accomplishment that is not reflected elsewhere in your application. How will you use what you learned through that experience to contribute to the Wharton community? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Wharton Penn and also the larger MBA community.
You can start by thinking of an important element of your profile that is not covered in either your essays, CV and LORs and speak about that.
If you are struggling with finding an example, think about taking a thematic approach or talking about reasons behind some of your life choices and then connect it with how you can bring value to the Wharton community.
Essay 1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Teamwork is at the core of the Wharton MBA experience with each student contributing unique elements to our collaborative culture. How will you contribute to the Wharton community? (400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Every B-school values a candidate who is eager to engage with the b-school community and can bring unique aspects to enhance the experiences of other students.
There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Wharton Penn and also the larger MBA community.
Essay 1. What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Teamwork is at the core of the Wharton MBA experience with each student contributing unique elements to our collaborative culture. How will you contribute to the Wharton community? (400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. Every B-school values a candidate who is eager to engage with the b-school community and can bring unique aspects to enhance the experiences of other students.
There are several ways in which you can contribute to an MBA program. You bring with your experiences, industry and functional knowledge, your unique perspectives as well as your passions and interests. Find a way in which you could leverage all this to enhance the experience of your peers at Wharton Penn and also the larger MBA community.
Essay 1. What do you aspire to achieve, personally and professionally, through the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Wharton used to have a standard career objective essay until a few two years back. However, off late they have broadened the scope to include personal aspirations as well, so make sure you address that part of the question clearly. While you can keep your professional objectives similar across essays for multiple business schools, please tailor your expected personal gains to Wharton MBA program.
As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer-term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Although the essay doesn't specifically ask about your past experiences, it would be very helpful to give adcom a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills, and interests.
Once you have articulated your future, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts, etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in reaching your goals. Explore online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions, etc.) - to learn as much as possible about the school. Think about how the Wharton difference: the Culture of Engagement, Innovative Leadership Learning, Global Opportunities you will get at and after Wharton and the Largest Global Network that Wharton boasts of can help you. Make all the arguments specific to your goals and aspirations. The objective is to demonstrate explicitly that your application is a reflection of your committed and specific interest in Wharton.
Essay 2. Wharton Essay 2. (Optional) Please use the space below to highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy. (400 words)
Essay 2 Tips. So what all you could write here? Anything that emphasizes your strengths and positions you as a good fit with Wharton.
The adcom already knows about your academics, career paths and goals, your interests and other active pursuits. One way to utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life events. This approach will help the adcom understand the person behind the achievements they see in your application and get a more accurate glimpse of you
Alternatively you could showcase a few of your key strengths that make you proud of yourself. Describe, with examples, your values, your passions, the things you care about in life. Since your first essay might be more heavily focused on work, you could use this space to talk about your outside-of-work interests and passions. You can take several different approaches and think about revealing many facets of your personality. It will also help to think strategically think about those aspects of your profile that will make you an attractive candidate for Wharton. This is your added opportunity to market yourself! You want to show that you have got all that it takes to excel at Wharton. Let your passion and enthusiasm show!
Essay 1. What do you aspire to achieve, personally and professionally, through the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Wharton used to have a standard career objective essay until two years back. However, since last year they have broadened the scope to include personal aspirations too- so make sure you address that part of the question clearly. While you can keep your professional aspirations similar across the essays for different schools, please tailor your expected personal gains to Wharton.
As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. When describing your short-term goal, clearly mention the industry and function you want to join after MBA. Wharton doesn't specifically ask about your past but it would be very helpful to give them a context of your background and demonstrate how your aspirations are a logical extension of your experiences, skills and interests.
Next, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in pursuing your goals. Before writing this essay, use online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions etc) - to learn as much as possible about Wharton - the school, student activities, class profile, faculty, courses etc. The objective is to explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in Wharton.
Given Wharton's insistence on global/community involvement not just in earlier application statements such as "Wharton is committed to sustaining a truly global presence through its engagement in the world" but also through the assertion in its Knowledge for Action branding platform that "the aim and end of all our learning .. is to create knowledge with consequence for the world." perhaps presenting your goals in a context larger than that of your individual career will be much appreciated. Express succinctly and passionately, what you aspire to achieve in your life, and what it could mean to the world at large.
Essay 2. Wharton Essay 2. (Optional) Please use the space below to highlight any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your candidacy.
Essay 2 Tips. A white space in addition to the optional essay! If you are thinking about skipping this one because it says 'optional', think again.
Essays are your best way to differentiate yourself and they are most likely the only part of your application that is fully under your control. Your academic achievements and work experiences have happened in past, your recos are also out of your control for the most part, so that leaves your essays under your control and you should leverage them to present a differentiated application.
So what all you could write here? Anything that emphasizes your strengths and positions you as a good fit with Wharton.
The adcom already knows about your academics, career paths and goals, your interests and other active pursuits. One way to utilize this opportunity is to talk about the reasons behind your choices. You could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life-events. This will help the adcom understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you
Alternatively you could showcase a few of your key strengths that you are proud of. Display with examples what you value, what your passions are, what you care about. Since your first essay is mostly all work focused, in this one you could talk about your outside-of-work interests and passions. You can take several different approaches and think about revealing many parts of you, but it will help to think strategically about those that will make you an attractive candidate for Wharton.
This business school places a strong emphasis on getting to know them before applying so if you had positive and impactful interactions with Wharton community that you couldn't capture anywhere else, you could do it here.
This is your opportunity to market yourself. You want to show that you have got all that it takes to excel at Wharton. Let your passion and enthusiasm show!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Wharton optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don't write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the Wharton optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Wharton optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Please use this space to explain how you have reflected on the previous decision on your application and to discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. If you are a reapplicant, this short, seemingly low profile essay will be one of the most vital essays in your Wharton application.
If you were rejected (or waitlisted) last time, use these 250 words to tell the Wharton Admission Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for a Penn Wharton admission this year. State persuasively why you deserve a second chance.
What steps have you taken to strengthen your application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in this reapplicant essay. Proactive Wharton-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Wharton, might prove a trump card. As the Wharton site says, "The most important thing is that you demonstrate through essays, subsequent career growth, and/or academic preparation that you are a stronger candidate who will add to the Wharton community."
Go for it!
After drastically reducing the goals essay length in 2010-2011, depleting the choice essays section in 2011-2012, and reducing the essay length further in 2012-2013, this year Wharton cuts down its application to just two cookie-cutter essays, both new. While the first asks what Wharton can do for you, the second focuses on what you can do for Wharton. Though the essay prompts may be unimaginative, your essays need to delve into the differentiation that you offer and Wharton represents. Do your best!
Essay 1. What do you aspire to achieve, personally and professionally, through the Wharton MBA? (500 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This goals essays is very similar to last year's prompt: "How will the Wharton MBA help you achieve your professional objectives?" with the new personal personal element somewhat widening the scope of the essay this year. Wharton challenges you to define your professional/personal goals and explain how it connects to Wharton.
As a first step reflect deeply (if you have not already) on your post-Wharton and longer term aspirations. Be realistic as well as visionary while detailing your aspirations, specifically your professional goals. How well you comprehend the industry/role you are preparing for should be reflected in your answer. Though not asked specifically, at least an oblique link, back to your career so far would help establish Wharton as the logical, credible bridge that integrates your career path.
Given Wharton's insistence on global/community involvement not just in earlier application statements such as "Wharton is committed to sustaining a truly global presence through its engagement in the world" but also through the assertion in its Knowledge for Action branding platform that "the aim and end of all our learning .. is to create knowledge with consequence for the world." perhaps presenting your goals in a context larger than that of your individual career will be much appreciated. Strategic thinking, passion, vision, an inclusive worldview and intelligence: display these in the essay and you'll have my vote. Express succinctly and passionately, what you aspire to achieve in your life, and what it could mean to the world at large.
Next, establish a perfect fit between your goals and Wharton. Think about why you are taking all this trouble applying to Wharton in the first place. Detail what skills, knowledge, relations, thoughts etc. you expect to gain from Wharton that will aid you in pursuing your goals. Before writing this essay, use online and offline modes (websites, current Wharton students, alumni, fairs/receptions etc) - to learn as much as possible about Wharton - the school, student activities, class profile, faculty, courses etc. The objective is to explicitly demonstrate that your application is a reflection of your serious and specific interest in Wharton.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Academic engagement is an important element of the Wharton MBA experience. How do you see yourself contributing to our learning community? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips . The sharp focus on academic engagement separates this essay from others of a similar ilk such as last years Wharton essay "Select a Wharton MBA course, co-curricular opportunity or extra-curricular engagement that you are interested in. Tell us why you chose this activity and how it connects to your interests."
A clear and committed response about how you will contribute to Wharton academic community is required here.
Start by researching the various courses, lectures, programs, academic clubs, events, campus academic activities and the Wharton MBA curriculum structure. A knowledge of Wharton's teaching methodology and its Learning Teams (and cohorts AND clusters) will be essential to understand how best you can contribute to the Wharton learning community. Deep research that uncovers aspects that are unique to Wharton will be critical to the success of this essay.
Also, identify the appropriate academic activities that dovetail with your tastes and aptitude.
Next, explain how you will engage in Wharton's academic activities and contribute to it. Instead of simply showing your interest and promising participation at Wharton, you will need to convincingly demonstrate why you will add tremendous value to your class and teammates. Linking your future involvement at Wharton with your past actions/successes in similar endeavours/environment will help market your candidature while also adding to the credibility of your essay. If possible, endeavour to take a leap towards leadership and innovation, and credibly suggest how you can add to specific aspects fo the Wharton academic experience.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Please use this space to explain how you have reflected on the previous decision on your application and to discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. If you are a reapplicant, this short, seemingly low profile essay will be one of the most vital essays in your Wharton application.
If you were rejected (or waitlisted) last time, use these 250 words to tell the Wharton Admission Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for a Penn Wharton admission this year. State persuasively why you deserve a second chance.
What steps have you taken to strengthen your application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in this reapplicant essay. Proactive Wharton-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Wharton, might prove a trump card. As the Wharton site says, "The most important thing is that you demonstrate through essays, subsequent career growth, and/or academic preparation that you are a stronger candidate who will add to the Wharton community."
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Wharton optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don't write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the Wharton optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Wharton optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable - in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
The further depletion of choices and essays in the choice essay section - after the drastic reduction in the goals essay length last year - further contracts the scope and length of your essays. However, Wharton does once again serve up a mixture of old and new questions with a fine blend of career and life oriented essays whose open-eyed focus on individuality makes them remarkable. Do your best!
Required Essay. What are your professional objectives? (300 words)
Required Essay Tips. This goals essays is very similar yet very dissimilar to last year's prompt: "What goals are you committed to and why?". Similar because once again Wharton challenges you to define your goals and explain your vision. Dissimilar since a 300 words essay requires stingy focus unlike the expansive background stories and examples that a 1000 would allow.
Given the tone of the questions that follow, and last year's statement that "Wharton is committed to sustaining a truly global presence through its engagement in the world”, it is once again apparent that presenting your vision in a context larger than that of your individual career will be much appreciated. Strategic thinking, passion, vision, an inclusive worldview and intelligence: display these in the essay and you'll have my vote. Express succinctly and passionately, what your career means to you, and what it could mean to the world at large.
In case, you are able to, there are two additional areas you can briefly focus on. If possible, in a few words, uncover a logical link between your past, present and future. Also, though the second part of last year's prompt "How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?" is absent, addressing it at least partially would be useful.
Go for it!
Respond to 2 of the following 3 questions:
Essay 1. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)
Essay 1 Tips. In this essay you have the opportunity to not only evaluate your action at a particular time in the past, but possibly also to explain how your outlook and personality might have changed since then.
"What was the thought process behind your decision?" is the first key element in this essay. Why and how did you decide as you did? What is your decision making process? How do you weigh different aspects of a situation/opportunity? What is your risk appetite? What competing opportunities or options did you choose instead? - after all if it is a clear "opportunity" why wouldn't you have taken it? The answers to these questions can be used to display the breadth, depth and maturity of your thought process; if the situation is professional it could additionally be used to demonstrate your business acumen.
The second part of the question "Would you make the same decision today?" is somewhat tricky. An emphatic "no" might mean that you made the wrong decision (and probably got it ALL wrong) while an emphatic "yes" could signal that you have not learnt much since then. A happy medium might to be answer with a conditional yes, and mention how your learning from that experience has made your decision making better and the choice clearer. These are very general guidelines; you will have to make your choice based on your beliefs and the particulars of the given situation.
The chosen example could be either a personal or professional opportunity, though a professional opportunity seems more fitting and might give greater freedom for explaining the decision making process.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Discuss a time when you faced a challenging interpersonal experience. How did you navigate the situation and what did you learn from it? (600 words)
Essay 2 Tips. For selecting the particular situation for the essay, look back to identify professional or personal circumstances when you found your interaction with an individual (or group of people) particularly challenging. Tip: Basing the essay on your interactions with a group rather than an individual will help you expand the scope and breadth of the story.
While this essay could focus on your people skills, leadership abilities, your communication skills or any other relevant quality which you want to highlight, the what, why & how of the challenge and its resolution will determine the strength of the essay. The essay can explore your outlook and maturity in challenging interactions, and implicitly demonstrate how these qualities will make you a great addition to the Wharton community.
This essay is very similar to last year's 2010-2011 prompt: "Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship". However the 2009-2010 question "Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself." offers the real motivation behind this question. How you understand and deal with diverse viewpoints and resolve conflicts of opinions/perspectives could be one key aspect of this essay. Apart from the qualities mentioned above adaptability and a broad open outlook might be qualities that you highlight. It will help if this essay also underlines your ability to adapt, change and better yourself.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so here, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other Wharton essays. A conclusion wherein you resolved issues and developed a fruitful relationship would be an ideal way to end the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 3. "Innovation is central to our culture at Wharton. It is a mentality that must encompass every aspect of the School - whether faculty research, teaching or alumni outreach." - Thomas S. Robertson, Dean, The Wharton School. Keeping this component of our culture in mind, discuss a time when you have been innovative in your personal or professional life. (600 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Like every other Wharton choice essay question this too seeks your approach to a particular set of qualities. While the first essay was about decision making and risk taking, and the second was about inclusiveness and communication, this one is about innovation and creativity.
Use this opportunity to specifically address your innovative side with an example that highlights your out-of-the-box thinking. While the story can be from you personal or professional life, a personal tone to the essay, especially in the part of the essay where you formulate the innovation, would be welcome.
Give the context, inception and motivation for your thoughts and action, and make apparent why your action/idea is innovative. Highlight the positive changes made possible by your innovation - the strength of this impact will reflect the power of the story.
This essay should communicate your passion for creativity, your approach towards innovation and how you translate thought into real life action. Illustrate all that within the story and we will be good to go.
Note: Just because Wharton has asked this question you do not have to suddenly transform into a mad, risk taker. Be honest and credible and intelligent in your response.
Once again, choose the story/example considering the options you have picked for the other choice essays. The essays and ideas should never contradict.
Go for it!
Reapplicant Essay. Please use this space to explain how you have reflected on the previous decision on your application and to discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. If you are a reapplicant, this short, seemingly low profile essays will be one of the most vital essays in your Wharton application.
If you were rejected (or waitlisted) last time, use these 250 words to tell the Wharton Admission Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
Your aim will be to present the professional, academic and personal improvements that make you a stronger candidate for a Penn Wharton admission this year. State persuasively why you deserve a second chance.
What steps have you taken to strengthen your application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in this reapplicant essay. Proactive Wharton-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Wharton, might prove a trump card. As the Wharton site says, "The most important thing is that you demonstrate through essays, subsequent career growth, and/or academic preparation that you are a stronger candidate who will add to the Wharton community."
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Here's that Wharton optional essay again: the essay that you need to work on even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Of course under the specific circumstances mentioned in the question, an explanation MUST be given. If not, attempt the Wharton optional essay only if you feel that your essay will improve the factual and material strength of your application.
Do not submit your Wharton optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essays and leave the optional essay alone.
Use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that just CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.
In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, then start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Required Essay. What are your professional objectives? (300 words)
Required Essay Tips. This goals essays is very similar yet very dissimilar to last year's prompt: "What goals are you committed to and why?".
Similar because once again Wharton challenges you to define your goals and explain your vision. Dissimilar since a 300 words essay requires stingy focus unlike the expansive background stories and examples that a 1000 would allow.
Given the tone of the questions that follow and last year's statement that "Wharton is committed to sustaining a truly global presence through its engagement in the world” it is once again apparent that presenting your vision in a context larger than of your individual career will be much appreciated. Strategic thinking, passion, vision, an inclusive worldview and intelligence: display these in the essay and you'll have my vote. Express succinctly and passionately, what your career means to you, and what it could mean top the world at large.
In case, you are able to, there are two additional areas you are briefly focus on. If possible, in a few words, uncover a logical link between your past, present and future. Also, though the second part of last year's prompt "How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?" is absent, addressing it at least partially would be useful.
Go for it!
Respond to 3 of the following 4 questions:
Essay 1. 1. Student and alumni engagement has at times led to the creation of innovative classes. For example, through extraordinary efforts, a small group of current students partnered with faculty to create a timely course entitled, “Disaster Response: Haiti and Beyond,” empowering students to leverage the talented Wharton community to improve the lives of the Haiti earthquake victims. Similarly, Wharton students and alumni helped to create the “Innovation and the Indian Healthcare Industry” which took students to India where they studied the full range of healthcare issues in India. If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic, what would it be? (700 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This essay simply asks you to suggest a topic for crating a new Wharton course. Since the objective of ANY b-school application essay is to sell your candidature by highlighting the skills, experiences and qualities that make you an attractive candidate, arrive at the choice of topic based on how best to fulfill that objective. In this Wharton essay, some of the key qualities of yours that can be highlighted include your awareness and understanding of world affairs, your ability to understand and link learning and actions with real world events, your aptitude for researching and understanding issues, and your willingness to innovate. Endeavor to select a topic/issue for which you have demonstrable passion and towards which you have already made definite contributions. Since the goals essay this time is only 300 words, arriving at a topic that also ties in with your career aspirations will be near perfect.
The reasons for your choice of topic, why you feel the course would be an apt/effective choice at Wharton, how/why you can contribute to the course's success and perhaps most importantly, why the specific topic deserves attention at this time, would to a large extent determine the value of this essay. The examples given within the prompt underscore the importance Wharton gives to an international perspective and contemporary socio-economic/human issues.
Use examples of past achievements - specifically leadership, innovation or team related accomplishments - wherein you were able to bring in change through your thought and actions to strengthen your right to write about the specific topic. Additionally, linking the course with programs, clubs or activities at Wharton that attract you will demonstrate your knowledge of and liking for Wharton.
Go for it!
Essay 2. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)
Essay 2 Tips. In this essay you have the opportunity to not only evaluate your action at a particular time in the past, but possibly also to explain how your outlook and personality might have changed since then.
"What was the thought process behind your decision?" is the first key element in this essay. Why and how did you decide as you did? What is your decision making process? How do you weigh different aspects of a situation/opportunity? What is your risk appetite? What competing opportunities or options did you choose instead? - after all if it is a clear "opportunity" why wouldn't you have taken it? The answers of these questions can be used to display the breadth, depth and maturity of your thought process; if the situation is professional it could additionally be used to demonstrate your business acumen.
The second part of the question "Would you make the same decision today?" is somewhat tricky. An emphatic "no" might mean that you made the wrong decision (and probably got it ALL wrong) while an emphatic "yes" could signal that you have not learnt much since then. A happy medium might to be answer with a conditional yes, and mention how what you have since learnt might have made the decision making better and the choice clearer. These are very general guidelines; you will have to make your choice based on your beliefs and the particulars of the given situation.
The chosen example could be either a personal or professional opportunity, through a professional opportunity seems more fitting and might give greater freedom for explaining the decision making process.
Go for it!
Essay 3. Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? How did this experience help to create your definition of failure? (600 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is an exact replication of last year's prompt, with the last question added on, and similar to the 2008-2009 question "Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself?".
That this question repeats itself in one form or another year after year in the Penn application shows how Wharton wants to see how you handle failure and the attendant learning opportunities therein.
As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process from the second part of the question "What did you learn about yourself". Choose an example with inspirational learning - a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Wharton, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. If the essay convincingly portrays a person who can face difficulties, overcome challenges, learn from mistakes, handle pressure, understand complex situations and continuously learn, you might have written the perfect essay. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
It is imperative that the essay underlines your ability to adapt, change and better yourself. After all that is what is expected from you during the Wharton MBA program and in your post-MBA career.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real". A fluffy failure not only makes for a weak essay but will also probably puts you on the hot seat during the Wharton interview.
Go for it!
Essay 4. Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship. (600 words)
Essay 4 Tips. For selecting the particular situation for the essay, look back to identify professional or personal circumstances when you found your interaction with an individual (though you could expand it to a team/group if you do it well) particularly challenging. While this essay could focus on your people skills, leadership abilities, your communication skills or any other relevant quality which you want to highlight, the what, why & how of the challenge and its resolution will determine the strength of the essay.
The essay can explore your outlook and maturity in challenging interactions, and implicitly demonstrate how these qualities will make you a great addition to the Wharton community.
Last year's question "Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself." offers further hints as to what is expected from this essay. How you understood diverse viewpoints and resolved conflict of opinions/perspectives could be one key aspect of this essay. Apart from the qualities mentioned above adaptability and a broad open outlook might be qualities that you highlight.
Like in all essay packages, but even more so here, make the final choice of the example keeping in mind the content, theme and examples you have picked for the other Wharton essays. A conclusion wherein you resolved issues and developed a fruitful relationship would be an ideal way to end the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world”. What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals? (750-1000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. Though it has a slightly different prompt this year this first Penn Wharton essay remains a standard "goals essay" wherein you have to combine your career goals and "why Wharton MBA?" into a wholesome write-up. Some lucid thinking and creativity will go a long way in transforming this from a well-disguised sleeping pill to the high point of your Wharton application. So make this opening essay a tour-de-force that sets the tone for your Wharton application.
With “a truly global presence through its engagement in the world” Wharton challenges you to define your goal and explain your vision in a larger context than of an individual's career. Strategic thinking, passion, vision and intelligence: show these in the essay and you'll have my vote.
Though not specifically asked a brief, well defined career progression can be used to logically lead to the Wharton and Post-Wharton phases of your career and life. Be credible in mentioning your career goals; uncovering and expressing a logical link between the past, present and future is a critical element in this essay. While the essay asks about your career plans do not be afraid to bring in non-career aspects that have influenced your choices.
"Why Wharton" is to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Penn Wharton website. Personalize your answer as much as possible and provide logical and well-supported reasons for how Wharton will make your career dreams come true.
Essay 2. Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself. (750-1000 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This spanking new Wharton essay question lays the ground for you to expound on incidents, situations or actions that have enabled you to assimilate cultural variations at work, play or living environments. The essay can explore your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions.
While your international exposure could form the core of this Wharton MBA application essay, with a "culture shock" experience forming the core of the story, "people different from yourself" being a pretty broad term, you can easily choose almost any experience where a set of people shared a viewpoint different from your own. A conflict of opinion and perspective will make this a far easier essay to write.
Leadership, cultural diversity, people skills, adaptability and a broad open outlook are expected to make best use of the MBA program at Wharton, and an essay that illustrates some or all (and more) of these qualities will stand you in good stead.
It is imperative that the essay underlines your ability to adapt, change and better yourself. After all that is what is expected from you during the Wharton MBA program and in your post-MBA career.
Essay 3. Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This is an almost exact replication of last year's question: "Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself?"
That this question repeats itself in one form or another year after year in the Penn application shows how Wharton wants to see how you handle failure and the attendant learning opportunities therein.
As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process from the second part of the question and then proceed to a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Wharton, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better professional, better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects remain the core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real". A fluffy failure not only makes for a weak essay but will also probably puts you on the hot seat during the Wharton interview.
Essay 4. Choose one of the following questions (500 words):
Essay 4a. a. Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.
Essay 4a Tips. A great opportunity to address your skills in problem solving. The story could focus on your innovation and creativity with an apt example that highlights your out-of-the-box thinking. Alternately you can choose a leadership situation where your diplomacy, intelligence and people skills saved the day.
A leadership focused essay that also exhibits innovation and initiative would be the ideal response as long as you do not tread the same path you have taken in the previous two essays.
Ensure that you choose a truly complicated problem since the more complex your problem the more impressive will be your ability to solve it. A trivial problem not only makes for a weak essay but will also probably put you on the hot seat during the Wharton interview.
Irrespective of whether you choose from personal, academic, community or professional experiences, try to give a sense of urgency and a personal tone to the essay.
Essay 4b. b. Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.
Essay 4b Tips. Once again the person most qualified to give you clues to this essay is the one you see in the mirror. Ask yourself what you consider to be your main areas of improvement in the recent past. Look at personal and professional situations in your life/career and identify which characteristics or qualities you have added on or improved most in the recent past. On the other hand the improvement could be an educational/personal/professional initiative that has improved the way you live/think/are.
Whichever be the case choose a momentous change that changed you and detail how you approached and managed the change. To shortlist your main improvement areas you could refer a few past appraisal forms at work, talk to your colleagues/managers or pick the brains of friends/relatives who have known you for some time.
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application) (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Wharton's essay lengths are almost always a threat and a challenge; in this case they are also a guide. Wharton is one of the few B School which gives as much as 500 words for a multiple-choice question. And yet the Wharton optional essay is given only 250 words. Being a card carrying member of the Anti-Optional Essay League I can only warn that unless it is absolutely necessary give this one a miss.
Since Wharton's clear focus is in providing you a chance to present an added perspective to any glaring weaknesses in your application, you might try a defense if you feel that is the case. But once again evaluate if the essay is actually going to make the Admissions Committee feel better about your candidature. If you can give strong, credible, mature reasons to explain the weaknesses and counter it with logic and passion, perhaps you can give it a try.
Then think again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect a Wharton MBA to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is an important essay where Wharton has combined career progression, goals and "why Wharton MBA" into a wholesome write-up. The length (a full 1000 words) of the essay, stressing the importance Wharton gives it, is both a challenge and a threat. So make this opening essay a tour-de-force that sets the tone for your Wharton application.
The first part of the Wharton essay can be a well defined explanation of Pre-Wharton, Wharton and Post-Wharton phases of your career and life. Be credible in mentioning your Post-Wharton short-term and long-term goals. If possible be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. Uncovering and expressing a logical link between the three phases is a critical element in the essay. While the essay asks about your career plans do not be afraid to bring in non-career aspects that have influenced your choices. In addition to a rough sketch of your career, your main career achievements need to find a place in this first Wharton MBA essay. As long as you don't repeat yourself in the subsequent essays, you can use this opportunity to reveal aspects of your personality that emerge attractively from your career progression stories.
The second part of the Wharton essay question is explicitly Wharton centric. Many Business Schools ask "why MBA" or "why MBA now": Wharton unmistakably asks you "why Wharton" and "why Wharton now". So give the question the respect it deserves and provide logical and well-supported reasons for both questions.
Essay 2. Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This is an almost exact replication of last year's question: Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. What role did you play and what did you learn about yourself?
As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process from the second part of the question and then proceed to a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Wharton, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects is our core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real". A fluffy failure not only makes for a weak essay but will also probably put you on the hot seat during the Wharton interview.
Essay 3. Where in your background would we find evidence of your leadership capacity and/or potential? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. Have you read a short story or an article in which YOU were the hero? These Wharton essays should read exactly like that.
Each person has knowledge and qualities that grant him or her the potential to lead in extraordinary ways. This essay is the perfect medium for putting down your leadership experiences (or potential) on paper.
This is a straightforward essay that calls for an revelation of your leadership qualities. Assemble your most significant leadership experiences till date and select one or more instances to portray your leadership capacity in the best light. While you can go back in time in case you want to show leadership progression, do not be stuck in a time capsule. Try to focus a substantial portion of the essay on recent experiences.
If the essay also uncovers your attitude and approach to leadership, the Wharton adcom will not complain.
Essay 4. Please respond to one of the following questions
a. Describe an experience you have had innovating or initiating, your lessons learned, the results and impact of your efforts. (500 words)
b. Is there anything about your background or experience that you feel you have not had the opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee in your application? If yes, please explain. (500 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Good questions!
A great opportunity to address your innovative and creative side with an apt example that highlight your out-of-the-box thinking. Alternately you can choose an episode where you championed an initiative.
A leadership focused essay with innovation and initiative would be the ideal response as long as you do not tread the same path you have taken in essay 3. Describe the lessons you learnt during the course of this accomplishment. Recount the key consequences of your action - on your team, your organization, the community at large or on a process/product. Irrespective of whether you choose from personal, academic, community or professional experiences, try to give a sense of urgency and a personal tone to the essay.
For the second option, two essay questions from previous years are excellent indications of what you can focus on: "Describe a personal characteristic or quality that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better." and "What do you do best and why?" This Wharton choice gives you complete freedom to choose almost any quality or skill of yours and expound on it with incidents and anecdotes. Choose areas where you have good stories to back you up.
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application) (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Wharton's essay lengths are almost always a threat and a challenge; in this case they are also a guide. Wharton is one of the few B School which gives as much as 500 words for a multiple-choice question. And yet the Wharton optional essay is given only 250 words. Being a card carrying member of the Anti-Optional Essay League I can only warn that unless it is absolutely necessary give this one a miss.
Then think again if the optional essay is a strong constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the essay.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect a Wharton MBA to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. This is an important essay where Wharton has combined career progression, goals and "why Wharton MBA" into a wholesome write-up. The length (a full 1000 words) of the essay, stressing the importance Wharton gives it, is both a challenge and a threat. So make this opening essay a tour-de-force that sets the tone for your Wharton application.
Essay 2. Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. This is an almost exact replication of last year's question: Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. What role did you play and what did you learn about yourself?
As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process from the second part of the question and then proceed to a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you. Wharton, with it's admirable focus on the individual, wants to know your personal reaction to the event and the lessons you learnt from it. Never forget that the failure essay is in reality meant to be a success story where you learnt, improved and readied yourself to be a better leader and (perhaps!) a better person.
Essay 3. Tell us about a situation in which you were an outsider. What did you learn from the experience? (500 words)
Essay 3 Tips. This spanking new Wharton essay question lays the ground for you to expound on incidents, situations or actions that have enabled you to assimilate cultural variations at work, play or living environments. The essay can explore your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions. While your international exposure could form the core of this Wharton MBA application essay, with a "culture shock" experience forming the core of the story, "outsider" is a very broad term, and you can take the meaning for the word that is able to best illustrate qualities that you want Wharton to know about.
Leadership, cultural diversity, people skills, adaptability and a broad open outlook are expected to make best use of the MBA program at Wharton, and an essay that illustrates some or all (and more) of these qualities will stand you in good stead.
Essay 4. Complete one of the following two questions:
Where in your background would we find evidence of your leadership capacity and/or potential? (500 words)
Is there anything about your background or experience that you feel you have not had the opportunity to share with the Admissions Committee in your application? If yes, please explain. (500 words)
Essay 4 Tips. Have you read a short story or an article in which YOU were the hero? When these Wharton essays are read that is what you should be.
Each person has knowledge and qualities that grant him or her the potential to do extraordinary things. These essays are the place where you put those experiences (or potential) on paper.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, TOEFL waiver request, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application) (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips If you can give strong, credible, mature reasons to explain any weaknesses in your application and counter it with logic and passion, in a manner that makes the Admissions Committee feel better about your candidature, perhaps you can give it a try.
Essay 1. Describe your career progress to date and your future short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect an MBA from Wharton to help you achieve these goals, and why is now the best time for you to join our program? (1,000 words)
Essay 1 Tips. The first part of the Wharton essay can be a well defined explanation of Pre-Wharton, Wharton and Post-Wharton phases of your career and life. Be credible in mentioning your Post-Wharton short-term and long-term goals. If possible be specific, both about the industry and the role you are seeking. Uncovering and expressing a logical link between the three phases is a critical element in the essay.
The second part of the Wharton essay question is explicitly Wharton centric. Many B Schools ask "why MBA" or "why MBA now": Wharton unmistakably asks you "why Wharton" and "why Wharton now". So give the question the respect it deserves and provide logical and well-supported reasons for both questions.
Essay 2 Tips. Describe a failure or setback that you have experienced. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 words)
Essay 2 Tips. As in most failure essays the key to getting it right is to begin your thought process from the second part of the question and then proceed to a significant and credible incident that has left it's mark on you.
While the qualities that you reflected while fire-fighting the incident or it's aftereffects is our core reason for the essay, please take care to choose a failure that is "real". A fluffy failure not only makes for a weak essay but will also probably put you on the hot seat during the Wharton interview.
Essays 3 and 4. Complete 2 of the following 4 questions (500 words each):
Describe a personal characteristic or quality that will help the Admissions Committee to know you better.
Describe an impact you've had on a team, group or organization. How has this experience been valuable to you or others, and what did you learn?
What do you do best and why?
When have your values, ethics, or morals been challenged? How has this shaped who you are today?
Essays 3 and 4 Tips. Each person has knowledge and qualities that grant him (or her) the potential to do extraordinary things. These essays are the place where you put those experiences (or potential) on paper.
The first and third Wharton choices give you complete freedom to choose almost any quality or skill of yours and expound on it with incidents and anecdotes. The Wharton second choice should preferably exhibit your leadership qualities. The fourth Wharton choice is a tough call; choose it only if you feel strongly on the subject and have a good story to back it up. In both the Wharton application essay choices, choose facets of yourself that are not exposed in the earlier essays. Do not hesitate to take examples or situations from non-professional or non-career fronts. At least one of the essays can be used as a statement of your personality and your life away from work.
Go for it!
Optional Essay. If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)
Optional Essay Tips. Since Wharton's clear focus is in providing you a chance to present an added perspective to any glaring weaknesses in your application, you might try a defense if you feel that is the case. If you can give strong, credible, mature reasons to explain the weaknesses and counter it with logic and passion, perhaps you can give it a try.
Go for it!
Essay 1. Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. One of the most unique essay questions in the history of B-school applications.
Commitment to an idea, cause, dream forms the basis of our passions and achievements. Yale wants to know yours and understand you based on the same.
You could write about a particular set of situation that you deeply committed to or an attitude, approach towards life that you have developed within yourself and has taken your life on that path.
Whatever you choose to talk about, if you can also show that MBA is a part of your biggest commitment, it would be great!
Essay 1. Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. One of the most unique essay questions in the history of B-school applications.
Commitment to an idea, cause, dream forms the basis of our passions and achievements. Yale wants to know yours and understand you based on the same.
You could write about a particular set of situation that you deeply committed to or an attitude, approach towards life that you have developed within yourself and has taken your life on that path.
Whatever you choose to talk about, if you can also show that MBA is a part of your biggest commitment, it would be great!
Essay 1. Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. One of the most unique essay questions in the history of B-school applications.
Commitment to an idea, cause, dream forms the basis of our passions and achievements. Yale wants to know yours and understand you based on the same.
You could write about a particular set of situation that you deeply committed to or an attitude, approach towards life that you have developed within yourself and has taken your life on that path.
Whatever you choose to talk about, if you can also show that MBA is a part of your biggest commitment, it would be great!
Essay 1. Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. One of the most unique essay questions in the history of B-school applications.
Commitment to an idea, cause, dream forms the basis of our passions and achievements. Yale wants to know yours and understand you based on the same.
You could write about a particular set of situation that you deeply committed to or an attitude, approach towards life that you have developed within yourself and has taken your life on that path.
Whatever you choose to talk about, if you can also show that MBA is a part of your biggest commitment, it would be great!
Optional Essay. If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation (unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, promotions or recognitions, etc.), please provide a brief description here.
Optional Essay Tips. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Do not use this essay to summarize to your entire application.
Do not submit your optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays or because you feel the quality of your earlier essay is improvable - in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essay and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Reapplicant Essay: YALE Instructions- "If you have applied within the last two years, you do not need to submit new supplemental materials (GMAT score report, transcripts, and recommendations) because we will already have them on file. You are required, however, to submit a new application form and new essays, and to pay the application fee. Although it is not required, you may want to submit new recommendations if they would provide insight into what you have done since your last application.
If you applied more than two years ago, you will need to submit an entirely new application and provide all required supplemental materials."
Yale Reapplicant Essay: Since your last application, please discuss any updates to your candidacy, including changes in your personal or professional life, additional coursework, or extracurricular/volunteer activities. (200 words maximum). (Reapplicant must also write the required essay)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. If you were rejected (or waitlisted) last time, use these 200 words to tell the Yale Admission Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
What steps have you taken to strengthen your application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in this reapplicant essay. Proactive Yale-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Yale, might prove a trump card.
Read Yale's instructions for Reapplicants: If you have applied within the last two years, you do not need to submit new supplemental materials (GMAT score report, transcripts, and recommendations) because we will already have them on file. You are required, however, to submit a new application form and new essays, and to pay the application fee. Although it is not required, you may want to submit new recommendations if they would provide insight into what you have done since your last application. If you applied more than two years ago, you will need to submit an entirely new application and provide all required supplemental materials.
Essay 1. "The Yale School of Management educates individuals who will have deep and lasting impact on the organizations they lead. Describe how you have positively influenced an organization as an employee, a member, or an outside constituent. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Each person has knowledge, skills and qualities that grant him or her the potential to impact and improve the world in extraordinary ways. This essay prompt requests an instance when your actions definitively improved, and hopefully, even transformed an organization.
Apart from describing the story and celebrating your success, the objective of this essay is to uncover your attitude, skills, qualities and approach that made this magic possible. This essay also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate how well your values, attitudes and inclinations fit with Yale's philosophy.
The more obvious theme here is leadership; however innovation, vision, teamwork, communication or any other set of skills could be your thematic choices. Also note that Yale is referring to 'deep and lasting' impact, so you should specify the ways in which your actions brought changes that lasted/ will last much beyond an instance; and possibly even your stay at that organization.
Describe in detail the context, your motivation, challenges you faced, and actions and steps you took to convert your thoughts into an impact. While you could have achieved the objective individually, an example in which you had a leadership role (even without explicit authority) will almost always have greater value. In addition, your initiative and vision in grabbing this particular opportunity might add further dimensions to the story.
Be clear about the improvement that resulted from your actions. If and when possible, show quantifiable results. You could also talk about the qualitative impact you had on the community around you and the accolades and appreciation you received from your superiors and colleagues.
Career Goal Questions:
- What are your intended post-MBA short-term career interests?
- What are your intended post-MBA long-term career interests?
- Please describe how you arrived at these career interests. (150 words maximum)
- If you have a graduate degree, how, if at all, does pursuing an MBA relate to your previous graduate studies? (100 words maximum)
Goal Question Tips. You are required to select from a drop-down menu your short-term and long-term career interests. Yale only gives you a few limited options, so that requires that your goals are clear and focused.
To address 'how you arrived at these career interests' question, you will need to explain briefly your thought process on how given your past experiences, passions, and interest areas - your career goals make sense for you. The answer must be logical, succinct and impactful. It's a challenge to write a response in mere 150 words, but it's clear that Yale expects you to be very focused and to the point.
For those who have a graduate degree including a former MBA degree, you will need to talk additionally about how MBA fits in your career trajectory. As you build you career narrative, your past graduate, and post-graduate experiences become part of the same storyline.
If you are stuck at any point, talk to us and we can help you articulate the answers.
Essay 1. Yale SOM Essay "The Yale School of Management educates individuals who will have deep and lasting impact on the organizations they lead. Describe how you have positively influenced an organization as an employee, a member, or an outside constituent. (500 words maximum)
Essay 1 Tips. Each person has knowledge, skills and qualities that grant him or her the potential to impact and improve the world in extraordinary ways. This essay prompt requests an instance when your actions definitively improved, hopefully transformed, an organization.
As usual, apart from describing the story and celebrating your success, the objective of the essay is to uncover your attitude, skills, qualities and approach that made this magic possible; and how well your values, attitudes and inclinations fit with Yale's philosophy.
Sure, the obvious theme is once again leadership; however innovation, vision, team work, communication or any other set of skills could be your thematic choices. Also note that Yale is referring to deep and lasting impact, so show them ways in which your actions brought changes that lasted/ will last much beyond an instance and possibly even your stay at that organization.
Describe in detail the motivation, challenges, process, actions and steps that you took to convert your thought into impact. While you could have achieved the objective individually, an example in which you had a leadership role will almost always have greater value. In addition, your initiative and vision in grabbing this particular opportunity might add further dimensions to the story.
Be clear about the improvement. If and when possible, show quantifiable results. Or talk about the qualitative impact you had on the community around you.
Goal Question. What has motivated your decision to pursue an MBA at this point in time? (250 words maximum)
Goal Question Tips. First of all show how given your past experiences and future goals, Yale MBA is the logical next step for you. You will be selecting intended post- MBA short-term and long-term industries in the online application, so in this space build on those choices by giving brief explanations on why such goals make sense for you.
Your reasons for ‘why now’ could be personal, professional or financial. Maybe it is your readiness to relocate to New Haven now, or perhaps you have learnt a lot from your current job and now ready to take the next step, or that you have saved enough to fund your expensive Yale education without taking student loans. Or possibly you have done lots of research on business schools and have found that Yale SOM is your top choice and now you feel ready to take the leap. What you consider a right time for a significant career move speaks about your judgment and preparedness, so think through this part carefully.
Optional Essay. If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide the additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. You should use this section only if the information is not adequately captured elsewhere in your application. Reapplicants should use this space to indicate how your candidacy has changed since you last applied. (200 words maximum)
Optional Essay Tips. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all.
Do not use this essay to summarize to your entire application.
Do not submit your optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays or because you feel the quality of your earlier essay is improvable - in which case you should actually redouble your efforts in the earlier essay and leave the optional essay alone.
You could use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) or application issues (reapplications) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. One other situation when an optional essay is acceptable is when you need to describe at length an extraordinarily positive information that you could not accommodate anywhere else in the application.
Reapplicant Essay. Yale Reapplicant Essay: Since your last application, please discuss any updates to your candidacy, including changes in your personal or professional life, additional coursework, or extracurricular/volunteer activities. (200 words maximum). (Reapplicant must also write the required essay)
Reapplicant Essay Tips. If you were rejected (or waitlisted) last time, use these 200 words to tell the Yale Admission Committee that there have been enough changes in your profile to justify a revaluation of your candidature.
What steps have you taken to strengthen your application? Stronger work experience, professional achievements, better GMAT, personal achievements, accomplishments on the social front, international exposure or academic accomplishments can all find place in this reapplicant essay. Proactive Yale-specific steps taken by you, perhaps based on direct or indirect feedback from Yale, might prove a trump card.
Read Yale's instructions for Reapplicants: If you have applied within the last two years, you do not need to submit new supplemental materials (GMAT score report, transcripts, and recommendations) because we will already have them on file. You are required, however, to submit a new application form and new essays, and to pay the application fee. Although it is not required, you may want to submit new recommendations if they would provide insight into what you have done since your last application. If you applied more than two years ago, you will need to submit an entirely new application and provide all required supplemental materials.
