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Everything You Need to Know About Business School Essays

Padya Paramita

February 8, 2021

You’ve worked hard to achieve a good GMAT score and beef up your resumé as you prepare to apply to your top-choice MBA programs. While you’ve got those components out of the way, you might still need to work on the element which could make all the difference between an acceptance and a rejection from the admissions committee: your business school essays .

Business school essays are program-specific and are geared towards helping admissions committees understand who you are and how their institution can help you reach your goals. In order to answer these prompts, you need to frame the biggest factors behind your choice of a school in terms of how they align with your personality and aspirations.

You must take advantage of this essay component to give admissions committee members a concrete and memorable idea of who you are. To guide you through what to expect, we’ve outlined the 2020-2021 prompts for the top 20 MBA programs, how to answer common questions, explained the importance of the essays in the admissions decision, as well as shared some final tips to aid you through the process.

Prompts for Top Schools

Here’s the thing: not all business schools ask for the same essay. In fact, for most schools, you have to answer multiple short prompts that add up to convey a bigger picture of who you are. While the prompts and word limits differ, they all ask questions which help provide context for other parts of your application, as well as demonstrate how you would fit into the school. Without further ado, let’s look at the prompts for business school essays assigned by the top 20 MBA programs for the upcoming cycle:

Rank	School Name	MBA Essay Prompt
1	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words) Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)
1	Stanford Graduate School of Business	What matters most to you, and why? For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives? (650 words) Why Stanford? Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use your essay to address your interest in both programs. (400 words)
3	Northwestern University (Kellogg)	Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? (450 words) Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)
3	University of Chicago (Booth)	How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum) An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are. (250-word minimum)
5	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)	MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity and respect passion. Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Assistant Deans of Admissions, Rod Garcia and Dawna Levenson (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).
6	Harvard Business School	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? There is no word limit for this question. We think you know what guidance we're going to give here. 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.
7	University of California—Berkeley (Haas)	What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum) The definition of successful leadership has evolved over the last decade and will continue to change. What do you need to develop to become a successful leader? (300 words max)
8	Columbia Business School	Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum) Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next 3-5 years and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words) Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 words) Tell us about your favorite book, movie or song and why it resonates with you. (250 words)
9	Yale School of Management	Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (500 words)
10	New York University (Stern)	Professional Aspirations: (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font) What are your short and long-term career goals? How will the MBA help you achieve them? 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.
11	University of Virginia (Darden)	Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact. (200 words) Diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission, and they work best when they are an integral and celebrated part of our community. Read University of Virginia’s Commitment to Diversity Statement. Share a time in which you engaged with a perspective, identity, community or experience that was different from your own and how it impacted your worldview. (200 words) The Batten Foundation Worldwide Scholarship provides all Darden students in our full-time MBA program with an opportunity to participate in a Darden Worldwide Course. If you could choose any location in the world, where would you want to travel, and why? (50 words) Tell us what you would want your learning team to know about you — personally, professionally, or both? (100 words) What is your short-term, post-MBA goal and why? (150 words)
12	Dartmouth College (Tuck)	Tuck students can articulate how the distinctive Tuck MBA will advance their aspirations. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why Tuck? (300 words) Tuck students recognize how their individuality adds to the fabric of Tuck. Tell us who you are. (300 words) Tuck students invest generously in one another’s success even when it is not convenient or easy. Share an example of how you helped someone else succeed. (300 words)
12	Duke University (Fuqua)	Answer the following question in 500 characters only (the equivalent of about 100 words). What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first choice career plan and your alternate plan. The 'Team Fuqua' spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU - beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer. 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 to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua? Your response will be limited to 1 page (300 words maximum)
12	University of Michigan (Ross)	Short Answers (choose one from each group; 100 words each): Group 1: I want people to know that I: I made a difference when I: I was aware that I was different when: Group 2: I was out of my comfort zone when: I was humbled when: I was challenged when: Career Goal Essay: Michigan Ross is a place where people from all backgrounds with different career goals can thrive. What is your short-term career goal and why? (200 words)
15	Cornell University (Johnson)	Goals Statement Prompt: A statement of your goals will begin a conversation that will last throughout the admissions process and guide your steps during the MBA program and experience. To the best of your understanding today, please share your short and long term goals by completing the following sentences and answering the enclosed short answer question (350 words maximum): Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry]. Targeted Job Role: Target Job Company: Industry: In 5–10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company] within [Industry]. Targeted Job Role: Target Job Company: Industry: How has your experience prepared and encouraged you to pursue these goals? Impact Essay Prompt: 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) Back of Your Resume Essay Prompt: 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 ONE example of a life experience, achievement, or passion that will give us a sense of who you are as a potential community member.
16	University of California—Los Angeles (Anderson)	How have events of the past year influenced the impact you would like to make in your community, career, or both? (250 words maximum)
17	University of Southern California (Marshall)	What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (100 words) Please draft a letter that begins with "Dear Admissions Committee" (word limit: 600) This letter is meant to be your personal statement that provides the Admissions Committee with an understanding of your candidacy for Marshall beyond what is evident in other parts of your application. This essay is purposely open-ended. You are free to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. Our goal is to have an appreciation for and an understanding of each candidate in ways that are not captured by test scores, grades, and resumés.
18	University of Texas—Austin (McCombs)	We will learn a lot about your professional background through your resume and letter of recommendation, but we want to get to know you further. Please introduce yourself. Select only one communication method for your response. Write an essay (250 words) Share a video introduction (one minute in length) 2. Picture yourself at the completion of your MBA journey. Describe how you spent your time as a TexasMcCombs MBA student to achieve your personal and professional goals.(500 words)
19	Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)	The Tepper community is dynamic and unique. Each community member’s individual journey has shaped them into classmates who are collaborative, supportive, and inclusive. 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.)
20	University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)	Your response should be no longer than 500 words and should address the following questions: What are your immediate career goals? How will you benefit personally and professionally from earning an MBA at UNC Kenan-Flagler? As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change that can guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore? 2020 brought many defining experiences, including: a global pandemic, changes to learning and working environments, and calls for social justice and racial equity. At UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, these experiences propel us to strengthen efforts to increase the diversity in our community, to create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment and to teach our students to manage diversity, equity and inclusion. What have you learned about diversity, equity and inclusion in 2020? Please share your experience and what you learned about yourself as a leader. Tell us how you changed or would like to change your leadership style? If you were not leading a team, tell us what you learned at your level about diversity, equity and inclusion. How do you expect to continue that growth in the MBA program?

As you can see from the table, essay prompts and lengths vary from school to school. One personal statement won’t cover all of the MBA programs on your list! Nor can you copy one essay and directly paste it for another prompt, as you have to be specific to each school and its specialties.

How to Tackle Common Prompts

Now that you’ve read the prompts for business school essays you’re likely to encounter, it’s time to analyze how to answer them. For any MBA response, it’s important to think about the following:

Who you are
What you’ve done so far
Where you hope to go
How an MBA from the school of your choice can help you reach your goals

To further break down specific ways to answer some common questions, let’s look at how to answer three typical MBA prompts you’ll almost certainly have to tackle.

The “Why Our School” Essay

Anyone can say they want an MBA from a top school. The “why our school” essay is your chance to convince admissions committees that you’ve done your research on their program and are convinced that this is the institution for you over any other. Each school frames it differently, and assigns their own limits such as:

Penn : What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (500 words)

Columbia : Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you? (250 words)

There’s no beating around the bush. You’ve made a choice to apply to the program, so make it clear why you’ve done so. Writing this essay will also prepare you to confidently back up your decision if you are invited to interview with the school. This is your chance to demonstrate that you know the program and aren’t writing generic statements that can apply to any MBA. Whether it’s Columbia’s J-Term or the Harvard Business School Case Method , know what opportunities you would have at the school whose essay you’re tackling that you can’t find anywhere else.

Most importantly, remember that this is your business school application. Just outright stating that these resources are great won’t do. You have to tie them to the experiences you’ve had, the kind of business you want to engage with in the future, and how these resources can help you get where you want in your career. How can the school of your choice help you hone your teamwork skills? Is there a particular leadership program at the school that can benefit your long-term plans? Show the admissions reader that you know the opportunities inside out, that you’re aware of exactly which fellowships or seminars are perfect for you, and in turn, outline how you can contribute to the class environment.

The Career Goals Essay

For a lot of schools, the career goals and “why our school” questions are fused in one prompt. A few of the top schools ask you to write about where you see yourself at various points in the future:

Michigan: Michigan Ross is a place where people from all backgrounds with different career goals can thrive. What is your short-term career goal and why? (200 words)

UVA : What is your short-term, post-MBA goal and why? (150 words)

While attending business school and receiving an MBA can open you up to new career possibilities, admissions committees want to know that you’re an ambitious, reflective, and driven individual. Since you’ve probably taken time to step into the workforce for a few years, you should use this prompt to connect these dots and your forward-looking vision. If your word limit is restricted, don’t focus too much on the past. Mention the most meaningful aspects of your work experience or the field you wish to join, describe your biggest aspirations, and how an MBA from that specific school can help you get there. If a school has asked the “why our school” and career goals questions separately like Columbia has, make sure you haven’t repeated any information; each essay should convey something new.

Similar to the “why our school” question, the career goals essay also provides great practice for your interviews because schools will undoubtedly want to hear more extensively about what you’ve done where you plan to go, and how the institution fits into it all. A carefully written response can help you set up a compelling answer for your interview. So, make sure you don’t exaggerate or write about anything you can’t elaborate on if faced with the question in person.

The “Tell Us Who You Are” Essay

The “tell us about yourself” or “introduce yourself” questions for business school essays can seem broad. Where do you even start? Schools frame this type of question very simply, or sometimes in unconventional ways:

UT Austin : Please introduce yourself (250 words)

NYU : Describe yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images.

However worded, it’s time for you to reflect on what makes you a unique, memorable candidate when compared to thousands of others from all over the world.

The key to writing such an essay is to stay organized. Don’t write down every single thing you’ve ever done in your response. Take a hint from the Cornell Johnson prompt: “Please help us get to know you better by sharing ONE example of a life experience, achievement, or passion that will give us a sense of who you are as a potential community member.” When you’ve got limited words and readers with very little time on their hands, you need to narrow it down to the most compelling aspect about yourself.

Think about leadership opportunities, honors and awards, and your family background. You could talk about your biggest passion and how it arose, you could talk about any experience which has shaped your perspective, or you could talk about your family background and how it has directed your career choices. No matter what you cover in your essay, you have to make sure it paints a memorable picture. Using anecdotes to drive your points home is an effective way of showing rather than telling. If you want to talk about work experience, make sure you’re not just writing about how you worked at a consulting firm where hundreds of your peers have also worked. It won’t help distinguish you to admissions officers. In fact, it might just do the opposite. You have to find a unique spin.

Make sure your response has a clear focus, so that the admissions committee members will be able to remember you easily once they’ve finished reading.

The Importance of Your Business School Essays: What Admissions Officers Look For

Your business school essays make up one of the most important components of your application, as they provide admissions committees the chance to understand your personality, figure out what matters to you, and gauge whether you would be a good fit for the school. No matter how strong your grades or test scores are, weak responses to essays can definitely prevent you from making it to the acceptance pile. Remember, your business school essay is not the place for you to explain why you have shortcomings in your application—schools typically have a separate addendum section for that. If your topic and writing are stellar enough, admissions committees might overlook slightly lower numbers. Of course, you need to work on your other elements as well, but the essay acts as a highly valuable opportunity to differentiate yourself.

When reading your essays, admissions committee members look to get a greater sense of who you are and how you’ve taken steps to pursue your interests. While your resumé outlines what you’ve done so far, the business school essays tie the most important pieces of it together to portray why your experiences matter. It’s crucial that you expand on a story that is your own—not your parents’ or your friends’—and one which helps admissions committees understand you beyond your grades and consulting experience.

Business schools have specific characteristics that they look for in students. For example, Harvard Business School wants leaders who can thrive in a fast-paced environment and actively collaborate with their community. So, an important part of school research is ensuring that you know what kind of characteristics the school wants you to bring, and letting those traits shine in the anecdotes and points you bring up in your essays.

Final Writing Tips

Authenticity and Uniqueness are Key - Trying to figure out what admissions officers want to hear, instead of actually reflecting on your career and goals, is the wrong way to approach MBA applications. Your business school essays should stand out as your chance to tell business schools your unique story. Think about whether or not your response will help you become a memorable candidate in admissions officers’ eyes. If you have a professional or personal experience that you know your peers won’t have, that’s what you should consider writing about in your essays.
Be as Specific as Possible - Saying you want to work in consulting or in investment banking once you’ve received your MBA is far from enough. It tells nothing unique about you. Why do you want to work where you do? What kind of consulting firms are you looking for and why? How do you hope to leverage your experiences and education to create something bigger? The more specific you are to your own goals and story, the more you can stand out to the reader.
Start Writing with Plenty of Time in Hand - If you’re applying to a handful of business schools, chances are you’ll have over 10 essays to write! In order to make sure all of your essays are as polished as possible; you need to give yourself plenty of time to work on each carefully. So, don’t wait until 3 weeks before the deadline to start. Plan ahead and put your best efforts into convincing admissions officers why you’re ideally suited for their MBA program.

Business school essays provide a great opportunity to emphasize your individuality and supply context on how your background, work experiences, and interests can contribute to the MBA program, as well as the world of business once you’ve graduated. Think carefully about topic choices, and let the admissions committee know that there’s more to you than just your grades and work experiences. Show that you will prove to be a wonderful asset to their institution.

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20 Must-Read MBA Essay Tips

Business school admissions committees care about more than (just) your GMAT scores and GPA —they want to know who you are and why you belong in their program . Your MBA essays are your best chance to sell the person behind the résumé. They should tie all the pieces of your business school application together and create a comprehensive picture of who you are, what you've done, and what you bring to the table. Here's a roundup of our best MBA essay tips to keep in mind as you begin to write.

How to Write an Unforgettable B-School Essay

1. communicate that you are a proactive, can-do sort of person..

Business schools want leaders, not applicants content with following the herd.

2. Put yourself on ego-alert.

Stress what makes you unique, not what makes you number one.

3. Communicate specific reasons why you're great fit for each school.

Simply stating "I am the ideal candidate for your program" won't convince the admission committee to push you into the admit pile.

4. Bring passion to your writing.

Admissions officers want to know what excites you. And if you'll bring a similar enthusiasm to the classroom.

5. Break the mold.

Challenge perceptions with unexpected essays that say, "There's more to me than you think."

6. If you've taken an unorthodox path to business school, play it up.

Admissions officers appreciate risk-takers.

7. Talk about your gender, ethnicity, minority status or foreign background....

But only if it has affected your outlook or experiences.

8. Fill your essays with plenty of real-life examples.

Specific anecdotes and vivid details make a much greater impact than general claims and broad summaries.

9. Demonstrate a sense of humor or vulnerability.

You're a real person, and it's okay to show it!

BONUS: Don't Make These MBA Essay Mistakes

1. write about your high school glory days. .

Admissions committees don't care if you were editor of the yearbook or captain of the varsity team. They expect their candidates to have moved onto more current, professional achievements.

2. Submit essays that don't answer the questions.

An off-topic essay, or one that merely restates your résumé, will frustrate and bore the admissions committee. More importantly, it won't lead to any new insight about you.

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3. Fill essays with industry jargon.

Construct your essays with only enough detail about your job to frame your story and make your point.

4. Reveal half-baked reasons for wanting the MBA.

Admissions officers favor applicants who have well-defined goals. However unsure you are about your future, it's critical that you demonstrate that you have a plan.

5. Exceed the recommended word limits.

This suggests you don't know how to follow directions, operate within constraints or organize your thoughts.

6. Submit an application full of typos and grammatical errors.

A sloppy application suggests a sloppy attitude.

7. Send one school an essay intended for another—or forget to change the school name when using the same essay for several applications.

Admissions committees are (understandably) insulted when they see another school's name or forms.

8. Make excuses.

If your undergraduate experience was one long party, be honest. Discuss how you've matured, both personally and professionally.

9. Be impersonal in the personal statement.

Many applicants avoid the personal like the plague. Instead of talking about how putting themselves through school lowered their GPA, they talk about the rising cost of tuition in America. Admissions officers want to know about YOU.

Read More: How to Ace Your MBA Interview

10. Make too many generalizations.

An essay full of generalizations is a giveaway that you don't have anything to say.

11. Write in a vacuum.

Make sure that each of your essays reinforce and build on the others to present a consistent and compelling representation of who you are, what you've done, and what you bring to the table.

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Top Five Tips for Writing Compelling MBA Admissions Essays

Erin Wand - Personal MBA Coach

Erin Wand is an mba.com Featured Contributor and the Vice President of Marketing and Operations for Personal MBA Coach , a boutique MBA admissions consulting and tutoring firm.

For many of the business school applicants I work with, the MBA admissions essay is the part of the application they dread the most.

Does that sound like you? It doesn’t have to be! If you’re unsure about how to start on your MBA admissions essays, don’t worry. This is your opportunity to move beyond your GMAT exam scores , GPA, or resume and reveal something deeper about yourself to the admissions committee. Read along for my best MBA admission essay tips.

Crafting winning MBA admissions essays

The question is: how to you write MBA admissions essays for top-tier programs that stand out from the stack and effectively tell your story? Here are five tips for compelling essays that will stick in the minds of the admissions committee and help you get into your top choice business school program.

1. Stay focused and answer the question asked

It’s surprising how often candidates write beautiful essays but do not answer the question. While I certainly endorse thinking outside of the box and considering the “why” behind an essay prompt, first and foremost you must answer the question.

Business school applicants like you are often highly accomplished, and it can be tempting to try to include as many of the details of your accomplishments as possible into your essays. It’s crucial that you avoid this urge and focus on the specific question at hand.

2. Less can be more: be succinct

A trend I’m seeing at many leading full-time MBA programs is shorter essay word limits. Michigan Ross , Stanford GSB , UCLA Anderson , and Duke Fuqua are just a few of the programs that have reduced their essay word counts in recent admissions cycles. This trend underscores a key piece of advice: be succinct!

Remember, your essays and short answers are just one part of your application. In addition to the details you’ll provide on the application form itself, you’ll also submit an MBA resume ( check out my resume tips here! ). This allows admissions committee members ample opportunity to read about everything you have accomplished, all the roles you have held, and the awards you have won. There is no need to fit every detail into your essays.

Instead of squeezing in as much as you can, focus on sharing a few key highlights, peppering in some interesting details, and convey your authentic voice through your writing. This is your chance to explain your choices, show your accomplishments, and share your passions. The fewer things you try to cover in your essays, the more you will be able to achieve this objective.

3. Be authentic, not what you think schools want to hear

I can’t emphasize this enough: do not write what you think admissions committee members want to read! The qualities and experiences that make you unique are your greatest selling points. Each essay should paint a clear picture of who you are, what motivates you, and what you’re passionate about.

Related to this, don’t feel compelled to show how you fit the mold that seemingly makes up the “ideal” candidate. If you have no desire to run a non-profit, that’s okay! If you’re not motivated to save the planet, don’t pretend you are! The admissions committee will see right through this, and you could end up doing more harm than good. Instead, focus your energy on simply being authentic.

4. Keep your language approachable and focus on the “so what?”

The terms you regularly use at the office may be foreign to others, including admissions committee members. When in doubt, do not assume the reader is familiar with everything about your job. Admissions directors come from all backgrounds and fields and are not assigned to candidates with similar backgrounds. They do not know the ins and outs of your industry and do not need to. In fact, details and accomplishments that are significant only to someone in your industry are less compelling than understandable results and transferable skills.

Everyone from your grandmother to a professor of microfinance should be able to understand your essays. So even if your accomplishment would be extremely impressive to another engineer or investment banker, if the reader doesn’t understand the “so what,” you’re wasting your words.

5. Limit the amount of flowery prose

Remember: You’ re not submitting your essays for a Pulitzer Prize. All you’re trying to do is tell your story. While of course you want your essays to be well-written and free of grammatical mistakes and typos, you also want them to be relatable and easy to follow. They should also convey why you are someone others would want to study with, learn from, and eventually be inspired by. That type of person is human and down to earth. Your essays should show this.

Erin Wand is an mba.com Featured Contributor and the Vice President of Marketing and Operations for Personal MBA Coach , a boutique MBA admissions consulting and tutoring firm.

Founded by a Wharton MBA and MIT Sloan graduate who sits on the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants Board of Directors, Personal MBA Coach has been guiding clients for 14 years and is consistently ranked #1 or #2, currently holding the #1 ranking in the US on Poets&Quants.

We help clients with all aspects of the MBA application process including early planning, GMAT/GRE/EA tutoring, application strategy, school selection, essay editing and mock interviews. Our team includes a former M7 admissions director and former M7 admissions interviewers.

Last year, our clients earned more than $6M in scholarships!

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Mba essay: 4 steps to writing a winning business school admission essay.

For most business schools, you have under 1,000 words to tell your whole story

Successful MBA applicants tailor their essays to each business school

Wed May 17 2017

It can be tempting to just hit ‘find and replace’, swapping out one business school name for another. What’s the harm? Unfortunately, a lot!

As the founder of Personal MBA Coach and a Wharton MBA and MIT alumnus with over 10 years of professional MBA admissions consulting experience, I know how applicants can tailor their MBA admission essays effectively.

Here’s four steps to writing a winning business school admission essay:

1. Do your research and a lot of it

Business schools each have a unique culture, mission and set of values. It is important that for each essay you convey how you will fit in on campus and how you plan to deliver against each school’s specific mission.

Naturally, the first step in the process is doing adequate research! Read the website, in detail. Pay specific attention to any written advice from the admissions committees; they will sometimes post detailed guidance on what they are looking for. Here is an example from Stanford last year.

Visit campuses and sit in on classes. Talk to current students and alumni in your personal and extended networks about the general culture and their experiences. Look at the classes offered and the extra-curricular activities and make note of those of particular interest to you.

2. Read the question and think about its deeper meaning

This may seem obvious but the next step is to read the question very carefully and think about what is asked and what the school is trying to get at. It may sound simple but many essays I see don’t actually answer the question.

Some schools will want to know more about your professional experiences while others specifically say they do not. Heed this advice! Some schools are interested in why you want to go to that school while others take this as a given and instead want to know more about what you will bring to the table. In some cases, personal experiences are more important than professional.

3. Take an inventory of your own past and future aspirations and where they fit with the school

Once you have determined what the specific school is looking for, take time to reflect on your background, experiences, goals, interests and values and think about what would best fit with that school. How do your values align with those of the school? Where are your strengths vs. the school’s? What attracts you most to the specific school?

4. Add in school specifics

You want to show your knowledge of the school. This means naming specific classes and/or a specific faculty member you are interested in. Discuss an organization or two on campus you are excited about. Share your goals and how the school will help you achieve them. Talk about the location, the student body, or aspects of the curriculum. Every candidate will pick different areas to highlight. The key here is to be specific, painting a story of how you will contribute to the student body and class diversity.

This is not the same approach you may have used to apply to undergraduate schools. Even though for many an MBA is considered a necessary “box to check,” saying this won’t work to get you into a top MBA program. Not every school will be the best fit for every candidate. So, take the time now to really think not only about yourself and your goals but about how each school will help you achieve them.

This is not to say that you need a different long-term goal or personal values for each school. Quite the opposite; being genuine is key! However, for most schools you have under 1,000 words to tell your whole story. What you choose to highlight might not be the same for each school and the programs best matched for you on campus also will differ from school to school. This is the type of specificity that is key as you tailor your MBA applications for success.

Scott Edinburgh is a Wharton MBA and MIT alumnus and founder of Personal MBA Coach , a full-service admission consulting and tutoring firm. Personal MBA Coach has been helping candidates on all aspects of the MBA application process for 10 years with a 96% success rate. Email [email protected] for a free consultation or visit www.personalmbacoach.com to find out more.

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Business School Essay Writing Tips To Stand Out

EssayEdge > Blog > Business School Essay Writing Tips To Stand Out

The great challenge of the business school application essays is how to discuss the themes that everyone else will be dealing with in a fresh way. Later sections of this guide will provide you with tips on how to make your essay stand out, but for now we will outline the key qualities and abilities you are expected to demonstrate.

As we will stress throughout, the essay is meant to convey the personal characteristics that the rest of your application cannot communicate. So we will preface our list with a warning about what not to include: anything that is fully covered by another part of the application. For example, do not tell the reader what your GPA was or list the awards that you won. Avoid simply listing your extracurricular activities. If you bring any of these issues up, you should have some significant insight to add that is not evident from another part of your application.

Believe it or not, admissions officers rank sincerity highest in importance, above any quality seemingly more specific to business. They ultimately just want to know about who you are, and in that sense, the best way to sell yourself is to be yourself. Don’t focus too heavily on what you think they want to see, at the expense of conveying your own message in your unique way.

“What I would love to have people do in preparing their essays is to do a great deal of self-assessment and reflection on their lives and on what’s important to them because the most important thing to us is to get a very candid and real sense of the person. I think people do themselves a real disservice if they think too much about what they think Harvard would like to hear or if they think about what might have been successful in the past in being admitted to Harvard.” — Harvard Business School

“My advice to the applicant is to be honest in your essays, lay it out, and be as specific as you can, but don’t try to second-guess what the admissions committee wants to hear.” — J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University)

Sincerity is important to stress because it’s hard for most of us to achieve, despite the fact that it seems so simple. The pressures and anxieties of the situation have locked us into a mindset that prevents us from writing honestly. Further, because we are not used to writing about ourselves and being so close to the subject, we cannot assess the sincerity of our own writing. Thousands of students every year will read this same advice, whether in a guidebook or even in the application instructions themselves, and they simply cannot put it into practice. If you can be one of the few who truly understand what it means to be sincere, then you will already have separated yourself from the pack in one crucial way.

You might question how a reader who doesn’t know you can judge your statement’s sincerity. The basis for judgment usually lies in the context your reader has developed from reading hundreds or thousands of other essays. Assessing your essay against others is one essential area where EssayEdge can offer a more critical eye than your friends, relatives, or teachers who have not accumulated the expertise specific to the personal statement . Moreover, our perspective in reading your essay is just as objective as your admissions reader’s perspective will be.

Need help? Check out EssayEdge editing services:

Writing Ability

As with sincerity, you must focus on demonstrating solid writing ability before you even start worrying about the specific issues you will tackle.

“In general what we’re looking for are people who have well thought-out ideas, can express those ideas in an articulate, concise way, and can follow our directions (page limits).” — The Stern School of Business, New York University

“We’re also interested in how they write. The form of the essays can be important, as well as the content. How applicants handle the English language is important—the ability to articulate their thoughts in a clear and concise way.” — Yale School of Management

The reasons for this emphasis on good writing are evident enough. First is the important role that written communication skills will play throughout your career, in business even more so than in many other professions. Perhaps your strength is in oral communication, but until the interview, the essay is your only chance to demonstrate your communication skills and clarity of thought. Second, a well-written essay makes its points clearly and forcefully, so your content benefits as well.

Good writing means more than the ability to construct grammatical sentences. You also must create a coherent structure and ensure proper flow as the piece progresses. Because the process of developing ideas and putting them down on paper is so intimate and personal, all writers end up needing editors to assess the effectiveness of their product. You should consult people whose writing you respect for advice or even more hands-on help. Having been trained specifically in the nuances of admissions essay writing, EssayEdge editors are the best equipped to provide assistance in this crucial area.

Nearly every school has questions about your long-term goals and why you desire an MBA at this stage of your career — often both are contained in a single prompt. Focus is another key attribute that only your essays can demonstrate, because it ultimately comes down to your ideas and plans rather than your past accomplishments. Of course, you should tie your goals in with your background wherever possible, and that’s why focus should be a quality that underlies all your essays instead of coming up only in one answer.

“We’re looking for students who show good self-awareness and a good sense of career awareness. We want students whose motivation for pursuing an MBA is clear, who seem to understand well what the Kellogg program offers, and who make rational arguments about why it’s a good match for them. Applicants need to convey strongly why they’re going to give up a job and spend the time and money to attend, and they need to be able to address where they’re headed post-MBA.” — J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University)

“I think first and foremost we want to get some sense of the inside of an applicant’s head and in particular what it is that is prompting this person to pursue a graduate education in business—what has led them to this point, what they think the MBA will do for them in terms of their educational desires and objectives as well as their career goals.” — The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business

“We’re really looking for focus, for people who really do have a sense of where they’re headed. That’s very, very important! People who cannot fully define their short- and long-term goals (although they may not know the specific job) are probably not ready to apply to a business program. We need to know those goals to determine whether the applicants are realistic and whether Columbia is going to be able to help them reach those goals.” — Columbia Business School

As these quotations demonstrate, focus is something you achieve through self-reflection. You should perceive that as good news, because that means it’s something you have total control over even at the writing stage, unlike the set of past experiences on which you are able to draw.

Although past accomplishments say a lot about where you’re going, they don’t tell the whole story. Admissions officers look to the essays to find evidence of spark that reveals what you will have to offer in the long term, as a leader or innovator. They’re also looking to determine how you will contribute to the school community. Potential still needs to be closely linked to evidence, and so you cannot expect to succeed without valuable experiences. But how you interpret the evidence in writing can have a significant impact on how your readers judge this very subjective quality.

Your readers will look for evidence of specific personal qualities to evaluate your potential as a student and business leader. There is no single list of useful qualities, and if there were, it would be foolish to try to duplicate that list in essay form. Depth is more important than breadth, and your readers are looking for a coherent picture rather than a list of buzzwords—hence this section’s title being “Character” rather than “Characteristics.” That said, the following quotation can give you an idea of how to get started in thinking about what characteristics are significant.

“We look for [potential for future leadership] in terms of certain personal qualities and characteristics that we care about. I’m referring to things like honesty, integrity, maturity, commitment to others, and motivation—some of the things that you might expect and then also some things maybe not so expected like self-awareness, self-esteem, empathy, willingness to take risks, willingness to deal with ambiguity. These are things that we think have helped our graduates and some other business leaders to be successful.” — Harvard Business School

In preparing to write, you should focus on what characteristics are your greatest strengths and focus on conveying those in a deep and meaningful way. Your readers are much more interested in learning about those than in seeing a longer list dealt with more superficially.

Personal Details

Personal details are the means through which you should convey your character strengths. Always aim for specific, personal statements rather than grand generalizations. Avoid citing characteristics without evidence and examples to back them up. Details are necessary not only to justify claims about your qualities, but also to make your perspective personal and well defined. Without the context that these details provide, your ideas cannot go beyond the generic and the superficial.

Key Points to Remember When Writing Business School Essays

Business school is probably one of the most unique challenges you'll face beyond college. For one, there are certain requirements you'll have to complete and for another, it does require you to produce essays as part of admissions. Some programs make it even tougher, obliging applicants to produce not just one but multiple essays. So how significant is this to you? It's an indication that business schools place extra emphasis on your ability to communicate your ideas, your initiative and vision. It's also an indication that they put special consideration for your practical experience. That means you will have to put some serious thought into the preparation of your business school essays.

What your essay will contain?

What you will write about will depend on the demands of the particular program you're applying for. Generally, though, you will be asked to explain why you chose that program. You will be also asked to write about your short- and long-term goals, your past working or business experience and how you think that particular business program will be beneficial to your career and your future. You will also be asked to write about key changes in your life that made you decide to pursue that particular career path.

Writing your business school essay

You might find it difficult to begin writing the very first sentence in your business school essay but once you've begun, you will find that it will flow naturally from there. To help you create a solid essay that is relevant, here are some important considerations you must keep in mind:

Keep your focus on the theme of your essay.

It's easy to get carried away in your essay, especially if you're very passionate about what you're writing about. Keep in mind that your essay is a reflection of your personality. If it's cohesive and well-written, you will be viewed as an organized individual who is capable of presenting his ideas in a format that people will like and understand.

Don’t meander from one topic to the next. Mention something only if it is beneficial or related to your essay. If not, keep the anecdote for some other more appropriate time.

Be concise.

Don’t try to overwhelm or awe the admissions department by flooding them with words. You're dealing with professionals here, who probably have more experience sifting through business school essays than you have years spent in school.

Use active verbs to imply action and initiative. Keep your sentences short but complete and be direct to the point. Don’t speak as if you're telling them a mysterious tale. Use what valuable paper space you have to convince them that you are the right candidate for the program.

Watch your structure.

This is post-collegiate level you're pursuing. Make sure you write for such level. Don’t make the admissions department think they're reading an essay written by a highschooler. Take note of the technicalities of the language, watch your spelling and grammar. If some sentences are too short, use transition words such as furthermore, consequently, nevertheless, etc.

Be interesting.

Don’t bore your readers with a half-baked effort. Remember that apart from you, there are couple of hundred (at least) other applicants for the program. If your essay doesn’t stand out, the admissions department will have a hard time remembering you and your essay.

If you have weaknesses, don’t highlight them. Instead, address them. Your essay gives you the opportunity to tell your program director what you have done to try to improve yourself.

Don’t be afraid to revise your essay.

If you can ask anyone – a family member or a friend – to read your essay and give you good advice, do so. Reactions from knowledgeable third parties usually help. If your business school essay doesn’t stand too well, revise it. Edit, re-write and if necessary, re-write it once more until you come up with an essay that puts your personality, educational background and experience in a good light.

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5 Essays That Got People Into Harvard Business School — And Why They Worked

With an acceptance rate of only 11 percent, even people with the most impeccable credentials and test scores routinely get turned down from Harvard Business School.

What sets people apart are their truly unique experiences, and whether they can really get them through to the admissions board in their personal essays.

There's no magic formula, but these 5 essays from " 65 Successful Harvard Business School Applications " are great examples of what can work.

Thanks to the publisher and the individual authors for permission to feature these essays

Jason Kreuziger shared his goal of ringing the opening bell at his company's NASDAQ IPO

Graduating class: 2008

Current Job Title: Vice President at Summit Partners

Essay prompt: " What is your career vision, and why is this choice meaningful to you?"

My highest career aspiration is to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ as my company celebrates the successful completion of its initial public offering. My experiences have prepared me to build market-disrupting technology companies fit for public investment, but they have also exposed me to the intangible qualities of successful entrepreneurs. These qualities include the ability to manage, presence to inspire, charisma to lead, and fortitude to persist in the face of challenge. These virtues are represented in the bedrock of Harvard’s MBA program. My desire to internalize these qualities is the catalyst that drives me to pursue a Harvard MBA with such conviction. The timing of my application coincides with both my developmental needs and the natural termination of my current position in July 2006.

To achieve these goals, I have focused my academic and professional pursuits in the areas of finance and technology. In addition to my undergraduate majors, my work in the technology group of a San Francisco based, middle-market investment bank has given me a first-hand view into Silicon Valley’s technology incubator and the lives of successful technology entrepreneurs. I have learned revolutionizing technologies ranging from enterprise software applications to price-per-click Internet advertising services. The experience has placed me in close contact with senior executives who share the story of my career aspirations as their own reality. The opportunity to interact with such innovative individuals has been an inspiration, and provided me a first-hand account of what qualities today’s entrepreneurial leaders possess.

While these experiences form a solid foundation, an MBA from Harvard is necessary for developing the managerial skills, leadership ability, and influential network necessary to achieve my goals. This assertion was confirmed during my campus visit to Bill Sahlman’s entrepreneurial finance class where I observed the case method in action as debate raced from eager hand to eager hand, with each comment seeking to improve upon the discussion. The collaborative energy was tangible, the environment exciting, and the effect impressive. A visit to the Arthur Rock Center revealed a collection of memorabilia from companies founded by Harvard alums, foreshadowing the addition I hope to make. A student lunch with a former tech start-up CFO ensured me other students will share my goals and enthusiasm, adding vital energy to the MBA experience. I left my campus visit knowing that Harvard Business School is where I want to build the next layer upon my foundation.

Why it works

This particular essay gets right to the point of the prompt with the vivid image of ringing the opening bell. It also made the applicant stand out from what was likely a sea of other banking applicants by focusing on technology and Jason's unique experiences, and made a strong case for why an HBS MBA would be help him to his goal.

Source: 65 Successful Harvard Business School Applications

John Coleman took a "case method" approach to his undergraduate education

Graduating class: 2010

Current Job Title: Strategic Planning Manager at Invesco

Essay prompt: "What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?"

I first considered applying to Berry College while dangling from a fifty-foot Georgia pine tree, encouraging a high school classmate, literally, to make a leap of faith. Every autumn, my school’s graduating seniors took a three-day trip to Berry to bond on the ropes course, talk about leadership, and speak frankly about the future, and it was on that retreat, after the ropes course, that I made my own leap.

I had narrowed my college choices to my top scholarship offers, but after a number of campus visits I still hadn’t found a place that truly felt like home. On the retreat, I realized Berry College was different. The students I met were practical, caring, and curious. The 28,000-acre campus was idyllic. The atmosphere was one of service, leadership, and intellectual curiosity (as founder Martha Berry termed it, an education of the “whole person . . . the head, the heart, and the hands”). Berry also offered what I thought was the best opportunity to mold my own academic experience, take diverse leadership roles, and change myself and my college community in the process.

That is exactly what I did. Taking a “case method” approach to my undergraduate education, I complemented every academic lesson with a practical application. I supplemented my formal education in economics, government, and political philosophy with cigar shop chats, competitive international fellowships, leadership in student government, and in-depth academic research. Rather than studying communication, I practiced communication. As a freshman, I was the campus’s top new television reporter, and as a junior and senior, I translated that passion for human connection into a stint as Berry’s top newspaper opinion columnist and a widely read campus poet. I was the lead in a one-act play and led my college speech team to its highest ever national finish. I learned business, finance, and organizational leadership by founding a community soup kitchen and leading the campus investment group to unprecedented stock market returns; and in everything, I sought not simply to become better educated, but better rounded — a “whole” person—and to change my campus community in the process.

At Berry, I learned that you can stand trepid before a challenge, transition, or experience. Or you can embrace new challenges, define your own experience, and make a leap of faith. I am proud that my undergraduate academic experience was a period lived in leaps.

Not only does the essay show that a brand name or Ivy League college isn't the only path to Harvard Business School, it does an excellent job of showing the author's personality through the narrative and the way it's written, has a clear sense of energy, and makes it very clear what John would bring to HBS.

Source: 65 Successful Harvard Business School Applications

Anne Morriss wanted to engage Michael Porter and other strategy gurus to fight poverty

Graduating class: 2004

Current Job Title: Co-Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer at Concire Leadership Institute

Essay prompt: "What is your career vision, and why is this choice meaningful to you?"

I have watched the world change around people who were unprepared for its transformation. I have defined “commodity” for Brazilian coffee brokers whose market suddenly seemed to ignore them. I have argued about Mercosur with a tired finance minister in Ecuador, and have seen Dominican friends fight for jobs in a new zona franca condemned by international labor groups.

I want to help clarify the confusion, and I want the Harvard Business School to be my ally.

I am choosing HBS for the traditional outputs. I want to increase my impact on organizations, to join a network of people with the courage to reach difficult goals, to gain unmatched credibility as a messenger. HBS has an outstanding reputation for offering these things, and my research confirms it. Most of the HBS students and alumni I know are expanding their definitions of greatness.

I also want the journey. I want the daily luxury of exploring the world with the extraordinary community that HBS builds. I want to engage Frances Frei on my company’s failed technology dream and see Haitian competitiveness from Michael Porter’s perspective. I want to argue with James Austin about the private sector’s ability to drive social change and discuss the responsibilities of corporations with exceptional peers who will translate their convictions into meaningful action.

I came to ontheFRONTIER to learn to fight poverty in a new global context. I want to advance that fight, and I want to test and improve my strategy at HBS, a place that will hold me to the highest standards of analysis and tutor me in the messy art of leadership.

This essay shows that not every essay has to have the traditional "thesis plus evidence" structure. This is much more free form and poetic, but very clearly shows the author's passion, commitment, and reasons for wanting to attend HBS.

Martin Brand dealt with extreme pressure as an ambulance driver, then went to Goldman Sachs

Graduating class: 2003

Current Job Title: Managing Director in the Private Equity Group for Blackstone

Essay prompt: "What are your three most substantial accomplishments, and why do you view them as such?"

Four years after I had initially set myself the goal, I succeeded in winning the National Mathematics Competition in Germany. Seeing prolonged struggle turn into eventual success makes this one of my most valuable achievements. It helped me form an “it can be done” attitude that has stayed with me ever since. I first learned of the competition during a summer program in 1990 where I met some former finalists. The following year, when I was on exchange in the United States, I had the competition materials sent over from Germany. I made it though the first two rounds to become one of seventy finalists invited to a weekend where the five national winners would be chosen. I wasn’t one of them. The following year I again advanced to the finals only to fail at the last test. I continued to work on my skills and when I made it to the finals for the third time in a row, I knew it was my last chance. I had to survive a grilling by university professors on an unknown topic, but this time I could solve every problem. Walking out of the interview I knew I had won. Three days later the letter arrived. It was a dream come true.

An accomplishment of a different kind is my work as an ambulance driver, which I chose as an alternative to military service. After gaining a qualification as a paramedic I started to man ambulances in my hometown near Düsseldorf. I worked both in supervised medical transports between hospitals and in emergency situations. My strongest memory is of the death of a child when we hit a traffic jam and could not make it to the hospital in time. I was in the back of the car with the boy and his mother. I never felt more helpless in my life. But there are also many happy memories, of the people whom we succeeded in helping during emergencies and of the many grateful patients on our regular transport services. During the fifteen months on the ambulances I matured tremendously. I learned to take on responsibility for other people when they needed me the most. I dealt with extreme pressure and human tragedy. These were enormous challenges to overcome, but every day I was also able to experience how gratifying helping others can be. I view my time on the ambulances as an achievement because I was able to learn and grow, but more importantly for the help we were able to provide to the patients and the community.

My third achievement is having a significant impact on the trading strategies of the currency options group at Goldman Sachs. I began developing my own pricing spreadsheets soon after I joined the group. Being in the privileged position of combining a strong mathematical background with the practical grasp of the market that our “rocket scientist” developers lacked, I was able to arrive at several innovations. While some enthusiastically supported my work (it would not have been possible otherwise), I encountered opposition from senior members of the group who lacked the younger traders’ quantitative background and feared that eventually innovation would undermine their power base. I persevered, using my trading portfolio as a trial ground. Eventually, the better ideas prevailed and my interpolation now forms the basis of the strategy that group uses to identify value in the market. I am proud of having had the spirit and ability to innovate our strategies, but it is the strength to carry on in the face of adversity that makes this my biggest professional achievement to date.

In just three accomplishments, the author manages to show humility, the ability to overcome challenges, and some very real achievement. The essay's fairly rigidly structured, but it works because of how all of the sections manage to connect.

Paul Yeh solved a $50,000 problem on the Ford factory floor and wants to fix the auto industry

Graduating class: 2009

Current Job Title: Director of Product Strategy and Business Development at Fisker Automotive

Essay prompt: "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?"

The automotive industry is under duress. Company executives are cutting healthcare benefits, freezing pensions, and laying off workers. While corporations have responsibilities toward their stakeholders, how does an executive balance between his employees and shareholders? As I continue my career in the automotive business, I will undoubtedly face the ethical issues of balancing between profits and people.

During the Explorer launch, I experienced one such issue. On the chassis assembly line, Ted, an operator, complained that his hands were becoming numb from trying to insert a part. The engineer’s solution was to revise the attachment, but it would cost $70,000 to retool the part. Typically, the finance department would reject the issue because the measured insertion effort was within the UAW contract. But contract or no, it seemed wrong to cause an employee to damage himself. So, I tried Ted’s job for thirty minutes. I picked up the part, walked six feet toward the assembly line, and pushed the part into the frame. The first dozen were effortless. I noticed, however, that the repetitive motion strained the wrist. I wanted to fix the issue, but approving an expensive change when Ford is not liable is a hard sell to management. Rather than approving or rejecting the costly solution outright, I brainstormed with the engineer and explored alternatives. Two days later, we came up with a cost-efficient way of lubricating the attachment for easier insertion.

The material costs less than $20,000, and I convinced the finance management to accept. Ted was extremely appreciative: he gave me a bear hug.

To continue developing my competencies, I will observe how Rick Wagoner, Lee Iacocca, and other executives balance profitability with employees. I will then discuss their rationales with renowned professors such as Malcolm Salter, who has done extensive research in the automotive industry. Harvard professors will help me understand each situation’s intricacies and in turn cultivate my decision making process.

Additionally, I will continue to interact with Detroit Executive Service Corps volunteers, most of whom are retired automotive executives. Similar to Harvard’s Leadership and Values Initiative Speaker Series, I will learn from these leaders’ experiences and see what competencies have been practiced, and which have worked and which have not.

Finally, I will continue to go to the front line so I can assess each issue effectively. Then, armed with the academic training and practices from courses such as The Moral Leader, I am confident that I will be able to approach and resolve challenging ethical issues.

This essay's strength comes from the fact that it very clearly addresses the prompt with a very compelling real life experience, and that it manages to let the writer's personality come through. It also outlines the sort of real management problem and pragmatic solution that make it clear Paul would bring some leadership ability to the table.

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65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays, Second Edition: With Analysis by the Staff of The Harbus, the Harvard Business School Newspaper

YOUR LIFE . . . IN 300 WORDS OR LESS It’s a daunting task. Even the most seasoned professionals find business school application essays to be among the hardest pieces they ever write. With a diverse pool of talented people applying to the nation’s top schools from the most successful companies and prestigious undergraduate programs in the world, a simple biography detailing accomplishments and goals isn’t enough. Applicants need clear and compelling arguments that grab admissions officers and absolutely refuse to let go.To help them write the essays that get them accepted into Harvard or any of the country’s other top programs, the staff of The Harbus---HBS’s student newspaper---have updated and revised their collection of sixty-five actual application essays as well as their detailed analysis of them so that applicants will be able to: * Avoid common pitfalls * Play to their strengths * Get their message across Wherever they are applying, the advice and tested strategies in 65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays give business professionals and undergraduates the insider’s knowledge to market themselves most effectively and truly own the process.

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An Overview of Penn State’s BS/MBA Essays

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Robert Crystal in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

Why penn state, specific discipline, cultural competency, career aspirations, overcoming challenges, biggest commitment, helping others.

A BS/MBA program is a joint-degree program that combines a particular undergraduate degree with a particular graduate degree. You’ll graduate with both a bachelor’s and a master’s. Rather than have a gap between completing each degree, you’ll get your master’s right after the program ends. It’s like going to college and business school all at once. You’ll also get access to excellent resources that will help you succeed in your career. At Pennsylvania State University , the BS/MBA application includes various supplemental essays, and this article will take you through each one.

This prompt— why this college? —is quite common across colleges, which use it to differentiate candidates based on their level of interest in the specific school.

You only have a word count of 150 here, which isn’t much space. Try to focus on two or three major things that you like about Penn State, as well as the BS/MBA program. You can talk about a few broader aspects of the university, but focus on that specific program. Do research; the school’s admissions website is a great place to start, and there are videos on YouTube of current BS/MBA students. Watching these will give you a better feel for the program, and you can see how these students see themselves now and in the future. All of this should help give you a few ideas of your own.

In the second prompt, you have to select your particular scientific discipline and explain why it’s interesting to you. What do you want to devote four years of college to? There are many options, from astronomy to astrophysics and statistics, and you have 200 words for your response.

You need to show that you’ve narrowed your undergraduate interest in the BS/MBA and that you’ve put thought into your choice. Be sure to include vivid imagery and specific details to describe experiences that you’ve had with this subject in the past and how you want to pursue it in college.

Talk about the curriculum or specific classes that you’re interested in. If you want to take on research projects in college, mention them, as it can demonstrate the seriousness of your pursuit. Bring in other factors related to the subject if you can—for example, discuss the clubs and extracurriculars at Penn State that you feel would help you take your interest to the next level.

This prompt is known as the “ diversity essay .” It’s right there at the top: you are to talk about inclusiveness and diversity and how you’ve demonstrated a commitment to cultural competency. This value is essential, especially in an increasingly global community.

Cultural competency refers to the ability to appreciate and accurately interpret other cultural traditions, as well as the actions and words of people from different cultures.

But what counts as another culture? There are a few obvious cases, such as someone who comes from a different country or from a radically different part of this country. But there are so many other cultural divisions. Your school is technically a community and might include students from a variety of racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

To show that you understand what cultural competency means and that you’re committed to it, you’ll have to describe significant interactions with people who are different from you. Those experiences indicate your commitment to inclusiveness and diversity.

This essay is all about your goals. You’re to discuss your career aspirations and how the science BS/MBA program would help you reach those ambitions, in 200 words.

A significant admissions factor for combined degree programs is whether the admissions committee thinks that you’re actually committed to taking this specific path. They don’t want to give a highly coveted spot to someone who will change their mind about following through on the MBA after only a year or two of college. This means you’ll need to show specific, long-term goals that fit with the program, as well as the deeper motivations that will carry you through five to six years of intensive education.

Think about a particular problem that you’d like to solve, a legacy that you’d like to leave, or a particular rank in a certain company that you want to achieve by a specific age.

You may want to bring affordable solar cells to the mass market. Perhaps you want to forge a path in a specific industry for minority women. Maybe you’ll do biotech in the short term and in the long term, move into the public sector, and use your entrepreneurial experience to adjust inequality and healthcare outcomes. You have a great deal of flexibility. Just think about what you’d want to do if you knew that you could do anything and forge any path imaginable.

For prompt five, you’ll need to discuss your leadership and collaboration skills and give examples of how they’ve been demonstrated. At its core, the BS/MBA program at Penn State sees itself as a good training ground for future leaders on the frontiers of both science and business. The admissions committee wants to admit students who are going to work with and lead others.

One of the keys to a successful response for this prompt is to avoid repeating the words leadership and collaboration and their synonyms, as they’re overused. Instead, focus on your examples—show, don’t tell. It’s totally possible to write a good response without even using the words “leadership” or “leader.”

Offer a high-quality, detailed depiction of your leadership in just one situation. That’s preferable to listing every single leadership role that you’ve had. Show what you’ve done, get specific, and tell a story .

This essay is about resilience and overcoming challenges . It tells you that transitioning to college can be a challenge and asks you to describe the adjustments that you believe you’ll need to make in order to transition from high school to college.

Brainstorm the major differences between your life as a high school student and the experiences that you expect you’ll have in college. If you’re not sure, try talking to friends, family, or acquaintances. Read various articles on the process of transitioning from high school to college.

Once you’ve identified these challenges, you’ll need to frame them. Note that these aren’t actually struggles, but rather adjustments. You have to be forward thinking and consider how you’ll need to change in order to succeed in college.

If you’re close to your family, you’ll need to develop patterns for staying in touch with them. You’ll also need to find new support systems in college because you won’t have members of your family around to advise you.

If you’re accustomed to a structured school day followed by extracurriculars, you’ll need to develop good time management skills in order to fill the time between classes in college. You won’t have the same structure that you’re used to, so you have to create an efficient schedule.

The goal of this essay isn’t to prove that you’re perfectly prepared for college. You may be ready in some ways, but you’re probably lacking in others. At the end of the day, the admissions committee wants to see that you have a strategy. It doesn’t have to be bulletproof. You probably haven’t resolved everything, but you know this much, and you’ve thought about the issues that you’re going to face and how to overcome them.

In this essay, you’ll be describing your biggest commitment. You need to choose just one and it needs to be substantial.

If you don’t have the sort of thing that a reader would automatically think of as a big commitment, you’ll need to convincingly argue that it was, in fact, a substantial responsibility. Don’t be afraid to think broadly. You could include family or interpersonal commitments if those are important to you. Academic commitments, like a heavy course load, can also qualify. You could also write about being an avid writer, even if you haven’t published anything.

These general supplemental questions are all about your activities and your experiences. You’ve probably already talked about several things that could count as major commitments. It might be difficult, but you can’t double up on anything in this essay. All these supplemental essays should be complementary and reveal new parts of yourself to collectively present a clear image of you as a whole, multifaceted person.

This final prompt asks you to describe a time when you helped someone else succeed. Most college essays are designed so admissions officers can learn more about you directly. This one, though, is asking you to speak about yourself through the lens of helping someone else.

You’re not the centerpiece here; you need to show, rather than tell, a time when you helped someone succeed. At the same time, you need to offer up your own narrative—all within a small word count.

Try starting with a specific, vivid scene with you and the subject of your response. Then, transition into a bit of background. What did you do all of this for? How did you help them succeed, and what was your contribution to their success? Finally, talk about how this experience affected you.

Wrap it up with a sentence or two about how you plan to take the lessons that you learned to the BS/MBA program at Penn State, your career, and your approach to life in general. Although you’re ostensibly writing about helping someone else, how you tell the story reflects on you. Ultimately, that’s the real purpose of this essay: the college wants to see how you interact with other people when you’re not the main beneficiary.

This says a great deal about you, after all. How you have helped other people has many implications for your character. Make sure the admissions committee can see you at your best.