IMD. Where to Impact workshop, with Marc Gruber, at Mass Challenge, during Innovation Week 2022
Photo: Mark Henley/Panos Pictures

Tips for IMD Business School MBA Essays

IMD Business School, which ranks number four in P&Q’s “Top Business Schools” ranking, is one of the most prestigious B-schools in the world.

The business school’s MBA is a “one-year leadership development program” that teaches students reflective and responsible leadership.

“Reflective and Responsible Leadership means that we don’t create leaders; we help develop skills & the ability to make tough/difficult decisions and communicate them. Today’s challenging environment places even more importance on the value of effective leadership. Addressing this challenge is at the core of IMD’s mission and our aim to foster the development of reflective and responsible leaders,” MBA Dean Omar Toulan says.

IMD’s MBA application is designed to seek out applicants who can demonstrate strong leadership potential. Nailing IMD’s essays is critical to gaining admission to the prestigious B-school. Fortuna Admissions recently offered a few tips on how to approach IMD’s essays.

REQUIRED ESSAY

IMD’s required essay prompt asks applicants the following:

What is the most difficult decision you have had to make as a leader? (Word limit 300)

Fortuna experts say this question is designed to gauge applicants’ leadership experience. IMD admissions officers are looking to see how you’ve learned and grown from your leadership positions.

“IMD is a leadership program and as such, they are looking for bright individuals with the potential to become global visionaries,” says Karen Ponte, expert coach at Fortuna Admissions  and former Senior Program Manager at London Business School. “You might choose an experience from reasonably early in your career and use the essay to show how it changed you and shaped the way you now lead (and possibly how it influenced your decision to apply for an MBA program). You also might consider using an example from outside of work. Think about your extra-curricular activities (by doing this, you also give the admissions team a little more insight into you as a person and it allows you to show the breadth of your profile and your potential contribution to the program and school).”

OPTIONAL ESSAY

IMD’s optional essay prompt asks applicants the following:

Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (i.e., re-application, health, grades, etc.) (Word limit 50, optional)

According to Ponte, the optional essay should only be answered if there is critical information that isn’t included anywhere else.

“Use this if you have something that truly requires explanation,” Ponte says. “For example, you might use this to explain extenuating circumstances in your academic record or your test score, any additional learning support you need (relating to disabilities for example), or explanation of a redundancy/change of job.”

Sources: Fortuna Admissions, P&Q