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MBA Application Essays Part 3 – Leadership, Past Decisions, And Setback Essays (NEWS)

By: Tyler Cormney,, co-founder, MBA Prep School | Last Updated: October 16, 2019

In the first two articles in our MBA Essay Writing Boot Camp series, MBA Prep School discussed four of the most common types of MBA application essay questions. In this third article, we will round out the list of essay question types that you may come across when applying for an MBA. The final three essay…

MBA Application Essays Part 2 – Why Our School? and What Will You Contribute? Essays (NEWS)

By: Tyler Cormney,, co-founder, MBA Prep School | Last Updated: October 16, 2019

In the first article in this series, MBA Prep School discussed essay questions that had to do with your career progress and career goals. The next two questions we’ll discuss also dovetail with one another. A “Why Our School?” essay question is a chance to tell the admissions committee what their program has to offer…

MBA Application Essays Part 1: Career Progress And Career Goals Essays (NEWS)

By: Tyler Cormney,, co-founder, MBA Prep School | Last Updated: October 16, 2019

Introducing MBA Prep School’s Essay Writing Boot Camp Series MBA Prep School has created this Essay Writing Boot Camp article series exclusively for Poets&Quants readers. The six articles in the series combine to provide MBA applicants with “basic training” on how to develop and write successful MBA application essays. Your MBA application essays can be…

The Optional MBA Essay, Explained (NEWS)

By: Karen Marks, president and founder of North Star Admissions Consulting | Last Updated: January 13, 2023

Confused about optional essays? If so, you are not alone. Here are some guidelines about the optional MBA application essay. Be Brief. You shouldn’t tell an elaborate, personal story, or write creatively. You want to use this space judiciously, and to communicate succinctly. This is also not the right place to recap your entire candidacy,…

A Look Into The MBA Essay Process (NEWS)

By: Gregory Yang | Last Updated: August 12, 2017

A Look Into The MBA Essay Process First impressions matter…especially in an MBA application essay. They frame a picture and set a tone. And they quickly reveal whether a candidate brings a unique perspective to the class and fit with the carefully-crafted culture of the school. Every application goes through a rigorous vetting process, however.…

Incoming HBS Students Share Their Essays (NEWS)

By: John A. Byrne | Last Updated: August 21, 2016

Over a six-month period, she went through three distinct exercises to decide what to write about in her Harvard Business School application essay. First, she wrote down every important moment in her life going back to kindergarten. Then, the candidate re-read all her journals. And finally, she jotted down everything she loved to do. All…

Crafting That MBA Essay On Leadership (NEWS)

By: Deborah Knox | Last Updated: October 4, 2019

One way or another, if you apply to business school, you’re going to need to demonstrate that you’re a leader. While this is being asked less explicitly via essay prompts these days, you’re almost guaranteed to be asked about your leadership skills in your interviews. You’ll also want to highlight them in your résumé and…

Before You Write That HBS Essay…. (NEWS)

By: Jeremy Shinewald | Last Updated: October 4, 2019

Harvard Business School (HBS) has announced that it has a new essay question for those aspiring to be part of its Class of 2018 and that writing an essay is now mandatory. Apparently, though, no one considered last year’s essay optional, because HBS Director of Admissions Dee Leopold reported in a recent blog post…

For Sale: Successful HBS Applicant Essays (NEWS)

By: John A. Byrne | Last Updated: April 8, 2020

When I was 12, I watched my dad tattoo himself for four hours. I assumed this meant he was the toughest guy in the world. I quickly learned, however, that he was human, and nothing demonstrated this like our family’s finances. Bounced checks, late rent, and payday loans were de rigueur within families like ours,…

No Essay and No Waiting: What’s Not to Like? (NEWS)

By: Jeff Schmitt | Last Updated: May 29, 2020

Shanti Elangovan didn’t plan on enrolling in business school. An elementary school teacher who’d earned masters degrees in education at Columbia University and public health at Boston University, Elangovan dreamed of working in educational administration and reform (or even launching her own school). In 2013, she began researching a Ph.D. in educational leadership at the…

This Year’s Essays Demand Authenticity (NEWS)

By: Maya Itah | Last Updated: October 21, 2021

‘Tis the season, MBA hopefuls. One by one, top business schools are releasing essay questions for the 2013-2014 application cycle. Thus far, the length, tone and style of the questions has varied widely. Harvard Business School, Darden and Anderson opted to keep things simple by requiring only one essay; Columbia even asked for a tweet-sized…

The Secrets to Short Admissions Essays (NEWS)

By: Jeff Schmitt | Last Updated: October 21, 2021

5 Tips for Writing a Concise B-School Admissions Essay Remember padding your high school essays to reach an assigned word count? Back then, we thought it’d be so much better if we could write less. Well, times have certainly changed! These days, it seems like business schools want you to respond in haiku form. Harvard,…

Perfecting The Careers Goals Essay (NEWS)

By: Evan Forster and David Thomas | Last Updated: October 26, 2021

“Vision is making people see what they have not seen, and making them follow you,” says MIT Sloan’s Rod Garcia who has led MBA admissions for the school for many years. Helping you dig down deep to determine your long-term vision is the central theme of your candidacy around which every other part hinges. One…

Lady Gaga On This MBA Essay? (NEWS)

By: John A. Byrne | Last Updated: November 17, 2021

Lady Gaga's "I Was Born This Way?" Or Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Possess Your Heart?" Or maybe some other catchy tune? With all the changes in MBA application essays this year, you knew it had to happen sooner or later. UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business is now asking applicants to choose one…

INSEAD’s Trickiest MBA Essay Question (NEWS)

By: jesussalazar | Last Updated: February 22, 2022

What are the most challenging essay questions business schools ask applicants? That’s a question we've been answering on a regular basis now in five parts of a six-part series. We've tackled the most difficult questions from Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Kellogg, MIT and now INSEAD. Stacy Blackman, founder of the MBA admissions consulting firm that bears…

Kellogg’s Most Challenging Essay (NEWS)

By: jesussalazar | Last Updated: February 22, 2022

What are the most challenging essay questions business schools ask applicants? That’s a question we hope to answer in this new six-part series. Stacy Blackman, founder of the MBA admissions consulting firm that bears her name, is picking out what she considers to be the most challenging and then providing advice for how to approach each…

Stanford’s Mind-Boggling Essay (NEWS)

By: jesussalazar | Last Updated: March 22, 2022

What are the most challenging essay questions business schools ask applicants? That’s a question we hope to answer in the second feature in this new six-part series. Stacy Blackman, founder of the MBA admissions consulting firm that bears her name, is picking out what she considers to be the most challenging and then providing advice for…

Handling Wharton’s Challenging Essays (NEWS)

By: jesussalazar | Last Updated: March 23, 2022

What are the most challenging essay questions business schools ask applicants? That’s a question we hope to answer in the second feature in this new six-part series. Stacy Blackman, founder of the MBA admissions consulting firm that bears her name, is picking out what she considers to be the most challenging and then providing advice for…

Writing The Off-Beat MBA Essay (NEWS)

By: Linda Abraham | Last Updated: March 30, 2022

You'll have no trouble finding advice on how to write an MBA goals essay or a leadership essay – these are the typical MBA essays that most people expect in an application package. But what if you get a wild card? Creative or off-beat questions tend to trip up applicants and there's not much info…

Essays: Responding to Criticism (NEWS)

By: Linda Abraham | Last Updated: October 3, 2019

Next up in our series on major MBA application essay topics: responding to criticism. A typical essay question in this category may be something like, "What is the toughest criticism/constructive feedback you have ever received, and what did you learn from it?" Yes, you'd much rather write about your achievements and the great reviews you've…

The Optional Essay: Use it or Lose it? (NEWS)

By: Linda Abraham | Last Updated: October 11, 2019

You've just spent hours – or more likely weeks – writing the two to four essays that most top MBA programs require. The last thing you want to do is write another essay…unless of course that essay will help you. How do you know if it's worth it to spend the time composing an optional…

Three Essential Keys To The Goals Essay (NEWS)

By: Linda Abraham | Last Updated: October 10, 2019

There are 3 essential ingredients to a successful MBA goals essay, arguably the most common and important essay in MBA applications. Your MBA goals essay must be: Focused Anecdotal Realistic Let’s take a peek under the hood of each element: Focused: Your short-term goal should include one function you would like to perform and one…

Essay Advice: If You’re Reapplying… (NEWS)

By: Linda Abraham | Last Updated: October 9, 2019

If you wanted to boil down your goal in writing the reapplication essay to four words, they would be: Show how you've grown. The adcoms may compare this year’s application with the past dinged one – or at least with the notes from reviewers. And they'll be looking for improvement, plain and simple. To show…

Writing the Self-Revelation Essay (NEWS)

By: Paul S. Bodine | Last Updated: October 3, 2019

Andrew wanted to get into Stanford, but I told him he wasn’t being realistic. His 700 GMAT was ﬁne, but didn’t compensate completely for his mediocre GPA in college, his hardly electrifying proﬁle (IT guy with a major consultancy), and his ﬁne but unremarkable extracurricular credentials. Then Andrew told me his story. Raised in one…

MBA Essays: Why The Goals Essay Is Critical (NEWS)

By: Paul S. Bodine | Last Updated: October 3, 2019

Make no mistake. Of all the essays you’ll write for your business school application, the goals essay is the most important. It’s the one essay in which schools most explicitly ask you to answer the central question that underlies your entire application—why exactly do you need an MBA? Not surprisingly, it’s also the essay that…

The Ghostwriters of MBA Essays (NEWS)

By: John A. Byrne | Last Updated: November 30, 2010

"My clients are not lazy or trying to be unethical. They work in industries where the hours are really long and writing skills are not emphasized… I think I'm helping people. People who go to these lengths will get the most out of business school." That's Blake Reynolds, founder of a college essay-writing service in…

Stanford’s Famous ‘Tortilla’ Essay (NEWS)

By: John A. Byrne | Last Updated: October 6, 2010

The very first question applicants to Stanford’s MBA program must answer is this one: “What matters most to you, and why?” A few years ago, one applicant wrote the now famous so-called ‘tortilla essay’ and it was published on the Internet. Immediately, at least in MBA admission circles, it became the equivalent of the infamous…