Continuing our commentary on the essay questions for schools with upcoming December deadlines, today’s installment focuses on the topics for UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. This program’s format doubles as an opportunity and a challenge, as the various short answer topics allow applicants to discuss a variety of topics, but all within a tight word limit. Because the career goals essay – the real centerpiece of your application – comes last here (as opposed to first as with many schools), it will be important to provide a good deal of context about your role, company and the chronology of your story in your shorter essays.
Short Answers
1. What is your favorite quote, and why is it meaningful to you? (250 word maximum)
This question gives you a chance to reveal some words – and a concept behind them – that have had a significant and positive influence on your outlook and decisions. The adcom wants to get to know you a bit better though your answer to this question, so take some time to reflect on a quote that really resonates with you and ties into your overall message and candidacy. While we encourage you to be thoughtful and sincere, it’s also crucial that you think strategically; as with all essays, you want to avoid potentially controversial or sensitive subjects such as politics or religion. It would also be wise to avoid those that are intensely personal (such as a quote above love or death), as this could prohibit you from introducing important information about your candidacy in your response. Finally, try to be original when choosing a quote. You won’t win any points for picking something that has been used by hundreds of other applicants over the years.
2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
You’ll clearly want to select an impressive achievement to discuss here – ideally one in which you had a positive impact on a group or organization (as it would reflect well on you to say that you consider it significant that you improved something for others). It will be important to comment not only on the results, but also on the actions and thought process by which you brought them about. Note that the question does not limit you to the professional realm, so feel free to think of examples from your outside activities in selecting a topic for this short response.
3. At Haas, we value individual differences. Beyond nationality or citizenship, what makes you unique compared to other MBA applicants? (250 word maximum)
Think carefully about the most interesting elements of your undergraduate experience, career to date and extracurricular pursuits, as this is your chance to highlight those things that are special about you and ensure that you stand out from other applicants. Although Haas has taken nationality and citizenship off the table as topics, this does not mean that you can’t comment on any international experiences or elements of your cultural exposure that might enable you to bring something valuable to the community. Beyond this, you might also consider any unusual hobbies you pursue or interesting activities you enjoy outside of work.
4. If you have visited Haas, please let us know what about your visit made the most lasting impression on you. If you have not visited Haas, what steps have you taken to familiarize yourself with our MBA program? (250 word maximum)
This is a rather transparent test to determine whether you’ve done your homework and are making an informed decision in applying to Haas’ program. Because some applicants treat this school as a backup for Stanford and other programs, it will be to your advantage to convince the adcom that you are sincere in your interest by explaining the appealing elements that are unique to the Berkeley MBA. Obviously, the more specific knowledge you are able to demonstrate, the better; the adcom would love to hear that an applicant has been in touch with students, is familiar with the campus and understands the Haas culture and program.
Required Essays
1. Give us an example of a time when you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
It would be ideal to provide a solid professional example here, but an example from an extracurricular activity would suffice as well if you have made a more significant impact on an outside organization than you have in the workplace. To an extent, your topic choice may depend on how you’ve answered the earlier questions (since you’ll want to achieve balance across the essays). Another thing to note about this question is that it does not specify that you be in a formal leadership role – any time you exhibited the characteristics of a leader to affect positive change is fair game here. Essentially, you should aim to use this essay to highlight your interpersonal skills and ability to direct the efforts of others toward a constructive end.
2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)
Interestingly, Haas chooses to end its essay section with the typical career goals essay, whereas most schools lead off with this topic. Rather than providing an overview of and introduction to your candidacy (as is the case with the career goals essay for most schools), this essay will instead be the culmination of your message to the adcom. Make sure to tie together the themes that you’ve introduced in your other responses, and end on a note of enthusiasm about the program and the timing of your application.
Contact Clear Admit to learn more about our counseling services for Haas and other December/January MBA deadlines. You can set up a free initial chat with one of our admissions consultants by emailing your CV/resume to info@clearadmit.com.
