With many applicants turning their attention to Kenan-Flagler’s application at this point in the month, we wanted to offer our thoughts on each of the program’s inquiries for this year.
UNC’s application essays for this season are identical to last year’s. Rather than the typical approach of offering applicants a number of essay options and requiring that they select and respond to several of these, UNC includes two optional essays that might only be applicable to a portion of the applicant pool. Though the 2000 total words across the two required essays don’t put the school’s topics too far below the average in terms of total application length, most applicants will have to cover their entire candidacies in response to just two fairly narrow questions – a task that will require some considerable reflection and strategic thinking.
Essay 1: Describe your career progression to date, highlighting leadership and management positions and reasons for changing jobs or career paths, if applicable. Tell us how your experience, coupled with an MBA degree from UNC, will lead you to your short-term and long-term career goals (1200 words maximum).
While this question contains all of the components of the classic career goals/why MBA essay, there are some additional elements to consider here, namely that applicants are explicitly asked to explain changes in jobs and “highlight” leadership and management positions, perhaps sharing some very brief anecdotes about their work in such roles over the course of they essay. Because the second required question focuses on overcoming certain obstacles and reflecting on their lasting effects, this essay could be an applicant’s only chance to share a straightforward success story from the professional realm. Fortunately, the fairly high word limit should allow for this sort of elaboration.
Essay 2: Describe the major obstacles or challenges you have faced in pursuit of your goals. Tell us how you addressed these challenges and how they have shaped you (800 words maximum).
This is an interesting question, as it could be read as referring to one’s career goals as outlined in response to the previous question, or to a broader set of objectives that one has set for oneself over time. The latter interpretation might be the more advantageous, as this would allow an applicant to draw from a much broader range of examples and introduce his or her aspirations and priorities beyond the office. Either way, this essay is a good place to highlight instances of resourcefulness and persistence, and provide a comprehensive picture of personal development over the course of a narrative about achieving one’s objectives.
Essay 3 (Optional): Tell us about any international experience you have, either living or working abroad. Tell us how it has impacted your global perspective (400 words maximum).
This is a great opportunity to highlight an important element of one’s business school candidacy. Though not all applicants will have worked abroad, it’s important to remember that anything that has happened since beginning college is fair game for this essay, and that study abroad experiences and even extended trips for personal reasons could be applicable here (use your discretion when deciding how to define “living”). The adcom is looking for both an informative account of your time away from home as well as a thoughtful reflection on the way this experience expanded your horizons and influenced your subsequent pursuits and perceptions.
Essay Four (Optional): UNC Kenan-Flagler seeks to enroll students from a variety of undergraduate majors. Regardless of your major, we strongly recommend that all students enter the program with some background in calculus, microeconomics, statistics and financial accounting. If you have not studied one or more of these subjects in college or university, please tell us how you have developed proficiency in these areas. If you have not been exposed to one or more of these subjects, please tell us how you will prepare yourself prior to entering UNC Kenan-Flagler (400 words maximum).
As with any essay addressing what might be a perceived weakness in one’s academic record, the key to this kind of essay is to avoid making excuses or being defensive. It will simply be important to provide a straightforward account of your quantitative preparation and, if there is no coursework in these disciplines of which to speak, point to some examples from the professional realm that you feel demonstrate your proficiency. Of course, if you find yourself without any formal academic work to write about here, we would strongly recommend that you plan to enroll in at least one of the courses in question during the fall or spring semesters before matriculation, and share this intention with the adcom.
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