Essay Topics - 2/13 - Clear Admit MBA Admissions Blog

Please answer each of the four (4) questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are going professionally, and why. (600 words total)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long‐term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA? (If you plan to use your Yale MBA to make a significant change in the nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. The intentions of our students to engage in a broad-minded business school community and to connect to an eminent and purposeful university greatly influences the Yale MBA experience. How do you plan to be involved in the Yale SOM and greater Yale communities? » Continue reading

Dartmouth / Tuck Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on July 11, 2011, at 10:43 am
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School: Dartmouth / Tuck

The 2011-2012 Dartmouth/Tuck essay topics have been announced! The essays are as follows:

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

2. Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?

3. Describe a circumstance in your life in which you faced adversity, failure, or setback. What actions did you take as a result and what did you learn from this experience? » Continue reading

Duke / Fuqua 2011-2012 Essay Topics

Posted by Clear Admit on July 1, 2011, at 9:23 am
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School: Duke / Fuqua

The Fuqua admissions office released the 2011-2012 deadlines and essay topics before the holiday weekend. The three prompts for first time applicants are as follows:

Essay 1: Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.

Essay 2: How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua’s diverse culture?

Essay 3: Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)

The Duke admissions committee states that applicants should respond to each question in no more than 2 pages using 1.5 line spacing and font size that is at least 10 point.

The school also released this year’s optional essay question and re-applicant essay topic:

Optional Essay: If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).

Re-applicant Essay: All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.

For more information about how to apply to the Duke MBA class of 2014, visit the Fuqua admissions website.

Northwestern / Kellogg 2011-2012 Deadlines and Essay Topics

Posted by Clear Admit on June 30, 2011, at 4:25 pm
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School: Northwestern / Kellogg

The Kellogg admissions office has announced the 2011-2012 application deadlines and essay topics. The deadlines and essay questions are as follows:

2011-2012 Deadlines

Round 1:
Off-campus Interview Request – September 22, 2011
On-campus Interview Request – October 18, 2011
Complete Interview By – December 3, 2011
Application Part II – October 18, 2011
Decision – December 19, 2011
Tuition Deposit – March 6, 2012

Round 2:
Off-campus Interview Request – December 14, 2011
On-campus Interview Request – January 10, 2012
Complete Interview By – March 3, 2012
Application Part II – January 10, 2012
Decision – March 26, 2012
Tuition Deposit – May 1, 2012

Round 3:
Off-campus Interview Request – March 22, 2012
On-campus Interview Request – April 5, 2012
Complete Interview By – April 27, 2012
Application Part II – April 5, 2012
Decision – May 14, 2012
Tuition Deposit – June 4, 2012

2011-2012 Essay Topics

Essay 1: MBA Program applicants – Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 word limit)

Essay 2: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit).

Essay 3: Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit).

Essay 4: Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.

a) Describe a time you had to inspire a reluctant individual or group….
b) People may be surprised to learn that I…..
c) The riskiest personal or professional decision I ever made was…..

Reapplicant Essay: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit)

For more information about Kellogg’s two-part application system, visit the school’s deadlines page.

UNC / Kenan-Flagler 2011-2012 Essay Topics

Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2011, at 1:03 pm
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School: UNC / Kenan Flagler

The UNC / Kenan-Flagler admissions committee has confirmed that the 2011-2012 essay topics will remain unchanged from last year’s application essay questions. Here are the prompts for the three required and two optional essays:

Essay 1:
What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? (500 words maximum)

Essay 2:
Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)

Essay 3:
What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)

Essay 4 (optional):
If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)

Essay 5 (optional):
Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)

Deadlines for the 2011-2012 application season were posted earlier this month.

UVA / Darden 2011-2012 Essay Topics

Posted by Clear Admit on June 28, 2011, at 10:22 am
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School: Virginia / Darden

The Darden admissions committee has released the first of its essay topics for the 2011-2012 application season. Here is what Darden has posted so far:

Essay 1: Share your perspective on leadership in the workplace and describe how it has been shaped by the increasing influence of globalization. (500 words maximum)

Stay tuned to the Clear Admit blog for the remaining UVA / Darden essay questions!

Analysis of INSEAD Personal Essay 5: a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? OR b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock.

Posted by Clear Admit on June 26, 2011, at 12:00 pm
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School: INSEAD

Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum) or
b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words maximum)

This sort of question is designed to gauge an applicant’s cultural sensitivity and ability to conduct business in an international setting, and probably comes as no surprise to applicants who are familiar with INSEAD’s reputation as a highly international program. The first option asks applicants to recount a trying experience in another country or environment, and to explain the resulting personal growth and process of adjustment. Meanwhile, the second asks candidates to reflect on the unique characteristics of his or her own culture and anticipate the issues that a visitor might encounter. In both responses, one has an opportunity to demonstrate cultural flexibility, offering evidence for his or her ability to operate as a global citizen and work in diverse teams. Of course, many of the best essays will manage to incorporate a healthy dose of lessons learned, indicating that cultural adjustment can be fraught with trial and error rather than sugar-coating a response and failing to outline the struggles or periods of adjustment.

To read our analysis of all of INSEAD’s essay questions, click here.

INSEAD Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on June 24, 2011, at 12:38 pm
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School: INSEAD

The 2011-2012 INSEAD essay topics have been released! The application can be accessed on INSEAD’s admissions website. This year’s essay topics are as follows:

Job Description Essays:

Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved. (250 words maximum)
Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words maximum)
If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme? (250 words maximum)

Personal Essays:

Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (600 words maximum)
Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date (if possible specify one personal and one professional), explaining why you view them as such. (400 words maximum)
Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed. Discuss what you learned. (400 words maximum)
a) Discuss your short and long term career goals. (300 words maximum) and b) How will studying at INSEAD help you achieve your vision? (250 words maximum)
Please choose one of the following two essay topics: a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What insights did you gain? (250 words maximum) or b) Describe the ways in which a foreigner in your country might experience culture shock. (250 words maximum)
Is there anything that you have not mentioned in your application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (350 words maximum) This section is optional.

The 2011-2012 INSEAD deadlines were released in early May.

Cornell / Johnson Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on June 21, 2011, at 10:20 am
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School: Cornell / Johnson

The 2011-2012 Cornell / Johnson essay topics are now available! The three essays are below:

What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why? (400 words)
You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please write the table of contents for the book. Note: Approach this essay with your unique style. We value creativity and authenticity. (400 words)
What legacy would you hope to leave as a Johnson graduate? (200 words)

For more information – including essay strategies from Johnson’s admissions committee – visit the Cornell Johnson Admissions Blog. The Cornell / Johnson deadlines will be revealed later in the summer.

Michigan / Ross Deadlines and Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on June 16, 2011, at 9:22 am
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School: Michigan / Ross

The 2011-2012 Michigan / Ross deadlines and essay topics have been announced! The three rounds of deadlines are as follows:

Round I
Deadline: October 10, 2011
Notification: January 13, 2012

Round II:
Deadline: January 4, 2012
Notification: March 15, 2012

Round III:
Deadline: March 1, 2012
Notification: May 15, 2012

The 2011-2012 essay topics are below:

1. Introduce yourself to your future Ross classmates in 100 words or less.

2. Describe your career goals. How will an MBA from Ross help you to achieve those goals? What is your vision for how you can make a unique contribution to the Ross community? (500 word maximum)

3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)

4. Select one of the following questions:
• What are you most passionate about? (300 word maximum)
• Describe a personal challenge or obstacle and why you view it as such. How have you dealt with it? What have you learned from it? (300 word maximum)

5. Optional question: Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (500 word maximum)

International applicants are encouraged to apply in either Round I or II. The fall 2012 application will be available online in August. For more information, visit Ross’s admissions website.

Stanford GSB Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on June 10, 2011, at 9:26 am
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School: Stanford

The 2011-2012 Stanford GSB essay topics have been released, following up on the program’s earlier release of its 2011-2012 deadlines.

The essay topics are below:

Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?

Essay 2: What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?

Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
Option C: Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.
Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined or established.

Applicants should note that, in total, the three essays cannot exceed 1,800 words. The Stanford admissions committee recommends 750 words for Essay 1, 450 words for Essay 2 and 300 words for each response to Essay 3. For more information on the Stanford GSB essay topics, including the content the Stanford admissions committee hopes to see in these essays, make sure to visit the program’s website.

Berkeley / Haas Essay Topics 2011-2012

Posted by Clear Admit on June 6, 2011, at 5:24 pm
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School: Berkeley / Haas

The Berkeley / Haas essay topics for the 2011-2012 admissions season are now available. Haas released its 2011-2012 deadlines earlier this spring. The essay topics are below:

1. What brings you the greatest joy? How does this make you distinctive? (250 word maximum)

2. What is your most significant accomplishment (250 word maximum)

3. Describe a time when you questioned an established practice or thought within an organization. How did your actions create positive change? (250 word maximum)

4. Describe a time when you were a student of your own failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development? (250 word maximum)

5. Describe a time when you led by inspiring or motivating others toward a shared goal. (250 word maximum)

6. a) What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How have your professional experiences prepared you to achieve these goals? b) How will an MBA from Haas help you achieve these goals? (1000 word maximum for 6a and 6b)

Applicants should note that all six essay questions require a response. For more information, visit Haas’s admissions website.