UCLA Anderson Essay Topics

Essays are the primary way for you to share your perspectives and plans. The best essays are introspective, genuine and succinct in directly answering our questions and responding to our topics.

• Essay questions are listed below for both first-time applicants and re-applicants.
• You should try to distinguish yourself by showing what makes you different from others who share similar profiles.
• Personal expression is what we are looking for, not platitudes.
• Making a strong case for your future plans requires you to first do research on career paths and find one that resonates. Even if this target will change during business school, your application essays should lay out a clear trajectory for short-term and long-term goals. Do this by demonstrating how you expect to build on skills from your past, and those you expect to gain from the MBA.
• Essays are more compelling if they include specific courses, programs, groups, opportunities, activities, etc. from which you would benefit, if admitted to UCLA Anderson. These references are best found through website research, personal discussions and a campus visit (if possible).
• Content and clarity are key elements, as we seek superior communication skills.
• Style is a consideration too, although we understand that those who speak other languages may have different manners of expression in English.
• We do check your essays for plagiarism, so make sure you always submit your own work.
• Length does not equal strength. A well-written short essay can have even more impact than a longer essay. Please try to respect the word limits indicated below.
• All responses to essays must be on double-spaced pages that are uploaded as a document. We do not accept essays in any other media but written form.

FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS - TWO REQUIRED ESSAYS:

• What is your proudest achievement outside the workplace, and how has it impacted you? (700 words maximum)
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from UCLA Anderson specifically help you achieve these goals? (700 words maximum)

OPTIONAL ESSAY:

The following essay is optional. No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay. Please note that we only accept written essays.

• Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)

RE-APPLICANTS - ONE REQUIRED ESSAY:

Reapplicants who applied for the class entering in fall 2011 or 2012 are required to complete the following essay:

• Please describe your career progress since you last applied and ways in which you have enhanced your candidacy. Include updates on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (700 words maximum)

Emory Essay Topics

Answer all essays (numbers 1 through 4), following the directions indicated in the questions.

1. Complete each of the following questions. Please limit your response to 150 words each.
   
   • Why have you decided to pursue an MBA at this time?
   • What are your short term post MBA goals?
   • What are your long term professional aspirations?
2. Share one of your most significant professional accomplishments. Describe your precise role in this activity and how it has helped to shape your management skills. Please limit your response to 500 words.
   
3. The Business School is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. It is his legacy and the strength of his character that gives rise to our vision: Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. We encourage you to watch this short video for inspiration in answering the question. The transcript of the video can be found here.
   Mr. Goizueta was an inspirational leader. Describe your leadership style and give an example of how you will use that style to make an impact on Goizueta Business School as a student or alumnus. Please limit your response to 300 words.
   
4. Complete one of the following statements. Please limit your response to 300 words.
   
   • I am unique because...
   • My most memorable cross-cultural experience...
   • I am passionate about...
   • The best piece of advice I've ever received is...

Optional Essay: If you have additional information or feel there are extenuating circumstances which you would like to share with the MBA Admissions Committee (i.e. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance issues or areas of weakness in application). Please limit your response to 250 words.

Re-Applicant Essays

Applicants who have applied to Goizueta Business School in the past are required to answer two questions:

1. Complete each of the following questions. Please limit your response to 150 words each.
   
   • Why have you decided to pursue an MBA at this time?
   • What are your short-term post-MBA goals?
   • What are your long-term professional aspirations?
2. Explain how you have improved your candidacy for Goizueta Business School’s MBA Program since your last application. Please limit your response to 250 words.
   

You may also submit the optional essay if you wish.

Kenan Flagler Essay Topics

UNC / Kenan-Flagler has posted their essay topics for the 2012-2013 admissions season!  The essay questions are as follows:

Essay One (Required): What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)

Essay Two (Required): 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 Three (Required): 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 Four (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 Five (Optional): Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)

Duke Essay Topics

The essay topics for the 2012-2013 admissions season at Fuqua have been released! 

Required Short Answer Questions: Answer all 3 questions. Respond in 250 characters only (the equivalent of about 50 words).
1.  What are your short-term goals, post-MBA?
2.  What are your long-term goals?

3.  Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?

Required Essays: Answer both essay questions.

1.  The “Team Fuqua” spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions Team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of “25 Random Things About Yourself.” As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire’s professional and academic background, so learning these “25 Random Things” helps us get to know someone’s personality, background, special talents, and more. In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU.

Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages.

2.  When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you.

Your response to this essay question should be no more than 2 pages in length. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

Optional Essay

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

• Do NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area of the application.
• The Optional Essay is intended to provide the Admissions Committee with insight into your extenuating circumstances only.
• Limit your response to two pages.

Kellogg Essay Topics

The 2012-2013 Northwestern/Kellogg essay topics have been announced!. This year’s essays are below:

1. Discuss moments or influences in your personal life that have defined who you are today. (500 word limit)
2. What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely (personally and/or professionally). (500 word limit)
3. Imagine yourself at your Kellogg graduation. What career will you be preparing to enter, and how have the MBA and Kellogg helped you get there? (Please answer in terms of your program choice: One-Year, Two-Year, MMM, JD-MBA) (500 word limit)
4. What one interesting or fun fact would you want your future Kellogg classmates to know about you? (25 words or less)

 Re-Applicants Only
Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit). Please note: re-applicants are required to answer this question in addition to #1-4.

Additional Information (Optional)
If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (No word limit)

For more information, visit Kellogg’s admissions website.

Chicago Booth Essay Topics

Chicago/Booth has released its 2012-2013 essay topics. This year’s topics are as follows:

1. Essay

What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will an MBA from Chicago Booth help you reach them? (500 words)

2. Short Answer Essays

a. What has been your biggest challenge, and what have you learned from it? (200 words maximum)

b. Tell us about something that has fundamentally transformed the way you think. (200 words maximum)

3. Presentation/Essay

The Chicago experience will take you deeper into issues, force you to challenge assumptions, and broaden your perspective. In a four-slide presentation or an essay of no more than 600 words, broaden our perspective about who you are. Understanding what we currently know about you from the application, what else would you like us to know?

Question 3 Guidelines

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right, or even preferred, approach to this presentation.

• There is a strict maximum of four pages (presentation) or 600 words (essay), though you can provide fewer if you choose.

• Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.

• The document will be viewed electronically, but we cannot support embedded videos, music, or motion images. Additionally, all content MUST be included in the four pages; hyperlinks will not be viewed.

• The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.

Re-applicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)

The Chicago/Booth online application will become available in August. For more information, visit Booth’s admissions website.

Ross Essay Topics

The essay topics for the 2012-2013 admissions season at Michigan / Ross have been announced!  This year’s questions 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? (300 word maximum)
3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn about yourself from that experience? (500 word maximum)
4. What are you most passionate about and why? How will this passion positively impact Ross (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)

For more information, visit the Ross admissions website.

Tuck Essay Topics

The 2012-2013 Dartmouth/Tuck essay topics have been announced! This year’s questions are below:

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, and what will you uniquely contribute to the community? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

1. Discuss your most meaningful leadership experience. What did you learn about your own individual strengths and weaknesses through this experience?
2. 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?
3. (Optional) Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.
4. (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.

Tuck encourages applicants to limit the length of their responses to 500 words for each essay. The online application will be available in early August.

MIT Sloan Essay Topics

MIT / Sloan adcom has announced its 2012-2013 essay topics, which are as follows:

Cover Letter (up to 500 words)

Please prepare a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should describe your accomplishments, address any extenuating circumstances that may apply to your application, and conform to standard business correspondence. Your letter should be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions.

Essays

We are interested in learning more about how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Please limit the experiences you discuss to those which have occurred in the past three years.

In each of the essays, please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.

Essay 1: Please describe a time when you had to convince a person or a group of your idea. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)

Essay 2: Please describe a time when you overcame a personal setback. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)

Supplemental Information (Optional)

The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us or your future classmates to know about you. This may be in written or multimedia format. Please do not use Flash Media Player, and include a URL where it can be accessed online. Written essays should be 300 words or fewer.

For more information, visit MIT / Sloan’s admissions website.

Cornell Johnson Essay Topics

Cornell/Johnson has announced its 2012-2013 essay topics, which are as follows:

Part I:  Career Choice Essay (300 word maximum)

How would you characterize your career since college?

This is not your job description or complete history of your work since graduating (we already ask for that in the online portion and can see this on your resume).  You need to choose the most important elements that show your initiative, contribution, leadership and results achieved.

Part II:  Career Goal Essay (400 word maximum)

Tell us about your short and long term career goals.

Please show you have a clear direction for your goal post-MBA.  Good essays will emphasize what an applicant wants to do while at Johnson and how you will use this experience to accomplish your goal.

Part III:  Character Essay (400 word maximum for chosen question), please choose one of the following to write about:

1. a. 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.
2. b. Describe a situation taken from your personal or professional life where you failed and tell us what you learned.
3. c. What does diversity mean to you and how will you contribute to the diversity of our community at Johnson?

The 2012-2013 application will go live at the beginning of July.  The admissions committee will start reading applications as soon as they are submitted. For more information, visit Johnson’s admissions website.

Yale SOM Essay Topics

Yale SOM has announced its 2012-2013 essay topics. This year’s topics are as follows:

1. What prompted your decision to get an MBA?  When did you realize that this was a step you wanted – or needed – to take? (150 words maximum)

2. Describe a difficult professional decision you had to make.  What were the consequences, and what, if anything, did you learn?  Would you make the same decision again? (300 words maximum)

3. The Yale School of Management provides a leadership education characterized by broad-minded and intellectually curious students with diverse backgrounds, a distinctive integrated curriculum, connections to one of the great research universities in the world, and the broad reach of an innovative and expanding global network of top business schools.  What will you contribute to the Yale SOM community, and how will being part of it help you extend your professional vision? (300 words maximum)

4. What do you consider to be your most significant accomplishment?  Why? (300 words maximum)

Reapplicants to Yale SOM must respond to Question 1 and Question 4, and then compose a response to the following question:

What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application? (300 words maximum).

For more information, visit Yale SOM’s admissions website.

NYU Stern Essay Topics

NYU/Stern has announced its 2012-2013 essay topics. This year, candidates are required to respond to three questions and may complete a fourth optional essay. The NYU/Stern essay topics are as follows:

Essay 1: Professional Aspirations (750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

(a) Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?

(b) What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?

(c) What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?

Essay 2: Your Two Paths (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

The mission of the Stern School of Business is to develop people and ideas that transform the challenges of the 21st century into opportunities to create value for business and society. Given today’s ever-changing global landscape, Stern seeks and develops leaders who thrive in ambiguity, embrace a broad perspective and think creatively about the range of ways they can have impact.

(a) Describe two different and distinct paths you could see your career taking long term. How do you see your two paths unfolding?

(b) How do your paths tie to the mission of NYU Stern?

(c) What factors will most determine which path you will take?

Essay 3: Personal Expression

Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. If you submit a non-written piece for Essay 3 (i.e., artwork or multimedia) or if you submit Essay 3 via mail, please upload a brief description of your submission with your online application.

Guidelines for Essay 3:

• Your submission becomes the property of NYU Stern and cannot be returned for any reason.
• If you submit a written essay, it should be 500 words maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font.
• If you submit a video or audio file, it should be five minutes maximum.
• If you prepare a multimedia submission, you may mail a CD, DVD or USB flash drive to the Admissions Office. These are the only acceptable methods of submission.
• Please do not submit an internet link to any websites or to a video hosting service such as YouTube.
• The Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an alternate Essay 3 if we are unable to view your submission.
• Do not submit anything perishable (e.g. food), or any item that has been worn (e.g. clothing).

Candidates should also make sure to visit Stern’s website to review the size restrictions for Essay 3. Submissions that exceed the restrictions will not be accepted.

Essay 4: Optional

Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.

If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason in Essay 4. If you are a re-applicant from last year, please explain how your candidacy has improved since your last application. For more information concerning NYU/Stern’s 2012-2013 essay topics, visit the program’s admissions website.

Wharton Essay topics

Wharton has released its 2012-2013 essay topics.  Applicants this year must respond to three essay questions totaling 1,400 words.  The essay topics are listed below.

Required Question:

How will Wharton MBA help you achieve your professional objectives? (400 words)

Respond to two of the following three questions: 

1. Select a Wharton MBA course, co-curricular opportunity or extra-curricular engagement that you are interested in. Tell us why you chose this activity and how it connects to your interests. (500 words)
2. Imagine your work obligations for the afternoon were cancelled and you found yourself “work free” for three hours, what would you do? (500 words) 
3. “Knowledge for Action draws upon the great qualities that have always been evident at Wharton: rigorous research, dynamic thinking, and thoughtful leadership.” – Thomas S. Robertson, Dean, The Wharton School. Tell us about a time when you put knowledge into action. (500 words)

Reapplicant Essay:

All reapplicants to Wharton are required to complete the Optional Essay. Please use this space to explain how you have reflected on the previous decision on your application and to discuss any updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, extracurricular/volunteer engagements). You may also use this section to address any extenuating circumstances. (250 words)

Optional Essay:

If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application). (250 words)

For more information, visit Wharton’s admissions website.