Sample MBA Essays and School Specific Tips

MIT Sloan MBA Cover Letter Prompt >>

Background Information: A field engineer in the oil and gas industry who transitioned to renewable wants to help businesses adopt sustainability practices to the climate-change realities we are likely to see in 2030.

Theme: Adaptability, Climate Change, Sustainability

Theme (Explained): Working towards holistic systems and adapting to the realities of climate change is a theme not many applicants are narrating. 

MIT Sloan MBA Cover Letter Prompt >>

MIT Sloan MBA Cover Letter Prompt >>

MIT Sloan MBA Cover Letter Prompt >>

Essay: Why Stanford?

Profile: Miss. N

Profile (Background): Miss. N, a Humanitarian Affairs Officer with an impressive record in the UN, pivoted and joined Facebook after getting frustrated with the slow pace of the bureaucracy in the organization. With the changes in Facebook to limit oversight on moderation, she rejoined the UN. The change she noticed at the UN from a leadership-driven to a technology-first culture made her aware that both extremes were not good for serving those affected in disaster-affected areas. 

Essay: Why Stanford?

Profile: Miss NL

Profile (Background): Miss NL, a PE investor, found her calling to enter a general management role while observing an inefficiency in delivery coffee to a customer in a Coffee Chain. Before working in PE, she was also part of the finance team that brought Apple Card to the market. 

Essay: Why Stanford?

Profile: Mr. SK

Profile (Background): Mr. SK, an accounting specialist in M&A, finds himself frustrated with contributing meaningfully to acquisitions and investment decisions. Although his accounting role is limited to due diligence, he witnessed deals that were driven by flawed beliefs of the founder/entrepreneur. 

With a Pivot to PE, Mr. SK wants to bring people-first principles to the PE industry. 

Essay: Why Stanford?

Profile: Mr. J

Profile (Background): Mr. J, a Brazilian investment banker, advised on pension funds. With a mandate to include ESG metrics in the fund, he explored deals that brought funds to farmlands in South America. With a family business in Africa in the agriculture sector, he wants to leverage his deal experience to bring sustainability to African farms.

Essay: Why Stanford?

Profile: Miss. K

Profile (Background): Miss K began her career in CPG marketing, helping reshape product narratives and consumer strategies at a multinational brand. She later took on a general management role within a commercial team, leading cross-functional initiatives to grow revenue while managing brand identity. Prior to Stanford, Miss. K also worked on community engagement projects focused on food access and health awareness, showing her interest in customer insights beyond profit metrics.