Ross MBA Essays for fall 2015 has been released. The number of questions has come down from three mandatory questions that include three sub-questions to two questions and one optional essay.
Ross MBA Essay Tips Fall 2015
1. What are you most proud of professionally and why? What did you learn from that experience? (400 words)
With just 400 words, and the second part of the question asking, “What did you learn from that experience”, it is clear that you have to focus on one experience that is worthy to be mentioned in an MBA Application. There is a wide misconception among MBA Applicants that professional achievements should be something spectacular. Sure, you cannot write about trivial achievements but an experience that is close to your heart is worth writing.
Any professional experience where you cannot communicate the work you put, the small failures you faced, and the lessons learned are trivial professional achievements.
Context
Before you go into the events, and circumstances, offer context on the professional environment – colleagues, team size, hierarchy in the organization/team, and your role. You don’t have to explain it in one go, but makes sure that the Admissions committee is aware of the role that each individual in the narrative played.
Roadblock
After you have set the context, describe the roadblock. It can be something related to the deadline, a difficult colleague or boss, technical challenge, or lack of resources to complete the project. The admission team should feel the challenge, and it depends on how you explain the problem. This is the most crucial aspect. Without a clear description, overcoming the problem might not seem inspirational.
Overcoming Roadblock
You could not be proud of an achievement if the roadblock were not substantial, and the learning curve steep. Explain how the experience changed you as a person, and reinforced your values.
The word count is 400 words, which means less than a page and this limits applicants from elaborating about the context. Spend 1/4th of the words on the context, 1/4th on the roadblocks, and the remaining ½ on the results and what it meant to you. 
2. What are you most proud of personally and why? How does it shape who you are today? (400 words)
Writing about professional achievement is a breeze compared to writing about personal journey. Since first essay reveals your professional competence, this essay should focus on the extracurricular or hobby that defines your personality.
If you have worked in a non-profit, and your strategy had helped the team raise considerable fund for the organization, cite them in this essay. Give a 1-2 sentence summary of the strategy, and offer context about the fund raised, and what it meant to the non-profit – “Funding 100 underprivileged children for 1 year”, “Sponsoring 1500 Textbooks for Grade 5 Students”, and the like. The results should be tangible so that the Admission team understands the impact. Results in dollar value might not elicit the right emotional response but when you explain that the dollars were immediately put to good use, the impact becomes clear.
If it was a competition - a half marathon, explain the daily routine that you endured for the preparation, how you felt initially, and how you overcame procrastination. The change in behavior is important and should be explained precisely. What motivated you to sign up for the event? If your mantra is “To sign-up for things you hate or fear” - explain how this attitude has helped you overcome some of the toughest challenges. Dwell on the feeling you went through on reaching the goal, and why you still remember that event.
Don’t include multiple life events as it would dilute the impact of the narrative. Shortlist 3-5 events, and pick the event that had a permanent impact on your personality and behavior.
If you want us to evaluate your life events and shortlist the best one, fill this form
3. Optional question: Is there anything not addressed elsewhere in the application that you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (300 words)
Use this space to write about courses in your undergraduate where you have fared below the average of the class. If you had an unusual career path, a.k.a, tried different career options, failed and realized that management is where your heart is, use this space to explain how you realized your true strengths.
Once you have written your draft essay, submit it to us for a detailed review
About the Author
I am Atul Jose, Founding Consultant of F1GMAT, an MBA admissions consultancy that has worked with applicants since 2009.
For the past 15 years I have edited the application files of admits to the M7 programs: Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Wharton School, MIT Sloan, Chicago Booth, Kellogg School of Management, and Columbia Business School, together with admits to Berkeley Haas, Yale School of Management, NYU Stern, Michigan Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, SDA Bocconi, IESE Business School, HEC Paris, McCombs, and Tepper, plus other programs inside the global top 30.
My work covers the full MBA application deliverable: career planning and profile evaluation, application essay editing, recommendation letter editing, mock interviews and interview preparation, scholarship and fellowship essay editing, and cover letter editing for funding applications. Full bio with credentials and admit history is here.
I am the author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, the best-selling essay guide covering M7 MBA programs. I have written and updated the guide annually since 2013, which makes the 2026 edition the thirteenth.
The reason I still write and edit essays every cycle: a good MBA essay carries a real applicant's voice. Writing essays for F1GMAT's Books and Editing essays weekly is how I stay calibrated to what current admissions committees respond to.
Contact me for school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative development, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing, or guidance documents for recommendation letters.