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The Notre Dame MBA - Class, Cost, Curriculum & Salary

The Norte Dame MBA program's pathways in Finance, Technology, Consulting, and Marketing provide students with opportunities to specialize further through majors, minors, and concentrations in their chosen sectors. Students can choose their concentration after the first semester.

The Notre Dame MBA program has shown impressive growth in salary and bonus averages, with an increase of 10.6% in just one year and a remarkable 22% rise since the challenging year of 2020. Notably, the Finance Industry offers a competitive median base salary of $175,000 to Notre Dame MBA graduates, placing it on par with other top-tier MBA programs.

Norte Dame MBA Class Profile

The Notre Dame MBA Class of 2024 is a diverse group of 120 individuals. With a median GMAT score of 710 and a median GRE score of 315, the class bring strong academic aptitude to the program. These students also boast an average of 5 years of valuable work experience, reflecting their practical knowledge and skills. Their diverse undergraduate backgrounds are highlighted by an average GPA of 3.3.

Class Profile Class of 2024
Class Size 120
Median GMAT Score 710
Median GRE Score 315
Average Work Experience 5 years
Average Undergraduate GPA 3.3

Norte Dame MBA Cost: 2023-24

The tuition cost for the Notre Dame MBA program stands at $64,660. Additionally, students should budget for the cost of living, which amounts to $31,647. This includes expenses like housing, meals, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs while pursuing their MBA.

When considering the total cost of attendance, which combines tuition and living expenses, it amounts to $96,307.

Moreover, it's worth noting that South Bend, Indiana, offers a relatively lower cost of living in housing and groceries, compared to large metropolitan cities, contributing to a more manageable financial experience during their time at Notre Dame.

The Notre Dame MBA Cost
Tuition Cost $64,660
Cost of Living $31,647
Total Cost $96,307

Norte Dame MBA Financial Aid

Scholarships

Merit-Based: Scholarship recipients are chosen based on their academic performance, prior professional experience, GMAT or GRE scores, leadership potential, letters of recommendation, and personal statements.

Need-Based: Applicants may apply for need-based financial assistance to fund their MBA experience. Students will be able to declare their interest in scholarships depending on their financial need during the application process. To support their request, they must complete and submit the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) form as well as a written statement (250 words or less).

Meyer Fellows: Members of the incoming class who exhibit the best academic achievement and leadership potential are invited to join this exclusive group of students. Meyer Fellows receive a full tuition scholarship as well as a stipend of $21,000 per year for the duration of the program. Meyer Fellows also have priority enrollment to ensure they get into popular classes.

Brogan Fellows: After the first year of the Two-Year MBA program, the Brogan Fellows fellowship is presented to the four MBA women with the highest GPA. This distinguished prize is automatically considered for all women, regardless of academic background or professional experience.

Forté Fellows: Forte Fellows are chosen for their academic ability, leadership, and promise. Forte Fellows get exclusive access to the Forte community, including access to leadership conferences, mentoring and career development opportunities, and network growth.

Yellow Ribbon: The Yellow Ribbon Program provides significant benefits to eligible veterans. The University donates $17,500 to be matched by the VA for veterans who are 100% qualified, which is more than the GI Bill® Private School reimbursement. This total sum may surpass full tuition and may include other benefits like as books and stipends.

Financial Aid & Loans

The Free Application for Federal Student Funding (FAFSA) is the University of Notre Dame's official application for federal student funding. Loan opportunities are also handled through the Office of Financial Aid.

Norte Dame MBA Curriculum

The Notre Dame MBA program lasts two years and is divided into four semesters. Each semester is divided into two seven-week modules that allow students to supplement major courses with electives and experiential learning opportunities.

To build a one-of-a-kind academic experience, students can combine one of five majors (three of which are STEM-designated) with one or more focused minors.

Year 1: Fall Year 1: Spring Year 2: Fall Year 2: Spring
Orientation Mod 3: Core Curriculum/Electives Mod 1: Electives Mod 3
Mod 1: Core Curriculum Experiential Learning: Grow Irish Week Experiential Learning: Grow Irish Week Experiential Learning: Grow Irish Week
Experiential Learning: Grow Irish Week Mod 4: Core Curriculum/Electives Mod 2: Electives or Mods Away (Silicon Valley or Chile) Mod 4: Elective
Mod 2: Core Curriculum      

Cores, Majors, and Minors

The Notre Dame MBA program empowers students to tailor their education through a diverse range of concentrations, majors, and minors. The core curriculum lays a strong foundation in areas like career leadership, ethical business conduct, and strategic decision-making. Students can then choose from elective majors such as Strategy, Marketing, Finance, Business Analytics, and Digital Marketing and Marketing Analytics. Additionally, minors in International Business, Leadership, Innovation and entrepreneurship, Social Impact, Real Estate, Investments, Marketing, Digital Marketing and marketing Analytics, Brand Management, Digital Product Marketing, and Operations & Supply Chain Management provide opportunities for specialization.

Core Curriculum Elective Major Minors
Career Leadership Strategy Major Strategy
Foundations of Ethical Business Conduct Marketing Major International Business
Leading People and Teams Finance Major Leadership
Problem Solving Business Analytics Major Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Strategic Decision Making Digital Marketing and Marketing Analytics Major Social Impact
Intro to Business Analytics   Finance
Marketing Management   Real Estate
Financial Accounting I   Investments
Financial Accounting II   Marketing
Finance   Digital Marketing & Marketing Analytics
Managerial Economics   Brand Management
Process Analytics   Digital Product Marketing
    Operations & Supply Chain Management

MBA Pathways

Notre Dame has designed four flexible yet concentrated academic tracks based on considerable engagement with recruiters, academic specialists and students.  Each track provides focused professional support, clubs for peer-to-peer engagement, distinctive course offerings, and a signature experiential learning component for hands-on learning.

Finance: Notre Dame MBA have a tradition of joining financial services giants such as Bank of America, Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, and UBS. Students in the Applied Investment Management (AIM) course gain financial analytical skills while managing a $13 million actual portfolio. The Finance major provides wide knowledge for leadership in top firms, making it ideal for careers in corporate finance, banking, investing, and consulting. Students lead the MBA Finance & Investments Club, which provides insights into corporate and PE, Hedge Fund, M&A functions through case competitions and professional development.

Consulting: Notre Dame MBA students typically earn consulting positions at firms such as Bain, McKinsey, EY, Accenture, BCG, Guidehouse, PwC, and Deloitte. They benefit from a variety of courses, hands-on learning, and extracurricular activities. Business on the Frontline (BOTFL) is a program that uses business skills to address challenges such as post-conflict recovery, poverty, and racism. The Strategy Major provides students with a solid interdisciplinary business background, with an emphasis on creative problem-solving. The MBA Consulting Club, which is led by students, provides resources such as professional workshops and guest lecturers. Consulting specializations include weekly case study practices that include Strategy, M&A, Finance, Technology, and Federal, appealing to a wide range of professional goals.

Technology: The Notre Dame MBAs typically go on to careers in technology with Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, and Google. Students in their second and first years of the MBA program spend seven weeks in Silicon Valley, completing classes like Data and Digital Innovation and Digital Product Management and networking with IT professionals. The Business Analytics major focuses on data-driven decision-making utilizing advanced quantitative methodologies and technologies. Student-led Tech and Business Analytics groups provide tools and networking possibilities. Product Manager, Program Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, and Sales and Client Relationships Manager are key tech jobs.

Marketing: The marketing concentration students typically land jobs at IBM, McDonald's, and Johnson & Johnson. Student teams manage actual budgets for live campaigns in the Applied Digital Marketing course. The Marketing major focuses on behavioral and analytical insights to better understand consumer requirements, product markets, and customer journeys, preparing students for positions in Brand Management, Product Marketing, Category Management, Sales, and Marketing Leadership Development Programs. The STEM degree in Digital Marketing and Marketing Analytics digs into data-driven marketing fields ranging from data extraction to digital planning. Brand Manager, Product Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, and Sales and Client Relationships Manager are examples of post-MBA roles in this pathway. The Marketing Pathway at Notre Dame covers a wide range of topics, from hands-on campaign experience to analytics-driven roles.

Norte Dame MBA - Experiential Learning
Grow Irish Week

Grow Irish Week is a week-long rigorous educational experience that challenges students to use what they have learned in the classroom, exhibit their capabilities, and build a vision future. Students accelerate their business acumen through deep-dive skill-building courses and handle real-world business difficulties through consulting projects in domestic and foreign locations during MBA Grow Irish Week. Stanz and Veryable were two recent clients.

Silicon Valley
Mendoza's Silicon Valley Mod Away program, now in its third year, provides MBA students with a career-accelerating opportunity focused on Digital Innovation—the issues related to designing and commercializing new digital products and services—while also engaging with local alumni and leaders in technology and entrepreneurship.

Santiago, Chile
Mendoza's Mod Away in Chile program helps MBA students gain firsthand knowledge of the economic, political, and cultural landscapes of one of Latin America's fastest-expanding countries. The Chile Mod Away program exposes students to varied viewpoints on the role of Latin America and the United States in the global economy through a unique collection of academic offerings and experiential events.

Global Experiences
Notre Dame MBA has launched a new International Interterm Project to address global business concerns. Beginning in March 2023, these week-long initiatives will allow students to work for organizations in Mexico City, Dublin, London, or Wroclaw, Poland for the week between Modules one and two in the fall and Modules three and four in the spring. All full-time one- and two-year MBA students are eligible to apply.

Norte Dame MBA Admission Procedure

Students willing to take admission to the Notre Dame MBA program should start by completing the online application form on the Notre Dame MBA program's official website. The respective students needs to fulfill the following requirement in the application:

• GMAT or GRE scores
• Transcripts from all previous undergraduate or graduate studies.
• Two letters of recommendation are required.
• One slide presentation with up to four slides.
• Statement of Purpose (100 words or less)
• Essay (500 words or less)
• Video Assessment
• TOEFL, IELTS, PTE (for international Candidates)
• Application Fee ($175 non-refundable)

Essays

Statement of Purpose: Please share your short-term professional goals. How does the Notre Dame Master of Business Administration help achieve your career goals? (100 words or less)

Essay 1 – Option 1: The University of Notre Dame was founded in 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, C.S.C, with a mission to become “one of the most powerful means for doing good in this country”. In 1879, Father Sorin’s vision for Notre Dame appeared to be at a sudden, abrupt end. A massive fire destroyed the building that housed virtually the entire University. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that he had dreamed too small and decided to rebuild, bigger and better than ever. That Main Building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, not only as an iconic campus building but as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.

Tell us the story of a time in your own life or career when you had to overcome an obstacle, start over, or rebuild. (Maximum 2 pages, 12pt font, double-spaced)

Essay 1 – Option 2: The foundation of a Notre Dame business education is the vision of the College’s founder and first dean, John Cardinal O’Hara: “The primary function of commerce is service to mankind.” Students choose Notre Dame because they are willing to Grow the Good in Business™. They look beyond profits and shareholder value and drive decisions based on values and the greater good. Please describe what “growing the good in business” means to you.

Slide Presentation: Effective communication is a central skill for managers and visual presentations are an important method of communication. Demonstrate your ability to clearly and concisely communicate by telling us about yourself, using a short slide presentation.

Please consider the following guidelines when creating your presentation:

• Please submit four (4) slides

• You may create your slides in any software that works for you, but you must save and upload them as a .pdf

• Do not use audio or video files.

• You are free to share anything about yourself that you think would be of value to the Admissions Committee. You can have some fun and be a bit more lighthearted in this portion of your application. Your tone should reflect your personality.

• Please be assured that the Admissions Committee will read your essay, your resume, and your transcripts in detail. Your slides are an opportunity to go beyond your academic and work history and show the Committee who you are as a person.

Deadline: There are altogether four rounds of admission for the Norte Dame MBA program including one Early Decision Round and three general rounds.
 

Rounds Deadlines
Early Decision Sept. 12, 2023
Round 1 Oct. 25, 2023
Round 2 Jan. 10, 2024
Round 3 Mar. 19, 2024

Norte Dame MBA Employment Report 2022-23

Salary By Function - 2022-23

Finance and Accounting roles accounted for 31.70% of placements, with a median base salary of $142,500. Among these, Investment Banking positions led at 15.70% with a median salary of $175,000.

Consulting was another prominent function, making up 28.70% of placements, offering a median salary of $165,000. Marketing and Sales roles comprised 14.90% of placements, with Product Management (5.90%) and Brand Management (3.90%) being notable subcategories. General Management roles accounted for 6.90% of placements, offering a median base salary of $125,000.

Operations and Logistics roles, split into Ops/Logistics (2.90%) and Ops/General Management (2.90%), had a combined 5.80% placement rate, with a median salary of $136,300. Information Technology roles represented 3.00% of placements.

By Function % Hired Median Base Salary
FINANCE/ACCOUNTING 31,7% $142,500
Investment Banking 15.7% $175,000
Corporate Finance 9.8% $122,500
CONSULTING 28.7% $165,000
Advisory 8.8% $165,000
Strategy/Management 13.7% $165,000
Technology 3.9% $127,500
MARKETING/SALES 14.9% $110,000
Product Management 5.9% $122,000
Brand Management 3.9% $110,000
Marketing/Other 4% $95,000
GENERAL MANAGEMENT 6.9% $125,000
OPERATIONS/LOGISTICS 5.8% $136,300
Ops/Logistics 2.9% $140,000
Ops/General Management 2.9% $132,600
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 3% NA

Salary By Industry - 2022

Financial Services claimed a quarter of placements, with 25% of graduates securing positions in this sector and enjoying a median base salary of $175,000. Consulting proved to be another lucrative industry, attracting 30% of graduates with a median salary of $155,000.

Technology roles accounted for 18% of placements, offering a median base salary of $132,000, while Healthcare and Manufacturing each represented 6% of placements with median salaries of $125,000. Consumer Products also featured prominently, with 10% of graduates securing roles at a median base salary of $112,000.

A notable 6% of graduates ventured into a variety of sectors, including Non-Profit, Energy, Media, Retail, Real Estate, and Hospitality, though specific salary data for this category was not available.
 

By Industry % Hired Median Base Salary
Financial Services 25% $175,000
Consulting 30% $155,000
Technology 18% $132,000
Healthcare 6% $125,000
Manufacturing 4% $125,000
Consumer Products 10% $112,000
Non-Profit, Energy, Media, Retail, Real Estate, Hospitality 6% NA

Salary By Region - 2022

The Midwest emerged as the dominant region, attracting 43.30% of placements. The Northeast and West regions also proved popular, with 23.70% and 13.40% of graduates securing positions, respectively.

The Mid-Atlantic region accounted for 9.30% of placements, while the South and Southwest regions represented 6.20% and 3.10%, respectively.

By Region % Hired
Midwest 43.3%
West 13.4%
Northeast 23.7%
Mid-Atlantic 9.3%
Southwest 3.1%
South 6.2

Top Employers

Amazon and IBM are prominent employers in Technology. In the financial sector, Citi Bank, UBS, JP Morgan Chase & Co., and Goldman Sachs offer lucrative opportunities. For consulting and advisory roles, Deloitte and PWC are standout employers. In the consumer products realm, Expedia and P&G are key players.

The Notre Dame MBA Top Employers
Amazon IBM
Citi Bank UBS
Deloitte PWC
Expedia P&G
EY JP Morgan Chase & Co.
Goldman Sachs Guggenheim

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Reference

The Notre Dame MBA

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

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