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Sample MBA Essay - Why MBA from our business School

For this MBA essay, you have to list your short-term and long-term goals. You might also have to do a thorough research on your target Business School to answer these questions.

Why MBA - Harvard Business School?

Establish a clear strategy before you approach any set of MBA essays. For HBS, this is especially important because you can choose amongst several questions in order to illustrate your candidacy.  It’s a great idea to brainstorm to uncover your strongest stories so that you can best demonstrate important leadership, management, academic and personal qualities. Harvard is interested in knowing how you work as a person, how you think, and what kind of leader you are. Community involvement and a broad international perspective are certainly valued, as you can see by the topics. Most importantly, specific and concise examples are the best way to demonstrate who you are. Without specifics, a claim to be a leader is empty. Also make sure to answer the question completely, but do not add extra information if it is not relevant.

You have to be decisive and strategic with your essays, interview and follow-up essay. Learn how to handle the Harvard MBA Admission process with HBS Essay Guide

Download F1GMAT's Harvard MBA Essay Guide 2016-17

Why MBA - Wharton Business School?

Wharton consistently seeks balanced and community minded applicants that can demonstrate innovative thinking, a record of accomplishment, and very solid career goals. The essays this year are consistent with the admissions goals, though very different from the previous years’ essays. The required essay asks for career objectives, and telling a cohesive story is key to success with this set of Wharton questions. When contemplating the optional essays, it will be important to choose topics that will allow you to demonstrate both achievements at work and your extracurricular or personal activities. In addition, refer back to your application strategy and strengths and weaknesses to determine which personal qualities you can highlight in these essays.

Wharton MBA AdCom wants candidates who will

  1) Get involved with the Community
  2) Lead by Example
  3) Take Risks
  4) Inspire Others
   
Download F1GMAT's Wharton MBA Essay Guide 2016-17

Why MBA - NYU Stern?

Fit is critical in the application process, and this is the place to demonstrate your fit with Stern. It will be important to discuss your passion for Stern and your interest in attending NYU’s MBA program in this essay. Certainly personal experience of the campus through visits or student touch points would be ideal, but even if you are halfway around the world you can illustrate the many ways in which you learned about the Stern experience.

Download NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide 2016-17

Why MBA - MIT Sloan?

If you had to describe the MIT Sloan MBA program in one word, that word would be innovation. Sloan is a place where practical business concerns intersect with vision and inspiration, often of the tech variety. As the website states: “Like MIT itself, MIT Sloan is a place for visionary pragmatists and for people with the determination to change the world with the passion to make it happen.”

MIT wants to know how you work, think and act, especially when you face setbacks. They also want to know how persuasive you are when it comes to convincing your team about an idea.

Download MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide 2016-17

Why MBA - Kellogg School of Management?


One thing that you have to focus while writing your application for Kellogg School of management is your ability to demonstrate your fit with the Kellogg community. The Kellogg community highly values leadership and teamwork. Demonstrate your diversity in experience and your unique background. Having done your research on Kellogg’s academics and resources will help you answer the question about your motivation to pursue a graduate degree at Kellogg. Choose specific classes, professors and programs that fit into your career goals. Think about clubs and conferences that are unique to Kellogg and will advance your career.

Kellogg values diversity, teamwork, leadership, and sense of community. Your essays should clearly demonstrate these traits.

Download Kellogg MBA Essay Guide 2016-17


Why MBA - Stanford Business School?

Stanford wants to know what you specifically need that will be uniquely satisfied by the program at GSB, and research will help you determine the specifics of the academic program, community and students will be essential to demonstrating your knowledge and fit with the program. Your accomplishments and achievements are key to who you are today, however it’s far more important to explain your influences, values and motivations. Stanford asks for candid self-examination in essay.

Stanford MBA AdCom wants to know who you are and what motivates you towards achieving your goals. You have to explain your influences, lessons learned and motivation through the essays.

Download F1GMAT's Stanford MBA Essay Guide 2016-17

Why MBA - Chicago Booth?


Why Chicago and Why Now are explicitly asked this year. Think about the specific classes and programs at Chicago that appeal to you. Are you looking for flexible program? International experiences? How will these aspects of the program fit with your future career goals? If you are reapplying, make sure you have done the work to evaluate your candidacy and have made changes this time around. Reflecting upon why you want to go to Chicago and the MBA process will certainly be part of that work. This is your opportunity to show the AdComm why Chicago is a great fit for your and your refined career goals.

Chicago Booth AdCom is trying to evaluate your leadership qualities, team building skills, maturity in handling challenges, fit, academic rigor, creativity and motivation for an MBA.

Download F1GMAT's Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide

Why MBA - Haas School of Business?

Since the career goal question comes towards the end of the application, the AdCom wants to learn more about your personal story. Be consistent with your story and make sure that the career goals at the end is not a big surprise for the admissions committee. Your personality and experience should blend well with your career goals.

Download F1GMAT's Haas MBA Essay Guide

In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation?  Why?  How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this?  How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal?

For the first part of the question- what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation?(After graduation what?)

In the near future, I see myself working as a management consultant in one of the firms like Johnson & Johnson, Mckinsey or BCG. I want to introduce processes that can potentially improve the productivity of the company. I also want to be involved with the strategy formulation of the company.

Why?

I want to ensure that the solutions and best practices that we provide to our clients would add value to their business.
 
How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this?

Example:

I believe that the experience that I would gain by working on a flexible course in London business school would provide me with the necessary skills to solve the myriads of real business issues that a company face. Also, being an Information Technology (IT) consultant for five years, I have instilled in me a structural approach to problem solving. I can improve my business-solving skills with my experience and the training that London Business School (LBS) would provide.

How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (Why MBA from our business school?)

Note:

1) Refer the business school website and other forums to find out what members in the business community is saying about the Business school. Google would be your best friend.

2) Every business school has a unique selling proposition. It can be a list of
distinguished speakers, networking clubs or a unique learning environment.

3) Align the unique selling proposition of the business school with the short term and long term goals that you have in such a way that the USP of the business school would be sufficient in achieving your goals.


Q) In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation?  Why?  How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this?  How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal?

Sample MBA Essay Guidelines(Sample MBA Essay below the guidelines):
This classic career goals question focuses more on your short-term goals than the typical school might. Make sure you can clearly demonstrate how your past and present career and personal experiences support your goals, and why you have settled on your particular aspirations. In addition, you will need to demonstrate why London Business School is the right MBA program for you and why you are planning to pursue an MBA at this point in your career and your life.

In just 750 words to answer 5 distinct questions you will need to demonstrate your commitment and rationale for your decisions throughout the essay. Think about the narrative thread of your life and career and how LBS is going to fit in, then expand into the future you want to make a reality through this education. There should be a clear link between your immediate post-MBA goals and your short- and long-term goals, and all of them will flow from your current and past experiences. Your narrative thread should make it clear why you are pursuing an MBA, why now and how LBS will help you achieve your goals. 

If you are planning to switch careers and do not have the track record to demonstrate you are serious about your goals, it will be helpful to show your commitment through research you have done, extracurricular activities you have been involved with, or relevant accomplishments in your current position. When researching the LBS difference for this essay, you might find some help in the form of the student blogs on the London website.

Sample MBA Essay - Why MBA From our Business School

How will you achieve your short term and long term goals by being part of our MBA programme?
(Alignment of Business school USP and your goals)

I believe an LBS MBA can provide me with the knowledge and tools necessary to open my business. I understand clearly that this career goal require skills such as business insight, management capabilities and networking skills. An MBA from LBS is a perfect choice since it will equip me with the skills and knowledge necessary to make a professional business plan, finance new ventures, assess the value of a company, and create a self-sustainable business. During my MBA course, I hope to discuss my business plan with my classmates. The innovative ideas and business insights that a diverse and talented group could generate would be of tremendous value for me. Furthermore, LBS has a unique educational philosophy that stresses on leadership and practical learning. A flexible exit scheme and relevant set of electives have ensured that the course remain action-oriented. The concentration on entrepreneurial management is what excites me the most, as this would be in alignment with my long-term goal of starting my own business.

(USP of the Business School)

I choose LBS because its employment record shows a high percentage of students getting opportunity in business consulting and general management that perfectly bolster my short-term goal of pursuing a career in management consultancy. The work of consulting is rewarding, since it will call on critical skills, developed both in my course work and through my work experience, to complete consulting involvements that have senior executive visibility. These intensive involvements will deepen my understanding of the key elements that a company requires in order to succeed. Solving strategic problems in a team-based environment can significantly polish my teamwork and leadership experience that is invaluable for a startup company.

(Conclusion)

I believe that an LBS MBA, when combined with my experience, will provide the right skills and knowledge to pursue my short and long-term goals in management consulting, entrepreneurship and new venture creation

If you want to know whether your essays satisfy the Critical success factors : Grammar, Spelling, Style, Tone, Uniqueness, Pace, Completeness and Coherence, submit your essays.

About the Author 

Atul Jose - Founding Consultant F1GMAT

I am Atul Jose - the Founding Consultant at F1GMAT.

Over the past 15 years, I have helped MBA applicants gain admissions to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, Haas, Yale, NYU Stern, Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, IE, IESE, HEC Paris, McCombs, Tepper, and schools in the top 30 global MBA ranking. 

I offer end-to-end Admissions Consulting and editing services – Career Planning, Application Essay Editing & Review, Recommendation Letter Editing, Interview Prep, assistance in finding funds and Scholarship Essay & Cover letter editing. See my Full Bio.

Contact me for support in school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative advice, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing and guiding supervisors with recommendation letter guideline documents

I am also the Author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, covering 16+ top MBA programs with 240+ Sample Essays that I have updated every year since 2013 (11+ years. Phew!!)

I am an Admissions consultant who writes and edits Essays every year. And it is not easy to write good essays. 

Contact me for any questions about MBA or Master's application. I would be happy to answer them all