Chicago*

Essays
1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)

1a. FOR REAPPLICANTS 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? (250 words)

2. Please choose one of the following (500 - 750 words):

Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?

or

Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

Slide Presentation
In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to this essay.
Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.

There is a strict maximum of four slides, though you can provide fewer than four if you choose.
Slides will be printed and added to your file for review, therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points. Color may be used.

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

You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

Optional Essay
If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.

Columbia*

Essay 1
What are your short-term and long-term post-MBA goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Recommended 750 word limit)

Essay 2
Master Classes are the epitome of bridging the gap between theory and practice at Columbia Business School. (View link below) Please provide an example from your own life in which practical experience taught you more than theory alone. (Recommended 500 word limit)

Essay 3
Please provide an example of a team failure of which you've been a part. If given a second chance, what would you do differently? (Recommended 500 word limit)

Optional Essay
Is there any further information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? (Please use this space to provide an explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or your personal history.)

Dartmouth (Tuck)
1. 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? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please
explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)

2. Tuck defines leadership as “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish
great things.” We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit
of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership.
Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped
you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better
leader?

3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did
you address it? What have you learned from it?

4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our
community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences contribute
to the culture at Tuck?

5. (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.

6. (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.

Duke (Fuqua)*
Short-Answer Essays: Answer all short answer essay questions.
•    What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA? How does it fit into your short- and long-term goals? If you are interested in a joint degree or the Health Sector Management program, please note that in this response.

•    How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Fuqua School of Business?

•    Discuss a person, event, or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are rather than what you have achieved professionally.

Long Essay: Answer the long essay question below.
•    Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen. Upon graduation with your Duke MBA, you will be a leader of consequence, able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence?

Optional Essay (not required)
•    If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).

Reapplicant Essay
•    All reapplicants also are required to complete the Reapplicant Essay that follows. Please limit your response to two pages: Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.

IMD

1.    Please give us your short term career goal post MBA (up to 5 years).  Describe how the IMD MBA will help you achieve this goal and how you will approach your job search. (2,000 character limit)

2.    What do you consider to be your single most important achievement and why?  (1,230 character limit)

3.    Please describe two situations, business or otherwise, in which you were involved and which were of importance to you. Explain why you view them as such. (1,230 character limit each)

4.    Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it. (1,230 character limit)

5.    Describe a situation where you had to demonstrate strong leadership skills. Explain how effective you were and what you learned. (1,230 character limit)

6.    How do you imagine your superior would describe your strengths and weaknesses to someone who does not know you? (1,230 character limit)

7.    Describe a situation where you successfully worked across cultures and/or nations. (1,230 character limit)

8.    IMD received numerous applications per year.  Give us four bullet points that clearly differentiate you from this applicant pool. (1,230 character limit)

9.    If you are not admitted, what alternatives will you consider? (1,230 character limit)

INSEAD

Job Essays:

1. Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities;
and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of
clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)

2. Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to
remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250
words)

Personal Essays:

1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or
b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

6. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

7. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.

Michigan (Ross)
1.    Briefly describe your short-term and long-term career goals.  Why is an MBA the best choice at this point in your career? (500 words max)
2.    Describe your most significant professional accomplishment.  Elaborate on the leadership skills you displayed, the actions you took, and the impact you had on the organization. (500 words max)
3.    If you were not pursuing the career goals you described in Question 1, what profession would you pursue instead?  (For example, teacher, musician, athlete, architect, etc.)  How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multidisciplinary problems?
4.    Describe your experience during a challenging time in your life.  Explain how you grew personally, either despite this challenge or because of it.

Optional:  is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy?


MIT (Sloan)
Essay 1: Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Essay 2: Please describe a time when you coached, trained, or mentored a person or group. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Essay 3: Please describe a time when you took responsibility for achieving an objective. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

LGO applicants only:
Essay 4: Why do you wish to pursue the LGO program? What are the goals that you hope to accomplish both as a student and as a graduate of the program? Be sure to include a description of your post-LGO career plans. (250 words or less, limited to one page) You are welcome to copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.

Essay 5: Why do you wish to pursue the engineering field and specialty area you have selected? (250 words or less, limited to one page) You are welcome to copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.

BEP applicants only:
All applicants to BEP must answer two additional essay questions: Answer essay 6 and essay 7a or 7b.

Essay 6: What is your definition of success as you consider a career in the biomedical sector? Provide a brief overview of your ideal career path over the next 10-15 years as you move toward that success. Explain what you hope to have accomplished at the end of that period and how your experiences in BEP will have helped make those accomplishments possible. (500 words or less)

Essay 7a. Describe one area of science or technology that you believe is particularly promising in terms of having an impact on the practice of medicine and affecting people's health. What is the underlying problem, why is it significant, and what are promising solutions that might address it? (750 words or less)

or

Essay 7b. Describe one medical or healthcare problem on which you hope to make a positive impact. Explain why this problem is meaningful to you and how you hope to promote progress toward solving it. (750 words or less)

MIT (Sloan)*

Cover Letter
Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

We are interested in learning more about you and 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.

All applicants:

Essay 1: Please tell us about a challenging interaction you had with a person or group. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Essay 2: Please tell us about a time when you defended your idea. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Essay 3: Please tell us about a time when you executed a plan. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Essay 4: Please tell the Admissions Committee whatever else you would like us to know. (250 words or less, limited to one page)

LFM applicants only:

Essay 5: Why do you wish to pursue the LFM Program? How does this fit into your future plans? (250 words or less, limited to one page) You are welcome to copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.

Essay 6: Why do you wish to pursue the engineering field and specialty area you have selected? (250 words or less, limited to one page) You are welcome to copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.

Northwestern (Kellogg)
2Y, 1Y and MMM:
Essay #1:
a) MBA Program applicants - Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg. (600 word limit)

b) MMM Program applicants - Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the MMM Program meet your educational needs and career goals? (600 word limit)

Essay #2: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences. (600 word limit)

Essay #3: Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would your peers select you to become a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit)

Essay #4: Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.
a) Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I….
c) I wish the admissions committee had asked me……

Required essay for re-applicants only - Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit)


JD-MBA :
Essay #1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a JD and an MBA at Northwestern University. (600 word limit)

Essay #2: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your JDMBA experiences. (600 word limit)

Essay #3: Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why should your peers select you to become a member of the JDMBA community? (600 word limit)

Essay #4: Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.
a) Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
b) People may be surprised to learn that I….
c) I wish the admissions committee had asked me……

Required essay for re-applicants only - Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit)

NYU (Stern)

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

Think about the decisions you have made in your life. Answer the following:

(a) What choices have you made that led you to your current position?
(b) Why pursue an MBA at this point in your life?
(c) What is your career goal upon graduation from NYU Stern? What is your long-term career goal?

Essay 2. Your Stern Experience
(500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)

We take great care to shape the Stern community with individuals who possess both intellectual and interpersonal strengths. We seek individuals who are highly intelligent, collaborative, and committed to flourishing as Stern leaders. Please answer the following questions:

(a) What is your personal experience with the Stern community? Tell us what actions you have taken to learn about us.
(b) Describe what most excites you about Stern from both an academic and extracurricular perspective.
(c) How do you anticipate making your mark on the Stern community? Be specific about the roles you will take on and the impact you hope to achieve.

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.

Essay 4. Additional Information (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 and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.

If you are unable to submit a recommendation from a 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.

If you are applying to a dual degree program, please explain your decision to pursue a dual degree.

Penn (Wharton)*

Essay 1 (750-1000 words)
As a leader in global business, Wharton is committed to sustaining "a truly global presence through its engagement in the world." What goals are you committed to and why? How do you envision the Wharton MBA contributing to the attainment of those goals?

Essay 2 (750-1000 words)
Tell us about a time when you had to adapt by accepting/understanding the perspective of people different from yourself.

Essay 3 (500 words)
Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself?

Essay 4 (500 words)
Choose one of the following:
1.    Give us a specific example of a time when you solved a complex problem.
2.    Tell us about something significant that you have done to improve yourself, in either your professional and/or personal endeavors.

Essay 5 (Optional) — (250 words)
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, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application).

Stanford*

Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?

Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?

Essay 3: Answer two of the four questions below.
Option A: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
Option C: Tell us about a time when you motivated others to support your vision or initiative.
Option D: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

UC-Berkeley (Hass)*

Short Answer:
•    What are you most passionate about? Why? (250 word maximum)
•    Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)
•    At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. Describe a time when you created positive change in a group or an organization. (250 word maximum)
•    What steps have you taken to learn about the Berkeley MBA program, and what factors have influenced your decision to apply? (250 word maximum)

Required Essays:
•    Give us an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)
•    What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? How will an MBA from Berkeley help you achieve these specific career goals? (1000 word maximum)

Optional Essays:
(Optional) Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven’t addressed elsewhere. (500 word maximum)

UCLA (Anderson)

1.    Describe the ways in which your family and/or community have helped shape your development. (750 words)
2.    Describe the biggest risk you have ever taken, the outcome, and what you learned in the process. (500 words)
3.    Describe your short-term and long-term career goals.  What is your motivation for pursuing an MBA now and how will UCLA Anderson help you to achieve your goals? (750 words)
4.    Select and respond to one of the two following questions. We would like you to respond to the question by recording an audio or video response, 1-2 minutes long (up to 5 MB maximum), for upload in the online application.  (Please note: The supported file types for audio files are:  .avi, .wav, .mp3, .wmv, .midi, .wma, .aiff, .au, .mp4; the supported file types for video files are:  .mov, .avi, .wmv, .mpeg). If you are unable to submit your response via audio or video, then please prepare a written response instead. (250 words)
a.    Entrepreneurship is a mindset that embraces innovation and risk-taking within both established and new organizations.  Describe an instance in which you exhibited this mindset.
b.    What is something people will find surprising about you?
5.    OPTIONAL: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words)

Virginia (Darden)

1.    How have the changes in the global economy over the last 18 months affected you and your plan for the future? (400 words)

2.    What will you contribute to an MBA program and what are your personal and professional expectations of the program you attend? (600 words)

Yale*

SHORT ANSWERS
Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why. (600 words maximum)

1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?

2. What are your long-term career aspirations?

3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)

4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?

PERSONAL STATEMENT 1
Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization. (500 words maximum)

PERSONAL STATEMENT 2
Choose one of the following topics and answer it in essay form. Please indicate the topic number at the beginning of your essay. (500 words maximum)

1. A central premise of our teaching about leadership at the Yale School of Management is that true leadership—leadership that helps to address a significant problem in a new way—is necessarily personal. It is only when personal passion aligns with meaningful aspirations that individuals are able to inspire others to act in support of an important goal or cause. What are you most passionate about, and how have you demonstrated a commitment to this passion?

2. What achievement are you most proud of and why?

3. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?

4. Describe a situation in which you devised and implemented a creative or unique solution to a difficult problem. What obstacles did you face and how did you overcome them?

5. Required for reapplicants: What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (OPTIONAL)

If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)