MBA Application Deadlines and Essays for 2025 Intake

Applying to business school is a major milestone in your professional journey, and staying ahead of application deadlines is crucial for securing your spot at a top MBA program. 

With the 2025 admissions cycle approaching, it’s time to start preparing your application strategy. In this article, we’ll walk you through the key MBA application deadlines for the top business schools in the U.S. and Europe, for the 2025 intake and provide you with the essay prompts each school is asking this admissions cycle.

2025 Intake MBA Application Deadlines for Top US Business Schools

2025 MBA Application Deadlines for Top European & Asian Business Schools

2025 MBA Admissions Essay Topics

Harvard Business School

1. 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)
2. 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)
3. 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)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Harvard MBA Essays

Stanford GSB

1. What matters most to you, and why? (650 words)
2. Why Stanford? (400 words)

Wharton

1. How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
2. Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)
3. Required Essay for all Reapplicants: Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 words)
4. Optional Essay: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Wharton MBA Essays

Chicago Booth

1. How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 words)
2. An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are… (Minimum 250 words, no maximum.)
3. The following question is optional: Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (Maximum 300 words.)
4. Reapplicants must answer the following question: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (Maximum 300 words.)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Chicago Booth MBA Essays

MIT Sloan

1. 2 Video questions:
   • Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!
   • Randomly generated, open-ended question. 
2. Short Answer Question: How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, community, all help to shape aspects of your life experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background. (250 words)

Northwestern Kellogg

1. Intentionality is a key aspect of what makes our graduates successful Kellogg leaders. Help us understand your journey by articulating your motivations for pursuing an MBA, the specific goals you aim to achieve, and why you believe now is the right moment. Moreover, share why you feel Kellogg is best suited to serve as a catalyst for your career aspirations and what you will contribute to our community of lifelong learners during your time here. (450 words)
2. Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style. (450 words)
3. Reapplicant Essay: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Kellogg MBA Essays

Columbia Business School

January-Entry Essays

Short Answer Question 1:

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Short Answer Question 2:

Why do you prefer the January-entry term? (50 characters maximum)

Essay 1

Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Essay 2 

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders.  Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills:  Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment.

Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)

Essay 3

We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership–academically, culturally, and professionally.

How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

Optional Essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

August-Entry Essays

Short Answer Question 1:

What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)

Short Answer Question 2:

How do you plan to spend the summer after the first year of the MBA? If in an internship, please include target industry(ies) and/or function(s). If you plan to work on your own venture, please indicate a focus of business. (50 characters maximum)

Essay 1

Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what is your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Essay 2 

The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders.  Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills:  Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. Please respond to one of the below (250 words).

• Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. 
• Alternatively, please share a specific example of how you made a team more collaborative or fostered a greater sense of community within an organization. 

Essay 3

We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership–academically, culturally, and professionally.

How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

Optional Essay

If you wish to provide further information or additional context around your application to the Admissions Committee, please upload a brief explanation of any areas of concern in your academic record or personal history. This does not need to be a formal essay. You may submit bullet points. (Maximum 500 Words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Columbia MBA Essays

INSEAD

Career Essays

1. Briefly summarize your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/products and results achieved. (200 words, maximum)
2. What would be your next step in terms of position if you were to remain in the same company instead of going to business school? (200 words, maximum)
3. Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. Describe your career path with the rationale behind your choices. (300 words, maximum)
4. Discuss your short and long term career aspirations with an MBA from INSEAD. (100 words, maximum)
5. If you are currently not working or if you plan to leave your current employer more than 2 months before the programme starts, please explain your activities and occupations between leaving your job and the start of the programme. (Optional)

Motivation 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. (500 words max)
2. Consider a situation where you failed to achieve your objective(s). How did you handle failure? What did you learn about yourself and/or your interactions with others from this situation?
3. Optional: Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (maximum 300 words)

London Business School

1. What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)
2. What makes you unique? (200 words)
3. (This question is optional) Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)

Dartmouth Tuck

All applicants must respond to the following essay prompts:

1. Why are you pursuing an MBA and why now? How will the distinct Tuck MBA contribute to achieving your goals and aspirations? (300 words)
2. Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your background contribute to the diverse Tuck culture and community? (300 words)
3. Describe a time you meaningfully contributed to someone else’s sense of inclusion in your professional or personal community. (300 words)

All reapplicants must respond to an additional essay prompt:

How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally. (300 words)

The following essay prompt is optional:

Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere (e.g., atypical choice of references, factors affecting academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes). Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application. (300 words)

Michigan Ross

1. At Michigan Ross, we believe the best way to learn is by doing. In our Full-Time MBA Program, you will put your skills and knowledge to the test in real-world situations with real stakes. How will this learning environment benefit you, and how do you plan to contribute to the action-based learning experience? (300 words)
2. Michigan Ross is proud to support a community of leaders and impact makers. As a future member of this community, we want to know more about who you are and what drives you. Please choose 1 of the following prompts to tell us more about what makes you stand out beyond your academic and work experience. List the prompt you are answering at the top of your response. (200 words)
   • What makes you unique? 
   • Can you provide a specific example of how you’ve overcome a personal challenge? 
   • What makes you excited to get up each morning? 
   • Describe a time when you made a difference in your community or with an individual. 
3. What is your short-term career goal, and how will Ross help you achieve it? (200 words)
4. Optional Essay: Is there something in your resume or application that needs a brief explanation? Appropriate uses of this essay would be the explanation of an employment gap, academic outliers, choice of recommender, completion of supplemental coursework, etc. You may use bullet points where appropriate. (250 words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Michigan Ross MBA Essays

Berkeley Haas

1. What makes you feel alive when you’re doing it, and why? (300 words)
2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from Haas help you achieve those goals?

Short-term career goals should be achievable within 3-5 years post-MBA, whereas long-term goals may span a decade or more and encompass broader professional aspirations.

Yale SOM

Required Essay: We want to know what matters to you, and our essay question is designed to help us gain insight into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response. To ensure that you’re able to write about something important to you, we offer you three essay prompts from which to choose:

1) Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. Why is this commitment meaningful to you and what actions have you taken to support it? (500-word limit)

2) Describe the community that has been most meaningful to you. What is the most valuable thing you have gained from being a part of this community and what is the most important thing you have contributed to this community? (500-word limit)’

3) Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person? (500-word limit)

NYU Stern

1. Short Answer Professional Aspirations (150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font): What are your short-term career goals?
2. Essay 1: In today’s global business environment, the only constant is change. Using NYU Stern’s brand call to action, we want to know how you view change. Change: _____ it. Fill in the blank with a word of your choice. Why does this word resonate with you? How will you embrace your own personal tagline while at Stern? (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
3. Essay 2: Introduce yourself to the Admissions Committee and to your future classmates using six images and corresponding captions. The Pick Six is a way to share more about the qualities you will bring to the Stern community, beyond your professional and academic achievements. Your uploaded PDF should contain all of the following elements:
   • A brief introduction or overview of your “Pick Six” (no more than 3 sentences).
   • Six images that help illustrate your interests, values, motivations, perspective and/or personality.
   • A one-sentence caption for each of the six images that helps explain why they were selected and are significant to you.

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning NYU Stern MBA Essays

Duke Fuqua

1. What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan.
2. The ‘Team Fuqua’ spirit and community is one of the things that sets the MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. Please share with us “25 Random Things” about you. The Admissions Committee wants to get to know YOU – beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. Share with us important life experiences, your hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are.
3. Fuqua prides itself on cultivating a culture of engagement. Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student culture and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the Fuqua culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua?
4. Optional Essay: If you feel there are 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). Note that you should NOT upload additional essays nor additional recommendations in this area. The Optional Information section is intended to provide the admissions committee with insight into your circumstances only.
5. Reapplicant Essay: It is not uncommon for it to take more than one try to achieve a goal. Please share with us the self-reflection process that you underwent after last year’s application and how you have grown as a result.  How did it shape your commitment to Fuqua and inspire your decision to reapply?

Analysis, Tips, and Framework for Success to create a winning Duke Fuqua MBA Essays

Cornell Johnson

1. Impact Essay: At Cornell, our students and alumni share a desire to positively impact the organizations and communities they serve. How do you intend to make a meaningful impact on the Johnson community? (OR) The Unique Trait that Defines Me: What is something unique about you that others will remember you by? (350 words maximum)
2. You may use this essay to call attention to items needing clarification and to add additional details to any aspects of your application that do not accurately reflect your potential for success at Johnson. (350 words maximum)
3. If you are reapplying for admission, please use this essay to indicate how you have strengthened your application and candidacy since the last time you applied for admission. Please also review our Application Guide for additional information about reapplying (350 words maximum).

UVA Darden

Darden Essay Prompts:

1. Community of Belonging: What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume? (100 words)
2. Inclusive Impact: Please describe a tangible example that illuminates your experience promoting an inclusive environment and what you would bring to creating a welcoming, global community at Darden. (300 words)
3. ⁠Careers With Purpose: At this time how would you describe your short-term, post-MBA goal in terms of industry, function, geography, company size and/or mission and how does it align with the long-term vision you have for your career? (200 words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Darden MBA Essays

CMU Tepper

There is one required essay (maximum 500 words) for all Tepper MBA applicants (except college seniors):

The Tepper School community is committed to helping students reach their full potential. Explain your philosophy on helping others achieve their full potential. How have you implemented this philosophy in your professional life, and what impact has it had on those around you? How will this philosophy influence your approach to leadership at the Tepper School and beyond?

There also is an optional essay for additional information about your candidacy that you may wish to share with the admissions committee. Use this essay to convey important information that you may not have otherwise been able to convey. This may include unexplained resume gaps, context for recommender selection, etc. However, do not feel obligated to complete the optional essay.

Are you a re-applicant? Use the optional essay to explain how your candidacy has strengthened since your last application.

Indiana Kelley

Essay Prompts:

1. Discuss your immediate post-MBA professional goals. How will your professional experience, when
   combined with a Kelley MBA degree, allow you to achieve these goals? Should the short-term goals you have
   identified not materialize, what alternate career paths might you consider? (500 words)
2. Respond to one of the following short essay prompts. (300 words)
   a. My greatest memory is…
   b. I’m most afraid of…
   c. My greatest challenge has been…
   d. I’m most proud of…
3. Share a brief fact about yourself that your classmates would find interesting, surprising, or noteworthy. (25 words)
4. (Optional) Is there anything else that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? If you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you shouldn’t feel obligated to answer this question. (300 words)

UNC Kenan-Flagler

Essay 1 is required. Your response should be no longer than 500 words and should address the following questions:

• What are your immediate career goals and how will you benefit from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School?
• As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?

Essay 2 is required. Your response should be no longer than 500 words and should address the following question:

Reflect on a project or initiative you were involved in that had a significant positive impact on a community, organization, or individual. How did this experience shape your sense of responsibility as a future leader dedicated to making a difference in the world?

Essay 3 is optional. We encourage you to tell us more about who you are so we can get to know you as a person and potential member of the Carolina community. Use this essay to convey information that you may not have otherwise been able to in the application. Your response should be no longer than 200 words.

Optional topics:

• Personal or professional accomplishments
• Interests and passions
• Gaps in work experience or inconsistent academic performance
• Context for recommender selection
• A fun fact about yourself

Essay 4 is required only for previous applicants to any UNC MBA program format. Your response should be no longer than 100 words and should address the following prompt:

If you are re-applying to the program, we appreciate your continued interest in UNC Kenan-Flagler. We require a complete application in addition to a brief essay that describes how your application differs from your previous submission and that alerts us to new test scores, a recent promotion, or other areas that demonstrate how you have strengthened your candidacy.

USC Marshall

• Essay #1 (Required) – What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (word limit: 100)
• Essay #2 (Required) – Please draft a letter that begins with “Dear Admissions Committee” This letter is meant to be your personal statement that provides the Admissions Committee with an understanding of your candidacy for Marshall beyond what is evident in other parts of your application. This essay is purposely open-ended. You are free to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. Our goal is to have an appreciation for and an understanding of each candidate in ways that are not captured by test scores, grades, and resumes. (word limit: 600)
• Essay #3 (Optional) Please provide any additional information you would like the admissions committee to consider. (word limit: 250)

Texas McCombs

1. At Texas McCombs, we do things a little differently. We embrace those who take the initiative and forge new paths. What ambitious goal or change do you aim to achieve with an MBA, and why is Texas McCombs your ideal launch pad? (250 words)
2. Here, you are what’s next. At this pivotal crossroads where you’re deciding your future path, the Texas McCombs MBA experience will equip you with the tools and mindset to make “what’s next” happen in your career. Please share unique qualities you posess that highlight your potential to shake up the status quo in your professional life. (250 words)
3. The University of Texas at Austin’s motto, “What starts here changes the world,” embodies a spirit of impact and transformation. What fuels your drive to lead change and make your mark in the world? (250 words)

(Optional) Please explain any gaps in work experience, choice of recommender, and/or academic performance issues that may help the admission committee in reviewing your application. (Limit: 250 words)

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning Texas McCombs MBA Essays

Georgetown McDonough

Personal Essay

Please select one of the following three essays to complete in 500 words (approximately two pages, double-spaced) and include the essay prompt and your first/last name at the top of your submission.

1. Essay Option One – Georgetown Community
   Our mission is rooted in Jesuit principles of equality and respect for everyone and an ethos of caring for the whole person. Inclusivity and diversity are core to supporting a community of people with an intersectional understanding of themselves and the world around them. Share how your educational, familial, cultural, economic, social, and/or other individual life experiences will contribute to the diversity of perspectives and ideas at Georgetown University.
2. ​Essay Option Two – Cura Personalis
   As the oldest Jesuit institution in the United States, cura personalis is a Latin phrase deeply ingrained within our community and translates to “care of the person.” It encompasses a profound sense of care and responsibility for one another, rooted in personalized attention to each individual’s needs, unique circumstances, gifts, and limitations, fostering the growth of each person. Please reflect on a specific instance where you exemplified cura personalis by supporting a teammate or coworker. Describe the particular actions you took to guide them, and explain the impact of these efforts. Additionally, discuss how you would leverage these experiences to contribute to the collaborative environment at Georgetown McDonough.
3. Essay Option Three – Achieving Excellence
   Georgetown McDonough is committed to achieving greater excellence to enrich the legacies of our students and alumni. Please reflect on a professional experience from your resume where you achieved outstanding results. Describe why this experience exemplified excellence, highlight the strengths or skills you utilized that contributed to this achievement, and share how these qualities will help you leave a legacy at Georgetown.

Video Essay

We believe a vibrant community is built on diverse and unique individuals, and we want you to bring your whole self to Georgetown McDonough. We’ve learned about your professional and leadership qualities throughout the application, but now we want to know more about you beyond work. Whether it’s a new hobby, a fun adventure, or a simple pleasure, in one minute, share what has recently brought you joy outside of work.

Video Guidelines

• You may use your phone, computer, or other means to record the video, but please ensure all audio and visual components are clear. We recommend a well-lit room and minimal noise distraction. 
• The admissions committee would like for you to appear in person during part of your video.
• Please adhere to the time guideline of one minute.
• We recommend unscripted, conversational videos – help us get to know the real you!
• Upload your video to an accessible website (such as YouTube, Vimeo, Youku, or Tudou), and submit the direct video URL into your online application. 
• Please note that all videos must remain active and accessible to the admissions committee online for a minimum of five years for record retention purposes.
• For your privacy: Do not include your name in the title of your video. You may submit “unlisted” videos via YouTube or password protected videos through Vimeo. If using a password, please include immediately after your link in the text box below. [Ex: www.youtube.com/123, password: Hoyas]  

Optional Essay

Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included (300-350 words, approximately one page, double spaced).

Emory Goizueta

Short Answer Questions (40-word limit each)

Answer all 3 of the short answer questions below. Each response should be no more than 40 words.

1. What are your short-term post-MBA career goals?
2. How will your professional experience and the Goizueta MBA help you to achieve those goals?
3. What’s a fun fact about you that you would like the committee to know?

Essay Questions (300-word limit each)

Answer the 2 essay questions below. Each response should be no more than 300 words.

Goizueta Business School’s mission is to prepare principled leaders to have a positive influence on business and society. Identify a personal account of a time you effectively demonstrated your leadership skills. Respond to one of these two prompts:
a. What about this experience made you feel proud of your leadership abilities?
b. What did this experience teach you about leadership?

Our lived experiences shape who we are and the aspirations we have. As a values-driven community, we care about what has shaped your life. Please share what or who has had the biggest impact on your life.

Optional Essay (500-word limit)

Still have more to share? This optional essay is your opportunity to share something you couldn’t find a place for on your application. This is also where you should address anything the committee may question (e.g., gaps in employment, academic challenges, choice of recommender). You can use essay format or bullets. Please identify topics if more than one is addressed.

Washington Foster

1. Post-MBA Plans (750 words maximum): Tell us your ideas about what lies ahead in your career. What are the gaps or deficiencies currently preventing you from pursuing these potential career paths? How do you plan to use your time in the Foster MBA program to fill these gaps and advance your career?
2. Personal Resilience (500 words maximum): Resilience is one of the most important values of a successful Foster student. Tell us about what resilience means to you and share some of the ways that you have demonstrated resilience in overcoming personal or professional challenges. How do you anticipate showing resilience during your time as an MBA candidate?
3. Essay 3: Optional Essay Include this essay if you have additional information you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee in considering your application. (500 words maximum)
4. Essay 4: Optional Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Essay (500 words maximum)
   At the Foster School of Business, we embrace diversity as one of the foundations of both successful business strategy and a world-class educational experience. We share the University’s dedication to promoting the understanding and appreciation of human differences, and the constructive expression of ideas. We welcome you to share some of the ways you have practiced inclusion, promoted equity or supported the advancement of underrepresented groups.

Rice Jones

1. Required Short Answer Responses: (100-word limit, each)
   Rice Business seeks to have a clear understanding of your career goals upon the completion of your MBA experience. 
   
   Response #1: “In 100 words or less, please share your short-term career goals.”
   Response #2: “In 100 words or less, please share your long-term career goals.”
    
2. Required Creative Essay: 
   While we know a picture is worth 1000 words, in 500 words or less tell us the story of a photo of your choosing that has significant value in your life experiences. Please feel free to share your photo!
   
   You can complete this essay via a traditional written response (500-word limit) or via a video response (one to three-minute time limit).

Georgia Tech Scheller

1. Why an MBA and why Georgia Tech? (Required)

Describe how your experiences, both professional and personal, have led you to the decision to pursue an MBA at Georgia Tech. 2,000 character maximum (including spaces).

2. Professional aspirations (Required)

What are your short-term career goals after you complete your MBA? 2,000 character maximum (including spaces).

3. Ten facts (Required)

List 10 facts about yourself that will help your future classmates get to know you. 2,000 character maximum (including spaces).

Vanderbilt Owen

We have two required written statements with a 200-word limit.

1. Statement 1: Our Career Management Center offers resources, guidance, and support to students as they navigate their anticipated post-MBA career paths. Examples of popular industry career paths are Consulting, Financial Services, Consumer Products, Healthcare, Human and Organizational Performance, Technology, and beyond. It is noteworthy that many students opt to concurrently explore multiple industry career paths. As you contemplate your post-MBA aspirations, share two post-MBA career paths you aim to explore during the Vanderbilt MBA program. Please articulate your rationale and enthusiasm for these choices, and include the skills you have developed that will help you achieve your career goals.
2. Statement 2: We are genuinely interested in getting to know you and recognize that your identity extends beyond the confines of this application’s structured questions. Please highlight something about yourself that isn’t already captured in the application. This highlight statement is an opportunity for you to provide context and depth to something that is important or meaningful to you.
3. Optional Explanatory Statement: You may provide an additional statement to briefly explain anything that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. This could include employment gaps, lack of recommendation from your current or most recent supervisor, violations of the law, academic misconduct, sub-par academic performance, or anything else that is relevant to your application. Bullet points are acceptable for this statement when appropriate.

UCLA Anderson

1. Why are you pursuing an MBA? (150 words)
2. Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals. (150 words)
3. At Anderson, our mission is to prepare transformative leaders by developing students to think innovatively, problem-solve, and adapt to others – all with a driven and purposeful mindset. How do you plan to achieve your goals and develop into a transformative leader during your time at UCLA Anderson? (250 words)

Minnesota Carlson

Your personal statement should be no more than 1200 words (3 pages), that address the following questions:  

1. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA at this time in your career? What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so? Briefly describe your short-term (upon graduation from the program) and long-term (5-10 years after the program) career goals. Please be as specific as possible with roles, companies and/or industries. 
2. What excites you about being part of the Carlson School MBA program? Do you have an enterprise program that you are currently interested in and why? 
3. Carlson MBA programs are looking for diverse voices and experiences to add to classroom discussions. Can you tell us about how you have participated in and/or advocated for building more inclusive communities in your career?

Notre Dame Mendoza

Statement of Purpose:
The statement of purpose is a 100-word statement detailing your short-term professional goals. Include the roles and industries you are targeting after completing your MBA and how you plan to leverage the skills and knowledge gained from the program to achieve these goals. This statement will help the Admissions Committee understand your career vision and how our MBA program fits into your professional development plan.

Essay Prompt:

Applicants will respond to the required essay prompt in 500 words or less. This essay allows the MBA Admissions Committee to understand who you are and who you will be at Notre Dame.

“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 seemingly came to an abrupt end when a massive fire destroyed the main building that housed the entire university. Instead of giving up, Father Sorin interpreted the fire as a sign that his dream was too small. He then decided to rebuild, bigger and better. The now iconic main building still stands today, topped by the gleaming Golden Dome, as an ongoing symbol of perseverance and vision.

Tell us about a time, in your personal or professional experience, when you persevered and overcame obstacles or you had to start over and rebuild. What did you learn most about yourself, and how has that influenced how you show up in the world?”

Boston College Carroll

Essay topics for 2025 admissions yet to be announced

IE Business School

Essay topics for 2025 admissions yet to be announced

IESE Business School

Career Goals Essay: What are your immediate career goal after graduation and your mid-term career goal 5-10 years after graduation? How will the IESE MBA program help you achieve them?” (word limit 300 max)

Optional Essay: What would you like to highlight about yourself or your journey which may have not been captured in your application? (word limit 300 max)

HEC Paris

1. ⁠Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective?
2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement?
3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you.
4. ⁠Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be?
5. Please choose from one of the following essays:
   • What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
   • Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
   • What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).
6. ⁠If there is anything else you would like to share with us that has not already been shared elsewhere in your file, please feel free to use this space.

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning HEC Paris MBA Essays

SDA Bocconi

Each answer should not exceed 280 words

1. What interests and occupations do you pursue in your free time?
2. What do you think you gained from your university studies? Conversely, what important things do you think your studies lacked?
3. Explain the most significant goals you think you have achieved so far and the reasons for their importance in your personal growth
4. Describe your strong points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such
5. Describe your weak points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such
6. What are the reasons that lead you to apply to the Program at this point in your life?
7. What other possibilities have you seriously considered, apart from the Program, for reaching your goals of personal and professional growth?
8. What are your short-term professional goals (within the next 3-5 years)? What other options are you considering/have you considered?

Cambridge Judge

1. Please provide details of your post-MBA career plans. The statement should not exceed 500 words and must address the following:
   – What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
   – Looking at your short-term career goal, describe the research you have done to understand how this industry/role/location recruits MBA talent and what they are looking for in a candidate?
   – How confident do you feel about meeting your short-term career goal? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them, and what preparation are you doing now?
2. Tell us about a time when you made a professional mistake. How could it have ended differently? (up to 200 words)
3. Tell us about the best team you worked with. What made the team successful? (up to 200 words)
4. Provide an example of when someone else positively impacted your life. What did you learn from this experience? (up to 200 words)

Oxford Saïd

1. As part of your application, you will need to submit a supporting statement. Tell us something that is not covered in your application which you would like the Admissions Committee to know about you. (Maximum 250 words)
2. If you are applying under the Oxford 1+1 MBA scheme you also need to submit the following essay: Explain why you see this as particularly beneficial for you and how it fits with your career and personal development aims. (Maximum 250 words)
3. Re-applicants will need to submit an additional essay as below: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA? (Maximum 250 words)

Imperial College Business School

You will be required to complete 4 mandatory questions:

• Please share your motivation for undertaking the programme?
• What is your proudest non-academic achievement?
• What would you contribute to the cohort and the Imperial community?
• How would you use your degree to make a positive impact?

Rotterdam School of Management

MBA Essay Topic 1: Share how you’ve already been a force for positive change in your world. Your example can be large or small, global or local, but must highlight the positive impact you’ve had through your efforts. Tell us your story. (500 words)

MBA Essay topic 2: Discuss how the RSM MBA will prepare you to become a force for positive change, either in your personal or professional life. (500 words)

MBA Optional Essay topic: Please feel free to supply any additional information that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in making the final decision on your application. (50 words maximum)

NUS Singapore

Essay topics for 2025 admissions yet to be announced

NTU Singapore

Essay topics for 2025 admissions yet to be announced

HKUST

Essay topics for 2025 admissions yet to be announced

ISB (Indian School of Business)

1. Contemplate situations that have shaped your personal journey. Present what these situations have taught you about your strengths and weaknesses, and how they have shaped your personal and professional journey. (400 words only)
2. What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA? Please describe using anecdotes from your own experiences. (400 words only)
3. Given your experience and aspirations, how do you plan to use the PGP at ISB to fulfill your professional goals? (Optional) (250 words only)

Final Thoughts

Navigating the MBA application process can feel overwhelming, but with the right preparation and a keen eye on the deadlines, you can make your dream of attending a top business school a reality.

Remember, each school not only looks at your qualifications but also how well you fit with their values and culture, as reflected in your essays. Take the time to carefully craft your responses to the essay prompts, and don’t hesitate to seek feedback from mentors or admissions consultants.

By staying on top of deadlines and putting your best foot forward in your essays, you’ll be well on your way to joining the ranks of the world’s future business leaders. Good luck!