MBA Application Deadlines and Essays for 2027 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 2027 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 2027 intake and provide you with the essay prompts each school is asking this admissions cycle.

2027 Intake MBA Application Deadlines

Here’s a breakdown of 2027 intake MBA application deadlines for top business schools across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Top US Business Schools

Top European & Asian Business Schools

Essay Topics : 2027 MBA Admissions

Harvard Business School

1. Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your choices have influenced your career path and aspirations. (300 words)
2. Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped how you invest in others and how you lead? (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. (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 for you? (350 words)

Wharton

• Short Answer 1: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 words
• Short Answer 2: What are your career goals for the first three to five years after completing your MBA, and how will those build towards your long-term professional goals? (150 words)
• Essay: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to add meaningful value to the Wharton community? (350 words)
• Optional: Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application. This space should be used to clarify information provided in the application or address extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps or inconsistent performance in academic career, choice of recommenders, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. Please note that this section is not intended to be an additional essay. (500 words)

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

Chicago Booth

• Essay 1- How will a Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (Minimum 250 words, no maximum.)
• Essay 2– Chicago Booth appreciates the individual experiences and perspectives that all of our students bring to our community. This respect for different viewpoints creates an open-minded environment that supports curiosity, inspires us to think more broadly, and take risks. At Booth, community is about collaborative thinking and learning from one another to better ourselves, our ideas, and the world around us.
• The photos below represent some of the values described above that we uphold at Chicago Booth. Select one and share how it resonates with one of your own values. (250-word minimum)
• Essay 3- (Optional) Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (Maximum 300 words.)
• Essay 4- (Reapplicants) 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

• Video Prompt 1: 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!
  • Videos should adhere to the following guidelines: No more than 1 minute (60 second) in length, Single take (no editing), Speaking directly to the camera, Do not include background music or subtitles
• Video Prompt 2: All MBA applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation.
  • Video Question 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 10 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response. The following are examples of questions that may be asked in the Video Question 2:
    • What achievement are you most proud of and why?
    • Tell us about a time a classmate or colleague wasn’t contributing to a group project. What did you do?
• 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 or less.)

Northwestern Kellogg

• Essay 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)
• Essay 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)
• Essay 3: (Optional) We know that life is full of extenuating circumstances. Whether you want to explain gaps in work experience, your choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance or something else, you can use this section to briefly tell us anything we need to know about your application. (280 words)

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

Columbia Business School

• 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: Please share a specific example of how you made a team more collaborative, more inclusive or fostered a greater sense of community within an organization. (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)

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

INSEAD

Career Essays

1. Provide a summary of your career since graduating from university, explaining the rationale behind your key decisions and career progression. Include a description of your current (or most recent) role, covering the scope of your work, major responsibilities, employees under your supervision, budget size, clients/products, and any notable results achieved. (500 words maximum)
2. Describe your short and long-term career aspirations, including your target geography, industry, and function. How do you plan to bridge the gap between your current position and these goals, and how will INSEAD help you achieve them? (300 words maximum)

Activities & Interests: Describe the activities you listed above and explain how they have enriched your life (e.g., skills developed, personal growth, community impact). (300 words maximum)

Motivation Essays

• Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself as a person and a leader, emphasizing the strengths and weaknesses you recognize in yourself. Explain how you are actively working on your development, sharing key experiences that have shaped you, providing specific examples where relevant. (500 words maximum)
• Essay 2: Describe a highly stressful situation you faced and how you managed it. What did this experience teach you about yourself and your interactions with others? (400 words maximum)
• Essay 3: Is there anything else that was not covered in your application that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words maximum)
• Supplemental Info: Can you please share with us if you plan to attend the programme with a partner and/or children? This information is optional but would enable INSEAD to better welcome you and your family. (200 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

• Essay Question 1: “Why are you pursuing an MBA and why now? How will the distinct Tuck MBA contribute to achieving your goals and aspirations? What particular aspects of Tuck will be instrumental in your growth?”(2,000 characters)
• Essay Question 2: “Tell us who you are. How have your values and experiences shaped your identity and character? How will your unique background contribute to Tuck and/or enhance the experience of your classmates?” (2,000 characters)
• Essay Question 3: “Describe a time when you meaningfully invested in someone else’s success without immediate benefit to yourself. What motivated you, and what was the impact?” (2,000 characters)
• Optional Essay: 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. (2,000 characters)
• Reapplicant Essay: (To be completed by all reapplicants) How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally and how your understanding of Tuck has developed. (2,000 characters)

Michigan Ross

1. Career Aspirations: What is your short-term career goal, and how will Ross’ philosophy in Action-Based Learning help you achieve it? Please be specific. Please answer both parts of this question. (300 words)
2. How will you make an impact at Michigan Ross?
3. 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.
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

• Required Video Essay 1: What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why?
• Essay 2: What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from Haas help you achieve those goals? (300 words max)
  • 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.
• Supplemental: Distance Traveled
  • At Berkeley Haas, we consider “distance traveled” as the contextual information that helps us understand the unique circumstances, challenges, or influences that have shaped your personal and professional journey. We invite you to share aspects of your background, personal circumstances, or significant experiences that have meaningfully impacted who you are today and how you’ve reached this point. Please tell us how these experiences have influenced your perspectives, decisions, and aspirations, and how they contribute to the person you are becoming. (300 words max)
• Optional Essay: This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate. (300 words max)

Yale SOM

• Please respond to one (1) of the three essay prompts below. The word limit is 500 words.
  • Essay 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?
  • Essay 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?
  • Essay 3: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced. How have you confronted this challenge and how has it shaped you as a person?
• Career Interests: Briefly describe your career interests and how you arrived at them. What have you already done to pursue these interests? What do you need to do going forward? (200 words maximum)
• Optional: If any aspect of your application requires additional explanation, you can address it in the Optional Information section below. Please note, you should use the specific prompts provided in the Work Experience section to address gaps in work experience or choice of recommender. The Optional Information section is truly optional – if no aspect of your application requires further explanation, you should leave this section blank. (200 words)
• Re-applicant Essay: Since your last application, please discuss any significant updates to your candidacy, including changes in your personal or professional life, additional coursework, or extracurricular/volunteer activities. (200 words maximum; required for all reapplicants)

NYU Stern

• Short Answer: Professional Aspirations (150 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
  • What are your short-term career goals?
• Essay 1: Change: it (350 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
  • 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? Examples: Change: Dare it./Change: Dream it./Change: Drive it./Change: Empower it./Change: Manifest it./Change: [Any word of your choice] it.
• Essay 2: Personal Expression (a.k.a. “Pick Six”)
  • 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.
  • Note: Your visuals may include photos, infographics, drawings, or any other images. Your document must be uploaded as a single PDF. The essay cannot be sent in physical form or be linked to a website.
• Essay 3: Additional Information (optional) (500 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
  • Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee and/or give context to your application. This may include important aspects of yourself not otherwise apparent in your application, including but not limited to: hardships you have encountered, current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE, Executive Assessment, IELTS or TOEFL, or any other relevant information.

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

Duke Fuqua

• Required Short Answer Questions:
  • Answer the following question in 100 words. What are your post-MBA career goals? Share with us your first-choice career plan and your alternate plan.
• First required essay:
  • 25 random things about yourself – 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.
    • Your list will be limited to 2 pages (750 words maximum). Please present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be brief, while others may be longer.
• Second required essay:
  • The Fuqua community and you – 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?
    • Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).
• Optional essay: Tell us more –
  • 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.
    • Your response will be limited to 1 page (500 words maximum).

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

Cornell Johnson

Goals Statement Prompt:

A statement of your goals will begin a conversation that will last throughout the admissions process and guide your steps during the MBA program and experience. To the best of your understanding today, please share your short and long-term goals by completing the following sentences and answering the enclosed short answer question:

• Immediately post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role] at [Company]within[Industry]. Targeted Job Role: ; Target Job Company: ; Industry: In 5 – 10 years post-MBA, my goal is to work as a(n) [Role]_ at [Company]within[Industry]_. ; Targeted Job Role: ; Target Job Company: ; Industry:
• Please share how you plan to utilize the resources available at Johnson, as well as any personal resources to transition to your immediate post-MBA career goal. (350 word maximum)

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? (350 words maximum) OR

The Unique Trait that Defines Me:

What is something unique about you that others will remember you by, and how will this trait help you contribute and engage with the Cornell MBA community? (350 words maximum)

Optional Essay:

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) OR
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. Relationships Matter Here: What would you want your classmates to know about you that is not on your resume? (200 words)
2. Community: Please describe an example of building community within your personal or professional life. What impact did this have on you and those around you? How will this experience contribute to the way you will build community at Darden? (200 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

Essay : 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? (500 words)

Indiana Kelley

We want to get to know you better! Take this opportunity to shine while demonstrating your:

• Communication skills
• Unique background
• Career goals

UNC Kenan-Flagler

Essay 1 is required. (500 words)

• 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. (500 words)

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: What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from USC Marshall help you achieve those goals? Short-term career goals should be those you want to achieve within 3-5 years post-MBA, whereas long-term goals may span a decade or more and encompass broader professional aspirations. (word limit: 400)
• Essay 2: In the USC Marshall MBA Program, teamwork is essential to success. Please share an example of a time when you collaborated effectively with others to achieve a personal or professional goal. (word limit: 400)
• Essay 3 (Optional): We realize that each person is more than a list of facts or pre-defined categories, and we’d like to recognize each individual’s unique qualities and experiences. Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider when reviewing your candidacy for the MBA program. (word limit: 500)

Texas McCombs

• Essay 1: Imagine yourself at the completion of your MBA journey. Why was pursuing your MBA at Texas McCombs the right decision for your personal and professional growth? Reflect on how you made the most of your time in the program—academically, through hands-on learning opportunities, and within the McCombs community. Highlight how you contibuted to the McCombs community and used its resources to grow both professionally and personally.
• Essay 2: Reflect on a core value that defines you. Share a specific example of how it has guided your decisions and actions, and explain how it will shape your contributions and growth as a McCombs MBA student. Highlight how this value has influenced your leadership style and life path, and how it will shape your MBA experience.
• Essay 3 (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).

Re-Applicant Essay

Required for re-applicants. How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally (300-350 words, approximately one page, double spaced).

Emory Goizueta

Short Answer Questions (40-word limit each)

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)

• Essay 1: 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?
• Essay 2: 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. Essay 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. Essay 2: Foster Mission Statement (500 words maximum) –TOGETHER – WE FOSTER LEADERS, WE FOSTER INSIGHTS, WE FOSTER PROGRESS – TO BETTER HUMANITY. This is the Foster School’s mission statement, and it serves as the north star for how we do business here. Please select one part of our mission statement and describe how it resonates with you in your personal or professional life.
3. Essay 3: Optional Essay (500 words maximum) -Include this essay if you have additional information you believe would be helpful to the admissions committee in considering your application.
4. Essay 4: Optional Nurturing Our Community Essay* (500 words maximum) -At the Foster School of Business, we embrace inclusion and belonging as two 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 and promoted belonging.

Rice Jones

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.

1. Response #1: “In 100 words or less, please share your short-term career goals.”
2. Response #2: “In 100 words or less, please share your long-term career goals.”
3. 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).
4. Optional Essay: (500-word limit) – If you have any additional information for the admissions committee or if you wish to clarify any aspect of your application (including breaks in employment, your choice of recommendation providers, your past academic performance, etc.), you may submit an additional, optional essay.

Georgia Tech Scheller

1. Essay 1: Why an MBA and why Georgia Tech? 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. Essay 2: Professional aspirations- What are your short-term career goals after you complete your MBA? 2,000 character maximum (including spaces).
3. Essay 3: Ten facts -List 10 facts about yourself that will help your future classmates get to know you. 2,000 character maximum (including spaces).
4. Essay 4 (Optional): The admissions committee believes that the required essays address issues that help us learn about you and understand your candidacy for the MBA program; however, you may provide us with any additional information pertinent to your admission that has not been previously covered in the rest of the application. Feel free to discuss any unique aspects of your candidacy or any perceived weaknesses. 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. (200 words)
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. (200 words)
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. (200 words)

UCLA Anderson

Short Essay Prompts:

1. Why is the MBA the right degree for you to pursue both personally and professionally? (150 words)
2. Describe your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals. (150 words)
3. What makes UCLA Anderson a top choice for you, and how will you engage with and contribute to the community? (250 words)

Optional Essay:

Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)

Minnesota Carlson

1. Essay 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. Essay 2: What excites you about being part of the Carlson MBA program? Do you have an enterprise program that you are currently interested in and why?
3. Essay 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

Slide Deck:

In addition to your resume and transcripts, our slide deck component offers an opportunity for candidates to showcase unique qualities not captured elsewhere, including personal aspects beyond your academic and professional experiences. This slide deck is a required component of your application, and you will be asked to upload it as part of your submission.

SOP:

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:

“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?”

Supplemental Essay (optional):

This is an opportunity to share information not covered elsewhere in your application. You can include additional context about your background, gaps in employment, unique experiences, personal challenges you have overcome, or any other insights that may not be fully represented in other sections of your application.

Boston College Carroll

Essay topics for 2027 admissions yet to be announced

IE Business School

Essay topics for 2027 admissions yet to be announced

IESE Business School

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

Optional: 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:
   a. What are your short and long-term career objectives? How will the Cambridge MBA equip you to achieve these?
   b. 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?
   c. 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. Essay: 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. Re-applicant essay: 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 2027 admissions yet to be announced

NTU Singapore

Essay topics for 2027 admissions yet to be announced

HKUST

Essay topics for 2027 admissions yet to be announced

ISB (Indian School of Business)

1. Essay 1: What unique experiences have shaped who you are? What have these experiences taught you about leadership and the kind of leader you aspire to be? (Word Limit: 400)
2. Essay 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. (Word Limit: 400)
3. Essay 3: Share with us any intellectual pursuits, unique perspectives, or experiences that you pursued that have shaped your worldview, your growth through these pursuits, and how they could potentially contribute to our learning community.(Optional) (Word Limit: 250)

How Govind Secured an ISB Admit as a Re-applicant, with M.Tech & PSU Experience

Analysis, Tips, and Framework to create a winning ISB MBA Essays.

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 MBA application 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!