The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) requires only one official written essay of its applicants, and although it is rather brief—just 400 words, maximum—the topic is so open-ended that it will likely be challenging for some candidates. Applicants can also submit a short optional statement, if they wish, and are tasked with responding to several short essay-type questions within the body of the school’s application. These cover such topics as other business schools the candidate is targeting, what skills the applicant already possesses that relate to their professional goals, and what their Plan B might be. For a full analysis of IMD’s core essay question and these additional prompts, read on.
IMD 2024–2025 Essay Tips
Required Essay: Tell us your story. (Make sure you include specific examples that would be relevant to the application process.) Minimum length 300 words and maximum 400.
To decide what you should write about in this essay, start by taking inventory of what the admissions committee will already know about you from the other parts of your application: your test scores and GPA, your resume, your recommendations, and so on. You want to make the most of every available word, which means you do not want to repeat any information the school will get elsewhere.
Also, do not think that IMD has any set expectations regarding what you should write about in this essay; the admissions committee truly wants to get to know you better, and a great way of doing so is by asking, as they are here, what you feel is most important to share about yourself. Think of this essay as a kind of “elevator pitch” about yourself as an IMD candidate. What does the committee really need to know to be able to evaluate you fully and fairly for a spot in its next incoming class? Be sincere, and present yourself as the person you truly are.
You can take one of several different approaches for this essay:
- You could focus on just one story. Maybe you have had a single standout experience that exemplifies who you are and what you stand for. If this moment truly defines you and reflects the essence of your being, discussing it on its own should be fine. Do not worry that offering just a single anecdote will make you seem one-dimensional; it will not, as long as your story has inherent strength and power. Because you have such limited space, you will need to jump directly into the narrative and let the story tell itself. It needs to be sufficiently compelling and not require a lot of explanation.
- You could take a thematic approach. For this strategy, you would write about a characteristic or attribute that has been central to your life. Do some self-exploration and see whether you can identify a thread that is common to your greatest achievements, thereby illustrating its importance in bringing you to where you are today. You must do more than simply state that theme, however. Instead, you need to offer your reader specific events/moments from your life that illustrate the theme and clearly convey your values.
- You could discuss several key inflection points. Maybe the most important events and aspects of your life cannot be easily captured or categorized within a neat and tidy theme or illustrated by a single story. If this is you, do not worry. Instead, consider highlighting a few inflection points that were instrumental in shaping you into the individual you are today. This does not mean offering a linear biography or rehashing your resume. The admissions committee does not want a mere summary of your life; they are interested in learning about the catalysts and challenges you have encountered that have subsequently influenced how you view and interact with the world.
- You could take a “mosaic” approach that combines multiple themes and stories. As complex humans, we are not driven by just one value, but by several. Taking a “mosaic” approach allows you to combine otherwise unrelated anecdotes that reveal different sides of you. However, you must be thoughtful about how you link the different stories you choose to share. Otherwise, your essay might read like a random assortment of examples, leaving the admissions committee confused and wondering what they were supposed to learn from it. For this approach to work well, make sure that the transitions between the themes/stories are smooth and natural.
Because IMD asks about your career aspirations elsewhere in its application (read on for our analysis of those questions), do not use this essay to discuss your professional plans.
Optional Essay: Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (i.e. re-application, health, grades, etc.) (Word limit 100)
In general, we believe applicants should use a school’s optional essay to explain confusing or problematic issues in their candidacy, which this prompt does indeed allow. So, if you need to, use this opportunity to address any questions the admissions committee might have about something in your profile—a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, a gap in your work experience, etc. Consider downloading our free mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, in which we offer detailed advice (and multiple annotated examples) on how best to approach the optional essay to mitigate any problem areas in your application.
Although IMD technically leaves the door open for you to share any other information about your candidacy that you feel might be pivotal or particularly compelling, you do not have much room in which to do so. Be judicious in deciding whether the admissions committee truly needs any more input to be able to evaluate you fully and effectively. Do not fear that not submitting some kind of response to this prompt would somehow count against you. Because every additional submission demands that the admissions committee do extra work on your behalf, you must be absolutely sure that the added time is warranted. If you feel compelled to impart information that you believe would render your application incomplete if omitted, keep your statement(s) brief and on point.
The following questions are not presented as official essays in the IMD application but require a slightly longer and more thoughtful response than a simple short-answer query, so we wanted to offer a bit of guidance on them as well.
Source of Information: What other programs are you applying to? (Word limit 100)
IMD asks you to use a drop-down menu to indicate why you have decided to apply to its MBA program, which will give the admissions committee insight into what you are generally looking for in a business school (e.g., networking opportunities, reputation, curriculum, faculty expertise). By asking you to share the other schools you are targeting, IMD is looking for some level of confirmation of this information. One would assume that all the programs you are targeting will share some similar characteristics. IMD obviously knows best what it offers and whether it is capable of delivering what you seek as a candidate, so this is understandably useful information for the admissions committee to have. Simply provide the names of the other programs you intend to apply to.
Career Development Questions
In the Career Development section of its application, IMD asks you to indicate your preferred industry, function, and geographical location for your post-MBA career using drop-down menus. Similarly, it asks you to name your three target companies. Then, it poses the following three related questions. Although the answers you will provide here cannot truly be considered “essays” (given their brevity), we nevertheless wanted to offer a little guidance on responding to the prompts effectively.
Do you already have a network in place? (Word limit 50)
IMD’s mere 50-word limit for this question clearly conveys a desire for “just the facts,” so respect the school’s wishes and be as direct and succinct as possible. The admissions committee wants to understand whether the program will truly be able to position you to reach your postgraduate career goals, and this is an important part of the equation for most candidates. If you are targeting a path for which a network is necessary for success, and neither you nor IMD has one that would be adequate to support you appropriately, the admissions committee might conclude that the school is not the right choice for you. Or perhaps, the program cannot offer the kind of network you would require, but you are already well connected, so this part of your professional development would not need to be a consideration in your evaluation for admission.
What skills and experiences will aid your post-MBA career goals? What are the challenges and road blockers that you may experience and how will you overcome them? (Word limit 200–300)
With this question, IMD first wants to know that you understand what is required of someone in the professional role or industry you are targeting and have the self-awareness to know which of those requirements you already meet—and therefore which ones you still need to develop. This is also your chance to show the school that you have done your research on its MBA program and identified resources and opportunities it offers that will position you to grow in the necessary ways. Unfortunately, you do not have enough room with this essay to go into great detail, so the key is to identify skills and experiences you need that IMD’s MBA program can provide. Otherwise, the admissions committee might question why you feel the school is the right one for you.
With the second part of this prompt, IMD is testing to see just how comprehensively you have thought about your career aspirations. Are you simply expecting the fact that you have earned your MBA to open doors for you and easily pave the path forward to your goal? We hope not. Instead, show the school that you have already anticipated the obstacles you might face and developed some basic ideas for how you will work through or around them. Showing that you have thoroughly considered these possibilities and mentally prepared yourself to confront and surmount them will go far in convincing the admissions committee that you are truly dedicated to your goals and not someone who is easily deterred from them.
What is your plan B if you are not able to secure your ideal job post MBA? (Word limit 50)
Candidates often feel they must be totally unequivocal in their career goals to impress the admissions committee, but in this case, IMD directly instructs you to speculate on and articulate a second option. The school knows that sometimes the best-laid plans do not play out as expected or might even yield unintended results, and it wants to know that you are prepared to switch gears and recommit to a different path, if necessary—and that you are fully capable of doing so. What is critical here is that your backup goal must be just as connected to your skills, interests, and ambitions as your original plan and would therefore not seem random or unreasonable. For example, you would probably have a difficult time convincing the admissions committee that your goal is to work in technology consulting while your alternate goal would be to work in human resources, because these industries, for the most part, require entirely different skills and personalities. Make sure that the alternate path you offer here and your original path are equally plausible and achievable.
