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mbaMission Publishes New Essay Guide for GSB and HBS Applicants

mbaMission Publishes New Essay Guide for GSB and HBS ApplicantsWe at mbaMission are proud to introduce “What Matters?” and “What More?”: 50 Successful Essays for the Stanford GSB and HBS (and Why They Worked) written by Jeremy Shinewald, Founder/President of mbaMission, and Liza Weale, Founder of Gatehouse Admissions, in partnership with Poets&Quants. 

Having helped hundreds of candidates gain acceptance to Harvard Business School (HBS) and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), Jeremy and Liza have pooled their collective experience to analyze a carefully curated collection of 50 successful essays to HBS and the GSB, breaking down why each one worked. The result is a truly essential guide to crafting essays confidently and effectively.   

“What Matters?” and “What More?”: 50 Successful Essays for the Stanford GSB and HBS (and Why They Worked) offers the following: 

  • Actual HBS and Stanford GSB essays, submitted by past candidates who were ultimately admitted, along with expert commentary on the strengths (and sometimes weaknesses!) of each one
  • Ten “pairs” of essays for HBS and the GSB, showing how the same candidate approached the two schools’ differing essay prompts
  • Two essays by reapplicants, highlighting useful tactics for writing these essays the second time around
  • Overviews and examples of four different approaches you can take to composing your essays: thematic, inflection points, single anecdote, and mosaic
  • Best practices for each program’s essay question, such as how to handle the prompts’ vastly different word counts and what not to include in your essays

The guidance, samples, and critiques in What Matters?” and “What More?” will help you find the best approach for sharing your strongest stories with these programs—and position yourself for success!

If you plan to apply to Harvard Business School or the Stanford GSB, this digital guide is a must-have resource, and it is on sale now for $60. Purchase your copy today—and be sure to contact us if you are interested in speaking one-on-one with an mbaMission expert admissions consultant via a free 30-minute consultation.  

Looking for even more HBS and GSB advice? Join Jeremy and Liza for a free webinar in which they will break down essays from What Matters?” and “What More?” and take your questions live! Click one of the links below to register—space is limited. 




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Upcoming Deadlines

  • Harvard (Round 2)
  • LBS (Round 2)
  • Berkeley Haas (Round 2)
  • Chicago Booth (Round 2)
  • Dartmouth Tuck (Round 2)
  • Georgetown McDonough (Round 2)
  • Penn Wharton (Round 2)
  • Stanford GSB (Round 2)
  • UNC Kenan-Flagler (Round 2)
  • UW Foster (Round 2)
  • Virginia Darden (Round 2)
  • Yale SOM (Round 2)

Click here to see the complete deadlines


2023–2024 MBA Essay Tips

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