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

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

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

Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.

For a thorough exploration of NYU Stern’s academic program/merits, defining characteristics, important statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

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

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

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

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1. What are your short- and long-term goals, and how will a Chicago Booth MBA help you reach them? (600 words)

Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.

For more information on the defining characteristics of the MBA program at Chicago Booth (or one of 14 other top business schools), please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.

1a. Reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words)

Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement or taken on a personal challenge of sorts, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. The school wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so because a Chicago Booth MBA is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible.

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1. What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why? (400-word limit)

Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.

2. What legacy would you hope to leave as a Johnson graduate? (200-word limit)

Another distinct question from Cornell’s admissions committee! Perhaps the school is using these questions to filter candidates, trying to identify those who are dedicated enough to take the time and effort to write unique content?

The key word in this essay is clearly “legacy,” but take care not to become confused by this term and assume that the school is asking about the contribution you expect to make during your two years in Ithaca. Instead of “contribution,” think more along the lines of “permanent impact,” whether as a student or an alumnus/alumna. So, for example, rather than explaining how you will participate in a specific activity or club, describe how that activity or club will be different after your time at Cornell. Or, rather than detailing the nature of the unique contributions you could make in class, discuss—as humbly as possible, of course—the lasting impact you would have on your peers. Another option would be to describe how you plan to maintain your connection to the school after you graduate and what this enduring relationship will mean for the MBA program. What is important here is that you truly comprehend what you have to offer and then reveal exactly how you intend to make that contribution—this will inevitably require that you have a clear understanding of the Cornell experience. So, before you elaborate on how you intend to influence the school’s marketing club or establish a course on a subject that is dear to your heart, ensure that your plans are within the realm of possibility.

3. You are the author for the book of Your Life Story.  Please write the table of contents for the book.  Note: Approach this essay with your unique style.  We value creativity and authenticity. (400-word limit)

This essay question follows the unique and creative model of NYU Stern’s essay three and Chicago Booth’s presentation, but for some reason, candidates are often confounded by what they perceive to be the essay’s rigid structure. We recommend that before you even put your hands on the keyboard or pick up a pen, you head to your local bookstore and leaf through various fiction and nonfiction texts, as well as a wide range of magazines. There, you may find some inspiration that will lead you to your own unique approach, helping you break free of the confines of the rigid table-of-contents format and allowing you to add crucial information that will set you apart from other candidates.

We would like to stress that candidates do not need to order their chapters chronologically, nor must they cover their entire lives to date. Applicants may have interesting family histories or strong visions for the future, and incorporating these kinds of elements into their table of contents can convey an even greater sense of their personality. Other possible options include organizing the table of contents thematically and breaking down the hypothetical book into parts/sections. As the cliché goes, the only limit is your imagination.

This year, Wharton is again asking candidates to first respond to one required question, then choose two from among three additional question options (versus three out of four options last year)—and two of the three options are brand new queries.

Required Question: What are your professional objectives? (300 words)

Just 300 words to answer such a broad question? Yes, 300. Once you get over the seemingly limited structure of this essay, you will realize that your assignment is really fairly straightforward: state your goals. However, you do not need to present them in the traditional short- and long-term sequence, and can instead discuss the bigger picture of what you see for yourself in your professional future. (We suspect Wharton may exclude these parameters because, in truth, few people actually end up pursuing the narrow goals they offer in these statements when they are required to be so specific.) You are also not required to rigidly define your professional objectives by naming a particular industry or job title, so you could instead discuss the type of organization you want to be a part of (a series of start-ups, for example) or the kind of responsibilities or effect you would like to have in your career. Whichever approach you choose, though, you must explain the reasoning behind your stated objectives (the “why”).

As you start to write, keep in mind that you do not need to offer a lengthy work history; the question does not ask for it, and the word count will not allow it. Still, you may want to devote approximately 50–75 words to providing some basic context for your goals before you state your professional objectives, especially if you are a career changer or plan to pursue a highly atypical, particular and/or competitive career path (managing a sports franchise, for example). Providing this context will lend credibility to your ambitions by establishing a purpose behind and a foundation for your ambitions.

Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.

For a thorough exploration of Wharton’s academic program/merits, defining characteristics, important statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Respond to Two of the Following Three Questions:

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The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia is certainly minimizing its focus on its essays this year, offering only one essay question as part of its 2011–2012 MBA application. In fact, the school is potentially narrowing its scope so much that candidates who have difficulty answering its one and only question may ultimately be discouraged from applying. We are going to be bold and predict now that more than one essay question will be posed next year. Time will tell.

Share your perspective on leadership in the workplace and describe how it has been shaped by the increasing influence of globalization. (500 words maximum)

As you present your view on leadership in the workplace for this essay, take care to avoid writing about leadership in a vacuum. Your perspective should incorporate your personal experience, possibly including reflections on interesting and innovative examples of leaders you have known firsthand, or even some (diplomatically addressed) negative examples of leadership that you have witnessed. For many, integrating globalization into this discussion will be challenging, but fortunately, globalization is a very broad term that is malleable and can therefore be thoughtfully applied in most situations. Everything from layoffs at a firm to introducing a new product to a leader coaching a challenging employee could arguably fall under the purview of globalization. Of course, just making the association between leadership and globalization will not be enough—your description of that connection will need to be meaningful and reveal that you fundamentally understand both the kinds of issues a true leader faces and the responsibilities he/she subsequently holds.