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1. Describe your greatest professional achievement and how you were able to add value to your organization. (400 Words)

This straightforward question creates an opportunity for you to “wow” the Admissions Committee via your professional life. You should preferably choose a recent experience and should also select one that has had an impact external to you. Many candidates make the mistake of discussing the enduring impact on themselves, likely because they have adapted this essay from another school. In this case however, the second part of the question is not “and how it has affected you”, but asks for the ramifications for your organization. By thoughtfully discussing your impact on others, you can show a level of magnanimity that Johnson will find appealing.

2. What career do you plan to pursue upon completing the MBA and why? How will the Johnson School help you achieve this goal? (400 Words)

Yet again, because of significant overlap from school to school, we offer our document on personal statements. Please email [email protected] for an electronic copy which will help you approach this essay.

3. Optional Essay

Optional essays are generally reserved for extenuating circumstances in your application. Considering how narrow the Johnson School’s essays are, we occasionally suggest that candidates add relevant information in this section. You should not just cut and paste your best essay from another school, but should consider the particular information that you need Johnson to know about you and then showcase it in a very straightforward way, essentially addressing that this information is vital.

Two short essay answer questions and two long essays must be completed before submitting your application. Prepare your essays carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your responses to the following questions important in the selection process. Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing.

For the short answer questions, please restrict your response to a single page each. For the long essay questions you must answer the first question and for the second essay you may select from one of three essay options. There is no restriction on the length of your response for the two long essay questions. Applicants typically use between 500 and 750 words for essays one and two.

Short Essays – Answer both short essay questions.

Please discuss your career path, your short and long-term goals.

Why are you interested in The Duke MBA program and how will it help you achieve your goals? If you are interested in the Health Sector Management concentration or a joint degree program, please address in this essay.

Once again, because of significant overlap from school to school, we offer a document that we have produced on personal statements. Please email [email protected] for an electronic copy which will help you approach this essay. The only slight twist in this essay is “why are you interested in the Duke MBA” which allow you to incorporate aspects of your research into the program (i.e. conversations with alumni and students) as well as the manner in which the Duke MBA will fulfill your specific educational needs. Nonetheless, this type of personalization is something that we suggest for clients regardless of school as it shows a greater level of intent.

Long Essays – Answer essay question 1, and for essay question 2 please answer only one of the three essay options provided.

How has your personal history and family background influenced your intellectual and personal development? What unique personal qualities or life experiences might distinguish you from other applicants? How will your background, values and non-work related activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at Fuqua? Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally.

While this question has many parts to it, candidates should not be overwhelmed. In this essay, you need to explain the factors that have influenced your intellectual development and then discuss how this development has subsequently led you to a unique path in life or a unique world view. These factors may be found in close family relationships, geographic/national/religious influences, economic realities or brief but influential life experiences and encounters. We cannot stress enough that you clearly connect these influences and show a cause and effect relationship between them and who you are today; otherwise your message will be muddled. Thereafter, another connection should be made – you will need to explain how the current manifestation of these influences will enable you to contribute to your peers at Fuqua, which is in itself an important means to explaining that you truly understand the Duke experience.

Please respond fully and concisely to one of the following essay questions, identifying clearly which question you have selected.

To be a good team player, one needs to be an effective individual leader and vice-versa.

Describe an example of where you were challenged to become a leader in a team-oriented context. What was the challenge you faced, how did you address it, and what did you take away from the experience for your future development as a leader?

By offering details of the situation and enabling the reader to vicariously experience the tensions (not necessarily emotional tension, but almost literally the influences that were “stretching” you), you will effectively draw the reader in. You need to offer a situation in which the reader understands that there were clear challenges facing you as well as very specific obstacles and then show that through decisive and purposeful action, you prevailed. We need to understand a clear cause and effect, where your choices lead to solutions that have a human element, while facilitate a broader goal. Fuqua explicitly asks you to discuss “take-aways”, key learnings from the experience that continue to have an enduring impact. As always, the reflective element of the question should not be taken lightly and summed up with brief clichés. Your thoughts are entirely your own and true introspection will enable you differentiate yourself philosophically and show that you have the potential to be a more thoughtful manager than others.

Describe a situation in which your ability to perform ethically was challenged. What was the issue, how did you handle it, and what did you learn from it?

Wharton and Columbia both have similar questions about challenges to values, but Fuqua’s question is slightly different from these in that the wording leaves open a broader range of experiences. In posts about Wharton and Columbia’s essay questions, we have mentioned that it is not a good idea to offer a black and white example such as “my boss asked me to trade on insider information, but I said ‘no’.” Essentially, this is not a true challenge to your values as you could not justify illegal activity; there is only one side to this argument.

However, Fuqua puts a spin on this essay and thus allows you to embrace times in which others have asked you to perform unethically. They are not asking about a time when you have faced an ethical dilemma, but one if which factors affected your ability to behave ethically. Whether intended or not, Fuqua’s question leaves open times in which others have tried to influence or challenge you to do the wrong thing.

Still, all of this written (about a mere nuance) you can still follow the same path as recommended in Columbia and Wharton’s essays and start by offering an example in which there are two reasonable options which stand in stark opposition to each other — both with positive and negative aspects — and then explore how you made your choice. In such circumstances, the outcome is less important than your reasoning. The committee is seeking to understand your thought process and trying to recognize the reasonable, logical and ethical applicant within.

Describe a significant leadership failure in your life. What did you learn from this failure? How has it impacted who you are today and the kind of leader you would like to be?

The best failure essays are often those that show reasoned optimism and tremendous momentum toward a goal – a goal that is ultimately derailed. In most cases, you will need to show that you were emotionally invested in your project/experience which will enable the reader to connect with your story and vicariously experience your disappointment. If you were not invested at all, it is hardly credible to discuss the experience as a failure or learning experience.

Of course, the reflective element is vitally important. It is very easy to offer trite and clichéd statements about your response and what you learned about yourself (Note: everyone learns resiliency – consider another key learning). It will take time to truly create a unique statement about your road forward and lessons learned, but the payoff will come in an essay that is much more personal and self-aware than thousands of others. For this essay to be effective, the experience will need to be so powerful that the reader has a clear understanding of the enduring impact that it must have had and indeed does have on your life and behavior.

1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short- and long-term career goals? (500 word limit)

This is another personal statement in which there is no explicit request for information about your past or about the school itself. Still, you need to provide some context for your future goals – your goals cannot just exist in a vacuum. Therefore, you should offer some existing experience which shows that your short and long term goals make sense for you. Again, this is not a career history and does not need to be 250 words; a brief 50 word introduction of your context should be sufficient before leading into your goals.

As always your goals should be specific enough that you are showing clear intent and ambition, but not so specific that you are limiting yourself or narrow minded. The bulk of your essay should focus on why your MBA and specifically, your Darden MBA will allow you to achieve your goals. Again, this is not an opportunity to sing the schools praises; you want to connect the schools resources with your professional goals and learning objectives. You want to explain how Darden has the resources to bridge your dreams/goals and reality.

2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, education, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Darden students. (500 word limit)

This essay is broad and sweeping in nature so it allows you to showcase a mix of your greatest strengths – professional, community, academic and personal. You should attempt to select a diversity of these experiences and present them in such a way you will be able to relate them back to your ability to contribute in a variety of areas – for example, the classroom, your learning team and the community at large. A successful essay will be one which not only details unique personal strengths, but also clearly illustrates how these strengths will be in action at Darden, meaning that you will have an opportunity to show your intimate understanding of and connection to Darden.

3. Choose one of the following questions. (250 word limit)

These questions are flexible enough that you can make a choice about whether you want to add depth to your professional, community or personal profile, depending on the choices that you have made above.

a. What would you do if you didn’t have to work for a living?

This question is quite malleable. Your approach might be to discuss an unusually strong passion or a philosophical/academic interest that you would pursue. While you could discuss an alternative “career,” you should be careful in this regard, particularly in terms of community service. You don’t want to raise the question, “Well, if you value that path so much, why aren’t you pursuing it?” You should try to find an idea that is slightly implausible, but still grounded in reality.

b. Describe a significant maturing experience.

The key with this essay will be to show change and thus the most effective stories will likely be those with a clear climax – a before and after. While 250 words is very brief, your essay may have the following components: before, climax, after, reflection. Even in such a short space, there is still room for a full story and reflection/introspection.

c. What have been the most satisfying aspects of your work life thus far and the most dissatisfying?

The most satisfying aspects will probably be easy for most to identify; most are acutely aware of what they love about their jobs. However, simply stating what it is that you love will not work all that well. We need to experience your passion and energy, via convincing details that prove your point. With respect to your most dissatisfying aspects, it is obviously important not to complain, but to be constructive. You want this constructive criticism to be levied at your company and not become a window into your negativity.

MIT can be applauded for taking a straightforward approach to their essays. Each of the four essays are flexible enough that you can showcase your diverse talents/strengths and dimensions of your personality, but are still quite clear in their demands on you as an applicant.

Essay 1: Please tell us about a time when you had an impact on a person, group, or organization. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

In this essay, you will need to show a clear cause and effect relationship, between your actions and the resulting implication for others. A successful essay will show how you took specific steps to produce the desired results, focus on the results themselves and then, most importantly, add a reflective element, explaining the personal significance or learning, via the experience. This is a leadership essay and while it does not demand that you exemplify rousing “Churchillian” leadership, the goal is to show how you exercise your influence and bring about a new and better reality.

Essay 2: Please describe a time when your team had to arrive at a compromise. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

The committee is clearly interested in how you reason, negotiate and manage yourself amid pressure; you will notice that they are not asking you to discuss a time when you arrived at a compromise, but when you had to arrive at a compromise – the important word being “had”. A well-written essay will likely show two competing sides, offer a decision that needed to be made and showcase how you acted in a diplomatic way to reach consensus and maximize the outcome. Again, the details of your actions are essential; the committee wants to get to know your personal style, so generalities will not do.

Essay 3: Please tell us a time when you advocated for a position. What alternatives did you consider? Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

There is a nuance between essays two and three. Essay two demands that you discuss how you created compromise amid a group, but essay three is more personal and seeks to understand how you evaluate your own thoughts on a position. While you do not need to eliminate external influences in your decision making process, the resolution of the position is entirely your own. Again, even though the end is yours to decide, it is important to show flexibility and open-mindedness along your path. A well written essay will not only show how you came to your own conclusions, but how you were effective in persuading others and gaining support for your point of view, possibly even showing how you ultimately won or lost support for your issue. As in all of these essays, a reflective element at the end or throughout is vital.

Essay 4: Please tell us a time when you put an idea into action. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

Some are bound to have trouble differentiating between this essay and essay one, above. In this case, the focal point is that you started something, created momentum and ensured that your initiative took hold. Whereas the first essay is seeking to understand the direct outcome of your actions, this essay could be a story about how you took initiative, got others involved and built something bigger than you could have achieved alone. This essay is not limited to such an idea and you can display singular leadership in this space as well, but it is important that whatever path you take, you show that you were the “spark that lit the fuse”.

Cover Letter

Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Please comment on your career goals and those factors which influenced you to pursue an MBA education at MIT Sloan. The cover letter provides a chance for you to discuss your passions, values, and interests. Through what you write we hope to discover whether you will thrive at MIT Sloan and how you will contribute to our diverse community. Address your cover letter to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

MIT is gives you a mere 500 words to discuss career goals, factors that influenced you to pursue your MBA, passions, values and interests and explain how you will thrive and what you will contribute to the program. You will need to be judicious as you draft your letter to Mr. Garcia and ensure that you do not roam throughout, but cover these topics in a systematic and coherent manner. Because the demands of this letter are so extensive and because this is in an unusual cover letter style, you will need to write in a direct personal tone which makes a more acute point about your appropriateness for MIT and engages the reader.

A quick point about your introduction: for some reason candidates feel compelled to start cover letters with “my name is X and I am applying to MIT…” This is a typical and boring introduction offering information that the school already possesses; by creating a different and compelling opening you will grab and hold the attention of an Admissions Officer who has read thousands of these essays.

Sometimes short answers can be more challenging than essays with no limits at all. Berkeley essentially demands that you wow them quickly, with a series of four short answers:

1. What is your favorite quote, and why is it meaningful to you? (250 word maximum)

The quote that you select should directly relate to something specific about your character and/or experiences. You cannot afford to choose a generic quote (i.e. “Never say die!”), but need to be as specific as possible in showing that you are thoughtful about both the quote and yourself. The ideal quote is not only original and interesting in itself, but illuminates an aspect of your background/experience/personality that stands out from others. You essentially need to prove that you reinforce the spirit of this quote and therefore must offer compelling examples that link you to this original thought.

2. Tell us about your most significant accomplishment. (250 word maximum)

Your most significant accomplishment can be from any sphere professional, community, academic, personal, but you should try to maintain a balance and represent as many dimensions of your candidacy as possible throughout these short answers – meaning that you will have to exercise judgment. Even in 250 words, you can tell a brief story or state your accomplishment and explain why you view it as such (much like HBS’s Essay 2, only 50 more words for your example). The key in this instance is to choose an experience that is simple but powerful – one that speaks for itself and draws the reader in, allowing the reader to come to a clear conclusion about your capabilities.

3. At Haas, we value innovation and creativity. How have you demonstrated these qualities in your professional or personal life? (250 word maximum)

If you have not yet offered a professional experience at this point, now is the time – for the sake of balance. Your example of innovation or creativity need not be earth-shattering, but can simply be the story of you thinking differently or making a unique choice. In this essay, you will notice the word “demonstrated”; the committee wants to learn about you through your experiences. You need to be telling a story, not stating facts. When telling a story, even in 250 words, you still need to provide a discernible beginning, middle and end, which in this case probably will be your discovery of the idea, actions you took to implement and clear results brought forth by your actions.

4. If you have visited Haas, please let us know what about your visit made the most lasting impression on you. If you have not visited Haas, what steps have you taken to familiarize yourself with our MBA program? (250 word maximum)

Quite simply, Haas wants to know that you are applying for the right reasons – for the program’s brains (academics, environment, etc.) not its beauty (rankings). You need to explain your connection with the program and show that you have engaged in a process of discovery and self-evaluation in coming to the conclusion that Haas is for you. The more personal and detailed you are in your approach, the more compelling your answer will become. A good test of your sincerity is deleting any reference to Haas and inserting the name of another school. If your essay still makes sense with another school’s name inserted, the odds are that your response is too generic. If it your statement becomes nonsensical because you have another school’s name relating to Haas specific resources, you have done your job (and should reinsert Haas!)

Required Essays:

1. Give us an example of a time when you displayed leadership. (500 word maximum)

You might feel relieved to find a 500 word maximum at this point. However, by now, your depth of experience might be challenged; some find it difficult to offer a strong answer to this question, after discussing their most significant accomplishment in short answer two. Clearly, you should reserve a story that is more complicated for this essay and one in which your actions are methodical. Whereas the short essay demands an impressive “blast” of experience, in this essay the AdCom is more interested in understanding your leadership style and thus your process orientation. You results are still quite important, but the characteristics that you display on the path to these results should be revealing.

2. What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How do your professional experiences relate to these goals? Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career? (1000 word maximum)

Haas inverts the traditional structure of this essay question, placing your goals before your career experience. You too can invert your answer or you can begin with your career context; it does not really matter as long as you answer the question in full. It is vital that your professional experience not be a roving discussion of all of your accomplishments, but that your career directly relates to your goals. You need to create a logical connection – a cause and effect – between your past and your future, ensuring that your MBA is the clear link between the two.

As I have stated before, there is no room to be vague in addressing your career goals. It is not enough for you to write, “When I graduate I want to go into marketing” or “With my MBA, I will enter the field of consulting”. What kind of marketing – consumer products, business to business? What knowledge do you have of this business and why will you excel in it? Remember, this is not a statement of dreams, but a statement of purpose. So, it is important that as you develop your short term goals you consider the specific role you will play, the reasons why you will excel in that role and hopefully show insight into why there may be an identifiable need for your skills in this position. You can take any direction that you so choose from your short term goals as long as there is a causal connection with your long term goals. Your long term goals can be less specific than short term goals; they essentially represent an ideal aspiration if short term goals are reached.

Berkeley explicitly asks: “Why do you want an MBA from Berkeley at this point in your career?” A common mistake among applicants is simply to compliment the school. The spirit of the latter half of your personal statement should not be “Haas is great”, but “I will utilize specific Haas resources to achieve ambitious goals.” And, the idea is not to generate a list of “specific Haas resources”, but to develop a well thought out themes or argument – almost like stating your case to the jury – where you prove that by taking advantage of specific programs within a few disciplines that directly relate to your career, you will achieve your goals.

While Haas does not explicitly ask you what you can offer the school, word count permitting, it is generally a good idea to discuss ways in which you can contribute in class and beyond, if this has not been accomplished implicitly throughout the essay.