The Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford takes a rather minimalist approach to application essays, asking its candidates to compose only one short, traditional written submission. The essay’s prompt gives applicants the leeway to share whatever additional information they believe the school needs to fully evaluate them, so they do not have to adhere any particular topic, though the 250-word limit might feel restrictive for some candidates. However, Oxford also requires applicants to complete an online assessment involving several competency-focused video questions. We imagine that many candidates would much prefer to write a second essay over contending with spontaneous queries on video, but applicants should embrace this opportunity to showcase themselves in a more dynamic way for the admissions committee. In our full analysis, we provide guidance on approaching Oxford Saïd’s single essay question and online assessment, as well as its separate prompts for 1+1 MBA candidates and reapplicants.
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School demands three short-answer questions, two relatively brief written essays, and a one-minute “small talk” video essay from its applicants. Two of the three short-answer questions address common MBA essay topics: one’s short-term career objectives and how the school can help the applicant achieve them. The third, however, asks candidates to share a “fun fact” about themselves. Applicants have a choice of two prompts for the school’s first essay question, though both deal with a past leadership experience. And for the second essay, candidates are asked to discuss a person, event, or circumstance that has influenced who they are today. The school’s video essay might cause some applicants a bit of anxiety, because Goizueta provides no advance information about what the question will be. Candidates must therefore be ready to respond extemporaneously. If needed, applicants can use the optional essay to provide clarification or explanation about elements of their candidacy. Read on for our full analysis of all Goizueta’s 2024–2025 application essay questions.
The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business takes a somewhat traditional approach to its application essays. For the school’s required essay, applicants must detail their short-term and long-term career goals and explain Marshall’s role in achieving them—though without much elaboration, given the submission’s mere 400-word limit. Applicants who feel they have an issue to explain or a particularly significant story to share can use the school’s second essay to do so if they wish, but all reapplicants are required to respond to this otherwise “optional” prompt. Our analysis of all of USC Marshall’s essay questions for this season follows.
As you prepare to start your MBA program, you already have many tasks on your plate, but we recommend that you add one more—updating your recruiting resume. As soon as you get to campus, you will need to submit your resume, so revising it now will position you to hit the ground running.
Here are three tips and associated action items for creating a compelling resume that will help you stand out from your peers.
You have worked painstakingly on your application. You have checked and rechecked your work. You finally press the Submit button only to realize—to your horror—that you are missing a comma, and you inadvertently used “too” instead of “to.” The admissions committee is obviously going to just throw your application out, right? Wrong!
Making a typo and pervasive sloppiness are two very different things. If you have multiple typos and grammatical errors throughout your essays and application, you send a negative message about your level of professionalism and desire to represent yourself—and potentially the target school—in a positive way. But if you have a minor mistake or two in your text, you have an unfortunate situation on your hands, but not a devastating one. Admissions representatives understand that you are only human, and if you are a strong candidate, the entirety of your professional, community, personal, and academic endeavors will outweigh these blips.
Do not dwell on the mistakes. Do not send new essays. Just accept your own fallibility and move on.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
