We believe that asking MBA candidates about their goals is plainly absurd, because so many students change their goals while they are in school. Further, an MBA supposed to be about career development and exploration, right? Regardless of how we feel on the subject, though, during a time when the economy is down and many firms are cutting back on their MBA hiring, you must ensure that (if a school asks via its essay questions or an interview) you have a compelling story about where you believe your MBA will take you. Two years ago, getting a banking job might have sounded compelling to you. But are you really capable of making that transition today? Venture capital and private equity jobs are challenging to land even during the best of times; are you able to compete with the elite in this space during a downturn? Real estate hiring might finally be picking up, but are you prepared to wait while recruiting continues to be slow to ramp up? What will you do in the meantime to stay competitive?
These are just a few examples of questions you should honestly ask yourself. Keep in mind that in addition to examining your story to determine whether you could add something unique to the class, MBA admissions committees might send your profile to the career services office to help confirm whether your stated goals are realistic and you will not be difficult to place by, or soon after, graduation (i.e., you will not pull down the school’s employment stats and negatively affect its standing in the rankings as a result). So, pay special attention to your goal statements, and make sure that you can credibly stand behind them. And, as we have written in the past, being prepared to discuss some alternate goals is also a good idea.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School is widely considered one of the most elite MBA programs in the world, typically earning a spot among the top five global programs in the various business school rankings. In the 2024 U.S. News & World Reportsurvey, Wharton claimed the number-one spot. Although Wharton is best known for finance, the school’s history, tradition of excellence, and large size allow it to maintain a prestigious reputation across a range of business fields. After all, Wharton is the oldest business school in the United States, as well as one of the largest. Not surprisingly, many MBA applicants wonder how difficult getting accepted to Wharton actually is. The program typically garners 6,000 to 7,500 MBA applicants each year, and historically, its acceptance rate has ranged from approximately 18% to 25%. According to U.S. News, the acceptance rate for Wharton’s MBA Class of 2026 was 20.5%, meaning that less than one-quarter of the 7,322 applications the program received that cycle were successful.
Is attending a modern, innovative, one-year MBA program within a globally renowned historic university of interest to you? Only two business schools uniquely blend cutting-edge innovation with a rich historic backdrop going back more than 800 years, and they are Oxford Saïd Business School and Cambridge Judge Business School.
Whether you are still deciding where to apply to or already have offers in hand, thinking through the similarities and differences between the two programs is helpful.
With MBA application deadlines fast approaching for many candidates, we thought we would share a piece of advice that might help alleviate some of the deadline-related stress you might be experiencing. After you have completed your application(s), find someone you trust—perhaps a professional admissions consultant or an individual with insight into the MBA application process—to read your essays one last time before you submit anything and give you feedback. However, we strongly suggest that you limit the number of people you approach for this kind of help and request feedback from no more than two individuals.
Because the application process is subjective, you will discover that the more readers you consult, the more new and different opinions you will get. Soon, you will be facing a multitude of alternatives, and although none of these varying ideas will necessarily be “right” or “wrong”—considering that a single candidate’s stories can be marketed in almost countless ways—having such a wide variety of input could create unnecessary uncertainty on your part. You do not want to start second-guessing everything about your essays when the schools’ deadlines are imminent.
We are not suggesting that you ignore critical feedback, of course, but rather that you not complicate your final days and stir up doubt or confusion where it might not be due. If your chosen one or two readers support your ideas and feel that your application needs minimal additional work, that is probably a good sign that you can end your feedback loop there and move forward with submitting your application.
Applicants to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School must first provide their rationale for pursuing an MBA and have 250 words with which to do so. The school’s second required essay also has a 250-word limit, where candidates must discuss which of the school’s core values align most closely with their career. Candidates who have more to share about themselves or issues to explain can use the school’s optional essay to (briefly) offer this key information. Read on for our in-depth analysis of Kenan-Flagler’s 2025–2026 essay questions.
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