Many business school candidates take a straightforward, historical approach in their personal statement essays. Although this can be an easy way to organize your essay, it could deprive you of an opportunity to capture your reader’s interest with a more focused and gripping introduction. Nothing is fundamentally wrong with taking a historical approach, of course, but an anecdotal approach can sometimes be more effective at helping your essay stand out. Of course, this all comes down to execution.
The application essay requirements for the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame are fairly straightforward—or at least the written one is. To start, you must provide a statement that presents your career goals and discusses how the school can help you achieve them. You also need to craft a slide presentation that offers more information about yourself as an individual, separate from your professional and academic background. In addition, you are required to respond to a series of recorded video questions after submitting your application. Finally, an option to submit an additional essay exists, but the school wants candidates to be prudent in doing so. Read on for our full analysis of all Mendoza’s prompts for this season.
Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business has only one required written application essay, and applicants are given a choice of two prompts to respond to. The first asks candidates to discuss a time when they navigated a complicated situation, and the second tasks applicants with explaining how they will use the Tepper program to develop and advance both personally and professionally. Candidates must also record a brief video about their post-graduation aspirations. Applicants who feel the need to convey an additional important aspect or two of their candidacy to the admissions committee can take advantage of the optional essay, whose prompt is broad enough to accommodate topics other than problem areas in one’s profile. Our more in-depth analysis of Tepper’s 2026–2027 essay questions follows.
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) requires two 400-word essays of its applicants. The first essay’s topic—“tell us your story”—is so open-ended that it will likely be challenging for some candidates, especially considering the limited word count. IMD’s second essay is more traditional, asking applicants what they hope to gain from the program. Candidates can also submit a short optional statement if they have additional information to disclose. For a full analysis of IMD’s essay questions for this application season, please read on.
What does a nonprofit manager who graduated from Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2010 and studied ethics and leadership have in common with an investment banker applying to HBS in 2024 to study finance and global business? Virtually nothing.
At mbaMission, applicants often ask us whether they should work with a consultant who earned their MBA from the same program the applicant wishes to attend, and our answer is always an emphatic No. Allow us to explain.
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