The MBA essay is critical to your business school application. Read our guide to writing the perfect MBA essay, with successful admit examples.
Posted July 4, 2024
10:00 PM UTC · 60 minutes
What is the MBA Essay? How Long Will My MBA Essay Take? What Makes a Great MBA Essay? The Types of MBA Essays Top MBA Program Essay Prompts (Updated 2024) How to Start Writing Your MBA Essay Additional Tips & Tricks Example MBA Essays
The MBA admissions essay.
Those words alone are enough to make most MBA candidates run screaming. Writing in general is hard enough. Writing about why you want an MBA? Your short-term goals and career aspirations? What matters to you most, and why? Forget it.
Of course, you still have to write these essays.
The MBA essay is perhaps the most important part of the business school application. Every other part of the application — your GPA, your test scores, your letters of recommendation — is quantified, cut and dried, or out of your control. The essay is your chance to show up as a fully realized MBA candidate, with hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. Admissions committees are not simply assessing your candidacy as a future leader — they're looking to admit human beings. That's where the MBA applicant essays come in.
That being the case, rather than being intimidated by it, treat the MBA essay writing process like the opportunity that it is — the chance for you to highlight your unique, iridescent self; the only moment in the MBA admissions process (prior to the interview) when you can speak directly to admissions officers; the time when you'll show them who you really are. It's not easy to write something that will do that, of course, but with the tips and tricks in this guide, and some help from one of Leland's vetted, world-class admissions coaches, we know you can do it. Give the essay the time, attention, and respect it deserves, and you'll be on your way to an offer of admission at your dream school.
Without further ado, let's dive in!
See the MBA essay prompts, top tips from experts, and real examples from admits with this comprehensive guide.
First things first: let's talk about timing.
The MBA application is a behemoth; between exams, resumes, gathering your official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the applications themselves, there's a lot to juggle. That being the case, we suggest you give yourself ample time to draft, write, and revise your essays. The last thing you want is to be rushed to the finish line.
So, give yourself at least three months to write your MBA admission essays. That should allow you enough time to draft, write, and edit. For more information on timing your entire business school application, click here for A Comprehensive MBA Application Timeline--With Chart.
Now, on to the critical question:
