Harvard Business School
1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)
3. Please respond to two of the following (400-word limit each):
• What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?
• What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?
• Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed.
• When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?
Joint degree applicants:
How do you expect the joint degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and a personal level? (400-word limit)
Reapplications Procedures:
Harvard Business School will consider only one application per year from potential applicants. All reapplicants, except those who were previously admitted to the MBA Program Class of 2012, are required to complete the Class of 2013 Application in its entirety. This involves creating a new application. While previous applications may be retained on file and consulted at the MBA Admissions Board's discretion, a reapplication must stand on its own merits as a complete and independent application.
Reapplicants should be aware that GMAT or GRE scores from tests taken before January 1, 2006 will not be accepted, and TOEFL IBT or IELTS scores from tests taken before January 1, 2009 will not be accepted. All reapplicants must pay the nonrefundable application fee. Reapplicants do not have an advantage or disadvantage in comparison to other applicants.
Upenn/Wharton
Required Question:
What are your professional objectives? (300 words)
Respond to 3 of the following 4 questions:
1. Student and alumni engagement has at times led to the creation of innovative classes. For example, through extraordinary efforts, a small group of current students partnered with faculty to create a timely course entitled, “Disaster Response: Haiti and Beyond,” empowering students to leverage the talented Wharton community to improve the lives of the Haiti earthquake victims. Similarly, Wharton students and alumni helped to create the “Innovation and the Indian Healthcare Industry” which took students to India where they studied the full range of healthcare issues in India. If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic, what would it be? (700 words)
2. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)
3. Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? How did this experience help to create your definition of failure? (600 words)
4. Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship. (600 words)
Additional Joint Wharton MBA/MA–Lauder Applicant Essays
Required for all Lauder applicants in addition to the appropriate set of essay questions above.
1. Describe a cross-cultural experience in your adult life that was challenging to you. How did you meet this challenge and what did you learn from the experience? (1,000 words)
2. Please explain why you are currently applying to Lauder. How do you expect the Wharton/Lauder joint-degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and personal level? (1,000 words)
Reapplication Procedures
If you have submitted an application to Wharton and were not successful, we encourage you to reapply for the next academic year. Reapplications make up approximately 10% of Wharton's applicant pool in any given year. Wharton keeps applications on file for 2 years, so individuals who reapply within this time period do not need to resubmit transcripts or test scores unless there has been a change in these components. The most important thing is that you demonstrate through essays, subsequent career growth, and/or academic preparation that you are a stronger candidate who will add to the Wharton community.
Reapplicant Essays
Required Question:
What are your professional objectives? (300 words)
Respond to 3 of the following 4 questions:
1. Student and alumni engagement has at times led to the creation of innovative classes. For example, through extraordinary efforts, a small group of current students partnered with faculty to create a timely course entitled, “Disaster Response: Haiti and Beyond,” empowering students to leverage the talented Wharton community to improve the lives of the Haiti earthquake victims. Similarly, Wharton students and alumni helped to create the “Innovation and the Indian Healthcare Industry” course which took students to India where they studied the full range of healthcare issues in India. If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic, what would it be? (700 words)
2. Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)
3. Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? How did this experience help to create your definition of failure? (600 words)
4. Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship. (600 words)
Meet Other Reapplicants
Join the student2student discussion forum, where you can post questions, find answers, and meet other reapplicants.
Columbia Business School
You must complete two essays. An optional third essay will enable you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays. Applicants who are reapplying within 12 months of a previous application for admission are required to write only a single reapplicant essay. Please note you may only apply once to a given term of entry. Knight-Bagehot Fellows: Please use the space allocated to the first essay for the Wiegers Fellowship Application essay.
1. What are your short-term and long-term professional goals? How will Columbia Business School help you achieve these goals? (Maximum of 750 words)
2. Please tell us about yourself and your personal interests. The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are rather than what you have achieved professionally. (Maximum of 500 words)
Reapplication Procedures
Please note that candidates may only apply once to a given term of entry. Candidates may not apply twice to the same term of entry.
To reapply to the MBA Program at Columbia Business School, please use the following checklist to ensure smooth processing. Please note, information and requirements are subject to change without notice.
The Admissions Office retains all applications for one year after a decision is rendered. If you are reapplying no more than 12 months from the date of your initial application to Columbia Business School, the checklist below will help ensure that you submit everything the Admissions Committee will need to reassess your candidacy. If you are reapplying more than 12 months after the date of your initial application, you must submit a new, fully complete application.
Please submit the following to the Admissions Committee for your reapplication. If you have trouble starting a new application, please contact the Admissions Office for assistance. Please note that your new online account will not contain any of the information you submitted previously. It will be a completely new application, but you are required to complete only the portions listed below.
• Reapplication fee: U.S. $250.
• Updated employment history and activities section. (Please enter current employment information and include any changes since your initial application.)
• One new recommendation letter, preferably from your current employer. If you have already used your current employer for a recommendation, please choose someone else in a supervisory role or a client.
• General Information sections I and II.
• Educational History section.
• How will you finance your MBA?
• Full-Time MBA section.
• Please remember to indicate the dates and self-reported scores of the standardized tests that you wish to be considered in your admissions decision.
• One new reapplicant essay: How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate your short-term and long-term goals. Explain how the tools of the Columbia MBA will help you to meet your goals and how you plan to participate in the Columbia community.
• Transcript(s) of any additional courses you have taken since you last applied (include grades not finalized at the time of your last application). Reapplications must be submitted complete, including recommendations and self-reported standardized test scores. If you wish to submit additional information beyond what is called for in this checklist, you are welcome to do so.
Chicago/Booth
1. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you on both a personal and professional level. Please answer the following (maximum of 300 words for each section):
• Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life?
• Define your short and long term career goals post MBA.
• What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals?
• RE-APPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application?
2. Chicago Booth is a place that challenges its students to stretch and take risks that they might not take elsewhere. Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you learned from that experience (maximum of 750 words).
3. At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with “blank pages” in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth.
Essay Question 3 Guidelines
• The content is completely up to you. Acceptable file formats are PowerPoint or PDF.
• There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose.
• The document will be printed in color and added to your file for review; therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points.
• The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
• Files need to be less than 9 megabytes in order to upload. If your file is too large you may save your file as a PDF and upload your essay.
Reapplication Procedures
If you were not admitted (or if you declined an offer of admission), you may reapply in the next academic year. Students who are successful in the reapplication process are competitive in the current year's applicant pool and have demonstrated growth through career progress, academic preparation, community involvement, or self-awareness.
You are considered a reapplicant if you submitted an application for admission to Chicago Booth's Full-Time MBA Program within the past two academic years. If you applied to the full-time program more than two years ago, or if you applied to another Chicago Booth MBA program, please apply as a new applicant.
Application
Reapplicants are required to fully complete the application for 2011 enrollment.
Your prior application is kept on file for two years. The Admissions Committee will review your prior application alongside your newest application in order to assess your growth and/or any changes that have taken place since the time of your last application.
While the Admissions Committee will review your prior application, your new application should include all information relevant to your candidacy and be able to stand on its own as complete, independent of your prior application.
• Letters of Recommendation
• You will need to submit two new letters of recommendation.
You may use the same recommenders as with your previous application.
If you use a prior recommender, we strongly suggest that you ask the recommender to write a new letter. A new letter will help us better understand any progress or growth you have demonstrated since the time of the recommender's last letter.
• Transcripts and Test Scores
You will not have to resubmit official transcripts and test scores unless there is updated information.
International Reapplicants
If your TOEFL or IELTS score dates from more than two years prior to the submission date of your application, you must retake the examination.
Northwestern/Kellogg
1. MBA Program applicants - Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing an MBA. (600 word limit)
MMM Program applicants -Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the MMM Program meet your educational needs and career goals? (600 word limit).
2. Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experiences (600 word limit).
3. Assume you are evaluating your application from the perspective of a student member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Why would you and your peers select you for admission, and what impact would you make as a member of the Kellogg community? (600 word limit).
4. Complete one of the following three questions or statements. (400 word limit)
Re-applicants have the option to answer a question from this grouping, but this is not required.
• Describe an instance where you encountered resistance in a professional team setting. How did you address the situation?
• People may be surprised to learn that I…..
• The best mistake I ever made was…….
Required essay for re-applicants only
Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (400 word limit)
Reapplication Procedures
Any candidate who has previously applied to the Kellogg School Full-Time Program must submit a new application. Only one letter of recommendation is needed for a re-applicant. This recommendation must be from a different recommender than in previous applications. Lastly, the evaluative interview is not required if one has been completed within the past 18 months; however, re-applicants may re-interview if desired. If you would like to use your interview from a previous application, please select the appropriate box in the Interview Request section in Part I of the application.
Yale SOM
Short Answers
Please answer each of the four questions below with a short paragraph of no more than 150 words. This is an opportunity to distill your core ideas, values, goals and motivations into a set of snapshots that help tell us who you are, where you are headed, and why.
1. What are your professional goals immediately after you receive your MBA?
2. What are your long-term career aspirations?
3. Why are you choosing to pursue an MBA and why now? (If you plan to use your MBA experience to make a significant change in the field or nature of your career, please tell us what you have done to prepare for this transition.)
4. What attracts you specifically to the Yale School of Management’s MBA program?
Personal Statements
Choose two (2) of the following topics and answer them in essay form. Please indicate the topic numbers at the beginning of your essays. (500 words maximum per essay)
1. What achievement are you most proud of and why?
2. What is the most difficult feedback you have received from another person or the most significant weakness you have perceived in yourself? What steps have you taken to address it and how will business school contribute to this process?
3. Describe an accomplishment that exhibits your leadership style. The description should include evidence of your leadership skills, the actions you took, and the impact you had on your organization.
4. An effective leader for business and society is one who is able to hear, understand and communicate with people from all segments of society. In order to educate such leaders, Yale SOM is committed to promoting diversity and creating a community that cultivates a wealth of perspectives. In this spirit, describe an instance when, as part of a team, you played a role in bringing together individuals with different values or viewpoints to achieve a common goal.
5. For Reapplicants (answer this topic plus one (1) of the other topics):
What steps have you taken to improve your candidacy since your last application?
Additional Information (Optional)
If any aspect of your candidacy needs further explanation, please provide any additional information that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (250 words maximum)
Reapplication Procedures
If you have applied in the last three years, you are only required to submit a new application form, fee, essays, and an updated résumé. Because we keep applications on file for three years, you do not need to provide additional supplemental materials (e.g., transcripts, recommendations, test scores). However, new supplemental materials are welcome if you feel they will improve your candidacy.
For more information about the process for reapplying to Yale SOM, visit the FAQ section or contact the admissions office.
Stanford GSB
Tell us in your own words who you really are. Answer essay questions 1, 2, and two of the four options for essay 3.
1. What matters most to you, and why?
The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them. They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are—and they also convey how you became the person you are. They do not focus merely on what you've done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives.
They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life.
2. What are your career aspirations? What do you need to learn at Stanford to achieve them? Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not to repeat accomplishments from your past.
You should address three distinct topics:
• Your career aspirations
• The role of an MBA education in achieving those aspirations
• And your rationale for earning that MBA at Stanford, in particular.
The best examples of Essay 2 express your passions or focused interests; explain why you have decided to pursue graduate education in management; and demonstrate your desire to take advantage of the opportunities that are distinctive to the Stanford MBA Program.
3. Answer two of the four questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.
• Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
• Tell us about a time when you made a lasting impact on your organization.
• Tell us about a time when you generated support from others for an idea or initiative.
• Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.
Essay Length
Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words.
You have your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.
Essay 1: 750 words
Essay 2: 450 words
Essay 3: 300 words each
Formatting
1. Use a 12-point font, double spaced
2. Recommended fonts are Arial, Courier, and Times New Roman
3. Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each essay
4. Number all pages
5. Upload all four essays as one document
6. Preview the uploaded document to ensure that the formatting is true to the original
7. Save a copy of your essays
Reapplication Procedures
• Having applied in a previous year is not considered a negative factor in your application.
• Reapplicants are evaluated on the merits of the new application and are required to complete and submit an entirely new application, including Letters of Reference, Transcript(s), and Application Form. The MBA Admissions Office does have access to previous applications, however, and may choose whether to review them prior to a final decision.
• Give yourself a fresh start when you approach your application and address weak areas.
• Determine if other recommenders may provide a more insightful and thorough perspective.
• Add new information that may be helpful in the admission process.
Use Current Application Materials
• Application requirements, including essay questions, change from year to year. It is important that you use current application materials.
• The application fee is not waived for reapplicants.
• As long as your test scores (GMAT-GRE and TOEFL-IELTS-PTE) remain valid, you do not need to have them resent from the test centers. However, you do need to self-report them in the application. If your test scores are no longer valid you need to retake them.
Michigan/Ross
1. Introduce yourself in 100 words or less.
2. Describe your career goals. How will the Ross MBA help you to achieve your goals? (500 word maximum)
3. Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)
4. Select one of the following questions:
• What are you most passionate about and why? (300 word maximum)
• We expect that Ross MBAs will not only be effective leaders, but also effective teachers. How will you contribute to the learning experience of your peers at Ross? (300 word maximum)
Optional question
Is there anything else you think the Admissions Committee should know about you to evaluate your candidacy? (500 word maximum)
Reapplication Procedures
If you reapply within one year of your original application, you can submit an abridged application as follows:
• Updated resume, new application form, one recommendation letter, and the application fee. The recommendation letter can be from one of your original recommenders, but should be updated to reflect your performance and achievements since your original application.
• Detailed cover letter that tells us what you have been doing since you last applied and how your application is stronger. You can use the cover letter to update us on your goals, highlight your accomplishments, and discuss your reasons for seeking an MBA from Ross.
• Optional: you may submit one or more of our current essay questions.
Your new application will be appended to your original application, which includes transcripts, essays, recommendations, GMAT and TOEFL scores. If you retake the GMAT or TOEFL, please send us an updated score report.
If you reapply after more than one year from your original application, you will need to submit a completely new application, including transcripts, new essays, and two new recommendation letters.
Deadlines for reapplying are the same as the published deadlines for new applications.
Duke /Fuqua
Please respond fully and concisely using 1.5 line spacing. Your response to each question should be no more than 2 pages in length, with a font size no less than 10-point. Candidates who applied to The Duke MBA between September 2009 and May 2010 are considered re-applicants. All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay in addition to the Applicant Essays. All applicants have the opportunity to submit an optional essay to explain any extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware.
Applicant Essays: Answer all 3 essay questions.
1. Describe your vision for your career and your inspiration for pursuing this career path.
2. How will your background, values, and non-work activities enhance the experience of other Duke MBA students and add value to Fuqua's diverse culture?
3. Why Duke? (If you are interested in a specific concentration, joint degree, clubs or activities, please discuss how you would contribute to these in this essay.)
Optional Essay (not required)
If you feel there are extenuating circumstances of which the Admissions Committee should be aware, please explain them here (e.g., unexplained gaps in work, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, significant weakness in your application).
Re-applicant Essay
All re-applicants are required to complete the Re-applicant Essay. Please limit your response to two pages. Write an essay describing how you are now a stronger candidate for admission compared to the application you submitted the previous year.
Reapplication Procedures
Reapplicants do need to submit a new online application. You may log in using your username and password from last year; however, you will need to re-enter all of your information. You will need to begin a new application and complete all fields.
Reapplicants are asked to answer the same essay questions as new applicants, plus one additional essay for reapplicants only.
Reapplicants should submit one additional letter of recommendation with their new application. The Duke MBA does retain applicant files for one calendar year, so the prior year's letters of recommendation will still be on file with The Duke MBA Office of Admissions.
Reapplicants do not need to resend offical GMAT and/or TOEFL/PTE/IELTS scores to Fuqua, unless the scores have expired.
Dartmouth/Tuck
Although there is no restriction on the length of your response, most applicants use, on average, 500 words for each essay. There is no right or wrong answers. Please double-space your responses.
1. Why is an MBA a critical next step toward your short-and long-term career goals? Why is Tuck the best MBA program for you? (If you are applying for a joint or dual degree, please explain how the additional degree will contribute to those goals.)
2. Tuck defines leadership “inspiring others to strive and enabling them to accomplish great things.” We believe great things and great leadership can be accomplished in pursuit of business and societal goals. Describe a time when you exercised such leadership. Discuss the challenges you faced and the results you achieved. What characteristics helped you to be effective, and what areas do you feel you need to develop in order to be a better leader?
3. Discuss the most difficult constructive criticism or feedback you have received. How did you address it? What have you learned from it?
4. Tuck seeks candidates of various backgrounds who can bring new perspectives to our community. How will your unique personal history, values, and/or life experiences con- tribute to the culture at Tuck?
Optional
Please provide any additional insight or information that you have not addressed elsewhere that may be helpful in reviewing your application (e.g., unusual choice of evaluators, weaknesses in academic performance, unexplained job gaps or changes, etc.).Complete this question only if you feel your candidacy is not fully represented by this application.
To be completed by all reapplicants:
How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally.
Reapplication Procedures
Historically, Tuck has looked favorably upon reapplicants who have strengthened their candidacy in such ways as improving GMAT results, undertaking new leadership opportunities, or completing additional coursework to address academic concerns.
All reapplicants must submit a new application, essays (including the reapplicant essay), Confidential Statements of Qualifications (CSQ), and a nonrefundable application fee.
Reapplicants who applied between August 2009 and April 2010 only need to submit one new CSQ.
We strongly encourage all reapplicants to schedule an on-campus interview to help us understand how you have strengthened your candidacy.
UNC/Kenan Flagler
1. (Required) What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
2. (Required) Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
3. (Required) What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
4. (Optional) If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
5. (Optional) Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
Reapplication Procedures
Complete the entire online application for the current year (including new essays) and submit with the US $140 application fee
Send two new letters of recommendation
We may choose to use your interview from the prior year. You may or may not be invited to interview again this year
New transcripts not required, unless you have taken additional courses
New GMAT or TOEFL scores not required, unless you have retaken a test and want us to consider a new score
Cornell/Johnson
Essays Required for All Applicants
1. Describe your greatest professional achievement and how you added value to your organization. (400 word limit) *
2. What career do you plan to pursue upon completion of an MBA degree and why? How will the Johnson School help you achieve this goal? (400 word limit) *
3. You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. Please write the table of contents for the book.
Note: Approach this essay with your unique style. We value creativity and authenticity. (Required essay) (400 word limit)*
Essay Required for All Re-applicants
How did you strengthen your application since you last applied to the Johnson School? (400 word limit)
Optional Essay
Complete this essay if you would like to add additional details regarding your candidacy. For instance, if you believe one or more aspects of your application (e.g., undergraduate record or test scores) do not accurately reflect your potential for success at the Johnson School. (400 word limit)
Activities
Create and upload a document outlining your activities according to the instructions below.
Formatting suggestions: 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, single spacing. (400 word limit) *
Collegiate Activities and Employment - List your extracurricular activities while in college in order of importance to you. You may include details about your positions and the time commitment, honors or awards received, and dates of participation. The list may also include part-time and summer employment held while in college. Please list your employer, job title, responsibilities, hours per week, and the dates for each position.
Post-Collegiate Activities - List community activities (clubs, church, civic, etc.) and professional associations you contributed to since graduation from college. Please include the organization name, your role, hours dedicated, elected offices held, and dates of participation.
Hobbies and Activities - Please describe any hobbies or activities that hold special significance for you.
Reapplication Procedures
Applicants must submit a new application and fee with all supporting materials. Applications from previous years do not remain on file.
London Business School
1. Give us a brief assessment of your career progress to date. (750 words)
In what role do you see yourself working in immediately after graduation and what is your longer term career vision?
How will your past and present experiences help you to achieve this?
How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal?
Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA?
2. Give a specific example of when you have had to test your leadership and team working skills. Given this experience what role will you play in a first year study group? (300 words)
3. Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London Business School MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. Please describe how you will contribute to student clubs and the community and why? (300 words)
4. London Business School offers a truly global and diverse experience. Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country or culture. What did you gain and how will your experience contribute to London Business School? (300 words)
Please choose ONE of the following options.
5a. You have decided to stand for the role of Student Association President. Announcing your campaign to the London Business School community for the first time, please describe your manifest to. (150 words)
OR
5b. What is your most substantial achievement to date and why? (150 words)
This question is optional
6. Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)
7. (This question is for re-applicants only)
How has your candidacy for the London Business School MBA improved since your last application? Have your views of London Business School or the MBA programme changed since you last applied? (300 words)
8. Please provide a CV/Resume. This CV must only be one page in length. If you have any significant gaps in your employment history, please tell us why on a separate sheet.
INSEAD
Job-related Essays
1. Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)
2. Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)
Personal Essays
Each essay topic listed below and in the subsequent pages must be answered.
1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)
2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)
3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)
4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)
5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or
b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)
6. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.
7. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.
CMU/Tepper
1. What are your short-term and long-term goals? How will a Tepper MBA help you to achieve these goals? (Please include any information regarding what steps you have taken to learn more about the Tepper School.)
2. The Tepper School’s culture relies on all members to be active contributors to our community. With your values, experiences, and interests, how will you make a unique contribution to the Tepper community? Your examples may include: classroom interaction, student activities, career development, community service, etc.
3. Please answer two of the following three questions or statements. Please clearly specify which questions you are answering. Your two answers should equal a total of two pages or less.
• Describe an obstacle you have faced in your professional or academic life. How did you overcome this obstacle and how did it foster your development?
• Describe a time in which your ethics were challenged. How did you deal with the situation and what did you learn from it?
• One thing people would be surprised to know about me is . . .
4. Is there anything additional that you think we should know as we evaluate your application? Note: if you believe your credentials and essays represent you fairly, you should not feel obligated to answer this question. This essay is intended to provide a place for you to add information that you think is important but is not covered elsewhere in the application.
You must complete this essay if you answered “yes” to the additional information questions on the previous page.
Reapplication Procedures
If you have submitted an application for the MBA program within the past two years, you do not need to submit an entirely new application - only the following:
• A cover letter addressed to the MBA Admissions Committee outlining the significant changes in your professional and academic credentials since your previous application
• An updated resume and work history
• Official transcripts for any coursework taken since your last application
• One new Letter of Recommendation. You can access pdf or word versions of the recommendation form from our downloadable forms page. You can also submit the additional recommendation through our online application. If you had previously used only two recommenders, you can add the new recommender to your existing account. If you had used three recommenders previously, you can create a new account and simply add the new recommender - from the main screen, simply select the 'recommendation provider list' button and enter the new recommender. You will not need to complete additional questions in the application or submit a new online application.
• Official GMAT scores for any tests taken since your last application
• Official TOEFL scores for any tests taken since your last application
• Updated essays (optional)
• Please note that you will not need to submit an application fee when reactivating a previous application.
You can mail hard copies of updated application material to the following address:
Tepper School of Business - MBA Admissions Office
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Additionally, you may email copies of updated resumes, essays, etc. to Dana Lovas.
Interviews will be granted only at the invitation of the admissions committee, based on our review of your submitted MBA application. Please note that interview invitations may be extended at any time after you submit your reapplication materials, up until the date that your admission decision is released.
MIT/Sloan
For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Please limit the experiences you discuss to those which have occurred in the past three years.
In each of the essays please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.
1. Please describe a time when you went beyond what was defined, expected, established, or popular. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
2. Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
3. Please describe a time when you took responsibility for achieving an objective. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Supplemental Information (Optional)
You may use this section to address whatever else you want the Admissions Committee to know. (250 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Reapplication Procedures
For applicants who applied for entry in 2010, we require that you complete and submit the entire new application, including new recommendation letters, essays and transcripts.
MBA Reapplicants must submit your new application by the Round I deadline.
Please note: Reapplicants who created an account last year and submitted an application will need to register with a new email address.
Applicants who applied for entry prior to 2010 are not considered reapplicants.
Cover Letter
Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Describe your accomplishments and include an example of how you had an impact on a group or organization. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.
