LBS Essay 1
In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? (500 words)

LBS Essay 1 Tips
This is a goals essay with a slight deviation from the norm. This LBS application question is one of the few Business School essays that sharply zoom into your immediate post MBA job. LBS clearly wants a logical career progression that connects your past, present and future with the LBS MBA. Please review the second LBS essay before answering because some of the motivation and the goals story might be more appropriate there than in this first essay.

Focus on your short term professional plans with a vengeance because LBS wants to test the credibility, logic and achievability of your dreams and its (and your) fit with LBS. Having a clear goal in terms of job profiles and also companies that would be to your advantage. In fact it is preferable that you be specific, so that you can construct a multi-point argument that leaves no loose ends. Some background on how you have selected this job/function/company/industry and why it is important to you will help.

In addition to telling LBS why you want the job, you also need to answer "why LBS" in the essay. List all the reasons why you want to learn at LBS and how it will further your chances for your post-LBS dream job. Ensure that the essay provides logical and well-supported reasons to this question. This is the time where your extensive research for your Business School short-listing process comes in really handy.

LBS Essay 2
Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? (200 words)

LBS Essay 2 Tips
This essay is a natural companion to Essay One, but is separated since LBS wants to highlight the individual importance of your long term goal and short term goal; perhaps LBS is a little tired of fuzzy answers for one or the other or both!

From your perspective it would be useful to think about these essays together and then separate the points for each essays, before you put pen to paper. There should be professional and personal reasons that link your long-term goals with your short-term goals, past experience and LBS.

LBS Essay 3
Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it? (500 words)

LBS Essay 3 Tips
I am certain that you have several leadership and team accomplishments in your roster - personal, professional and academic. The choice of experiences for writing this LBS essay should be based on the general importance of the experiences - to your team, in your development as a team player and a leader, and as a correlation between your skills and the LBS study group. Though accomplishments have not been directly asked for, it stands to reason that you will not be cataloging your failures in team situations! Good, succinct, unique, true stories will make their day - give it to them.

Before answering the second part, building some knowledge about LBS study groups would be in order. Do not try to wing it. Get information from the website and other sources (alumni). As usual keep in mind that this essay is part of a bigger package and write accordingly. For example, the very next essay again seeks your ideas about contributing to yet another facet of the LBS program - student club or campus community events. Like in the earlier couple of LBS essays keep the other essays in mind while writing each of them.

LBS Essay 4
Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community? (400 words)

LBS Essay 4 Tips
This LBS application essay question is almost a case study. It requires you to research student club and campus community activities and also student life in general at LBS. Apart from choosing the appropriate activity that dovetails with your tastes and aptitude, the essay also needs you to demonstrate your leadership skills (on paper!).

Frankly, I had really liked the old LBS essay question which asked you to "initiate" an event or club; perhaps you can still take that leap. Either way, this is yet another platform to exhibit your leaderships skills - certainly what you have missed in the earlier essays (mainly Essay 3) should find place here.

Since you are asked to market an idea and an entity you can start by researching your market, creating strategic communication and marketing plans, and trying to create a marketing success. This is a truly enjoyable essay if approached in the right spirit, else it can be quite a pain. Given a choice why choose pain, huh?

LBS Essay 5
Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? (150 words)

LBS Essay 5 Tips
LBS is proud of the "highly international nature" of its programme and is supposed to be "suitable for people who want international mobility". So it stands to reason that as an LBS applicant you are expected to have a global outlook.

Your outlook and maturity in cross-cultural interactions and your experiences thereof would form the core of this LBS MBA application essay. It allows you to expound on all your international experiences - professional and personal.

The only problem is - what if you have never crossed the borders of your country? Will an unstamped passport mean that you cannot apply to LBS? Since that is not really the case, we can only hope they change the question next year.

LBS Optional Essay
Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application? (300 words)

LBS Optional Essay Tips
As usual an optional essay requires effort even if you don’t write it. The main question in any optional essay is to decide whether you need to write it at all. Attempt the LBS optional essay only if you feel that it will improve the factual and material strength of your application.

Do not submit your LBS optional essay as an addendum to any of your essays. Do not submit your optional essay because you feel that the quality of your earlier essays is improvable – if that is the case, simply redouble your efforts in those LBS application essays and leave the optional essay alone.

Use the LBS optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible.

One other situation when the LBS optional essay is acceptable is when you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other LBS essays ?a VERY strong reason that promotes your LBS admit that absolutely requires another essay.

In case you find any of the above applicable, note down the options and then consider again if the optional essay is a robust constructive addition to your candidacy. If yes, start working on the LBS optional essay.