5.Columbia University （CBS）
Columbia Business School just announced its essay topics for the 2015-2016 admissions season, and the applicationfor the Class of 2018 is now live! The essay topics are below. All essays are required unless otherwise noted.
Short Answer Question: What is your immediate post-MBA professional goal? (50 characters maximum)
Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendations, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals going forward, and how will the Columbia MBA help you achieve them? (Maximum 500 words)
Essay 2: Columbia Business School’s location enables us to bridge theory and practice in multiple ways: through Master Classes, internships, the New York Immersion Seminars, and, most importantly, through a combination of distinguished research faculty and accomplished practitioners. How will you take advantage of being “at the very center of business”? (Maximum 250 words)
Essay 3: CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)
Optional Essay: An optional fourth essay will allow you to discuss any issues that do not fall within the purview of the required essays.
Reapplicant Essay (Reapplicants are NOT required to submit additional essays. Only the reapplicant essay is required): How have you enhanced your candidacy since your previous application? Please detail your progress since you last applied and reiterate how you plan to achieve your immediate and long term post-MBA professional goals. (Maximum 500 words).
For additional information, applicants should visit CBS’s admissions website.
6. Chicago University （Booth）
Chicago Booth 2015-2016 Essay Topics: Chicago Booth values individuality because of what we can learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives of others. This mutual respect creates an open-minded community that supports curiosity, inspires us to think more broadly, take risks, and challenge assumptions. At Booth, community is about collaborative thinking and tapping into each other’s different viewpoints to cultivate new ideas and realize breakthrough moments every day. Using one of the photos provided, tell us how it resonates with your own viewpoint on why the Booth community is the right fit for you. Essay Guidelines • Choose the format that works for you. Feel free to submit a traditional essay, slide presentation, or any format that you feel best captures your response. Please use the format you are most comfortable with, the Admissions Committee has no preference. • Determine your own length. There is no prescribed minimum or maximum length. We trust that you will use your best judgment in determining how long your submission should be, but we recommend that you think strategically about how to best allocate the space. Technical Guidelines • File Size: Maximum file size is 16 MB. • Accepted Upload Formats: Acceptable formats are PDF, Word, and PowerPoint. We strongly recommend converting your piece to a PDF file prior to submitting. • Multimedia Restrictions: We will be viewing your submission electronically and in full color, but all submissions will be converted to PDF files, so animation, video, music, etc. will not translate over. Re-Applicant Question Re-applicants to Chicago Booth must submit an additional essay. Re-Applicant Essay: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words maximum).
7.Northwestern University （Kellogg）
The Kellogg MBA essay topics for 2015-2016 are: Essay 1: Leadership and teamwork are integral parts of the Kellogg experience. Describe a recent and meaningful time you were a leader. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 words) Essay 2: Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 words)
Re-applicant Essay: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 word limit) Additional Information: If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (no word count)
8. New York University （Stern）
Essay 1: Professional Aspirations (750 word maximum, double-spaced, 12-point font)
Why pursue an MBA (or dual degree) at this point in your life?
What actions have you taken to determine that Stern is the best fit for your MBA experience?
What do you see yourself doing professionally upon graduation?
Essay 2: Personal Expression
Please describe yourself to your MBA classmates. You may use almost any method to convey your message (e.g. words, illustrations). Feel free to be creative. (500 words for a written essay, 5 minutes for a video or audio file)
Essay 3: Additional Information (optional)
Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include current or past gaps in employment, further explanation of your undergraduate record or self-reported academic transcript(s), plans to retake the GMAT, GRE and/or TOEFL or any other relevant information.
If you are unable to submit a recommendation from your current supervisor, you must explain your reason, even if you are a re-applicant.
9.Dartmouth College （ Tuck）
Following up on last week’s announcement of their deadlines for the Class of 2016, the Dartmouth MBA adcom has announced theTuck 2015-2016 Essay Topics.
The school has retained last year’s broad format, having applicants to respond to two required questions in about 500 words, with a third optional essay for all applicants and an additional required essay for reapplicants to Tuck. Applicants should note that the adcom asks that their essay responses be double spaced.
Here are the Tuck 2015-2016 Essay Topics:
Essay 1: What are your short- and long-term goals? Why do you need an MBA to achieve those goals? Why are you interested in Tuck specifically? (500 words)
Essay 2: Tell us about your most meaningful leadership experience and what role you played. How will that experience contribute to the learning environment at Tuck? (500 words)
Optional Essay: 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. (500 words)
Reapplicant Essay: How have you strengthened your candidacy since you last applied? Please reflect on how you have grown personally and professionally. (500 words)
10. University of Virginia （Darden）
While we’re still waiting on the UVA MBA deadlines for the coming admissions season, the Darden adcom has released its essay topic for 2015-2016. As was the case
last season, applicants are required to respond to a single prompt focused on a prior experience, with a length limit of 500 words.
The Darden 2015-2016 essay topic is as follows:
Essay 1: Describe the most important professional feedback you have received and how you responded to it. (500 words maximum)
11.UCLA （Anderson）
UCLA Anderson has announced their 2015-2016 MBA essay topics! The required and optional essays are as follows: First-time applicants – One required essay: We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)
Optional essay: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? Please use your best judgment. (250 words maximum) Re-applicants – One required essay: Please describe your career progress since you last applied and ways in which you have enhanced your candidacy. Include updates on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (750 words maximum) **No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay. Please note that UCLA Anderson only accepts written essays.
12. University of Michigan （ Ross）
The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business today released its essay topics for the 2015-2016 application season. They are as follow:
1. What are you most proud of and why? How does it shape who you are today? (up to 400 words)
2. What is your desired career path and why? (up to 400 words)
For more information about the Ross School of Business Essay Topics 2015-2016 or the 2015-2016 application, visit Ross’s admissions website.
13.Duke University （Fuqua）
The Duke MBA admissions committee has announced the Fuqua 2015-2016 essay topics for business school applicants targeting the class of 2018. Fuqua MBA applicants will complete three short answers and two required essays for this season’s admissions process. The Fuqua 2015-2016 Daytime MBA essay topics are as follows: Required Short Answers (500 characters; ~100 words)
Short Answer 1: What are your short-term goals, post-MBA? Short Answer 2: What are your long-term goals? Short Answer 3: Life is full of uncertainties, and plans and circumstances can change. As a result, navigating a career requires you to be adaptable. Should the short-term goals that you provided above not materialize what alternative directions have you considered?
Required Essay 1: 25 Random Things
Answer the following question — present your response in list form, numbered 1 to 25. Some points may be only a few words, while others may be longer. Your complete list should not exceed 2 pages. The “Team Fuqua” spirit and community is one of the things that sets The Duke MBA experience apart, and it is a concept that extends beyond the student body to include faculty, staff, and administration. When a new person joins the Admissions team, we ask that person to share with everyone in the office a list of “25 Random Things About Yourself.” As an Admissions team, we already know the new hire’s professional and academic background, so learning these “25 Random Things” helps us get to know someone’s personality, background, special talents, and more. In this spirit, the Admissions Committee also wants to get to know you–beyond the professional and academic achievements listed in your resume and transcript. You can share with us important life experiences, your likes/dislikes, hobbies, achievements, fun facts, or anything that helps us understand what makes you who you are. Share with us your list of “25 Random Things” about YOU. Required Essay 2
Choose only 1 of the following 2 essay questions to answer. Your response should be no more than 2 pages in length, and should reflect your knowledge of the Fuqua program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student. Essay Option 2.1: Why Duke: When asked by your family, friends, and colleagues why you want to go to Duke, what do you tell them? Share the reasons that are most meaningful to you. Essay Option 2.2: Team Fuqua Principles: The Team Fuqua community is as unique as the individuals who comprise it. Underlying our individuality are a number of shared ideas and principles that we live out in our own ways. Our students have identified and defined 6 “Team Fuqua Principles” that we feel are the guiding philosophies that make our community special. At the end of your 2 years at Fuqua, if you were to receive an award for exemplifying one of the 6 Principles listed below, which one would it be and why? Your response should reflect your knowledge of Fuqua and the Daytime MBA program and experience, and the types of activities and leadership you would engage in as a Fuqua student. - Authentic Engagement: We care and we take action. We each make a difference to Team Fuqua by being ourselves and engaging in and supporting activities about which we are passionate.
- Supportive Ambition: We support each other to achieve great things, because your success is my success. The success of each individual member of Team Fuqua makes the whole of Team Fuqua better.
- Collective Diversity: We embrace all of our classmates because our individuality is better and stronger together.
- Impactful Stewardship: We are leaders who focus on solutions to improve our communities both now and in the future. We aren’t satisfied with just maintaining the status quo.
- Loyal Community: We are a family who looks out for each other. Team Fuqua supports you when you need it the most.
- Uncompromising Integrity: We internalize and live the honor code in the classroom and beyond. We conduct ourselves with integrity within Fuqua, within Duke, and within all communities of which we are a part.
Candidates should also note the following guidelines: - Responses should use 1.5 line spacing and a font size no smaller than 10-point.
- Respond fully and concisely.
- Responses must be completed before submitting your application.
- Prepare your responses carefully. The Admissions Committee considers your answers important in the selection process.
- All essays are scanned using plagiarism detection software. Plagiarism is considered a cheating violation within the Honor Code and will not be tolerated in the admissions process.
14. Yale University （SOM）
Following up on the announcement of their application deadlineslast week, Admissions Director Bruce DelMonico has released theYale SOM Essay Topic for 2015-2016. The prompt is as follows:
The Yale School of Management educates individuals who will have deep and lasting impact on the organizations they lead. Describe how you have positively influenced an organization as an employee, a member, or an outside constituent. (500 words maximum)
This question is identical to Yale SOM’s essay prompt from last admissions season. In his blog post announcing the topic, DelMonico comments that the Yale MBA adcom chose to retain this essay because “this question really gets to the core of what Yale SOM is about and embodies our founding mission of educating leaders for business and society.”
DelMonico shares some additional news items in this post. First, he lets applicants know that Yale SOM’s sliding admissions fee scale will remain in place for the coming year. Second, he comments that the online MBA application will be available on July 1, 2015.
15. UC at Berkeley （Haas）
The UC Berkeley MBA admissions committee has announced theHaas 2015-2016 essay topics for applicants targeting the Class of 2018. Haas MBA applicants will
respond to three brief required essays of just 200 words. This represents a significant reduction in total word count as compared to the program’s essays over the
past few years. Meanwhile, the subject matter is similar to that of previous applications, with a reprise of that song-that-represents-you prompt from the 2013-2014
season, as well as fairly straightforward questions about the candidate’s career goals and influential past experiences.
The Haas 2015-2016 essay topics are:
At Berkeley-Haas, we seek candidates from a broad range of cultures, backgrounds, and industries who demonstrate a strong cultural fit with our program and
defining principles. Our distinctive culture is defined by four key principles — Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond
Yourself. Please use the following essays as an opportunity to reflect on and share with us the values, experiences, and accomplishments that have helped shape
who you are. (Learn more about Berkeley-Haas’ Defining Principles)
Essay 1: If you could choose one song that expresses who you are, what is it and why? (250 word maximum)
Essay 2: Please respond to one of the following prompts: (250 word maximum)
Describe an experience that has fundamentally changed the way you see the world and how it transformed you.
Describe a significant accomplishment and why it makes you proud.
Describe a difficult decision you have made and why it was challenging.
Essay 3: Tell us about your path to business school and your future plans. How will the Berkeley-Haas experience help you along this journey? (500 word maximum)
Optional Essay: Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? You may also use this essay to provide
further explanation of employment gaps or your quantitative abilities. (500 word maximum)
16. Cornell University （Johnson）
Essay 1: You are the author for the book of Your Life Story. In 500 words or less, please create the table of contents for the book in the space provided or upload it as an attachment. We value creativity and authenticity and encourage you to approach this essay with your unique style. Alternative submission formats may include a slide presentation, links to pre-existing media (personal website, digital portfolio, YouTube etc.), as well as visually enhanced written submissions. (5MB maximum file size)
Essay 2: What are your short and long term goals and how do you see the Cornell MBA enabling you to achieve both? (500 words)
Optional/Reapplicant 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. If you are reapplying for admission, please use this essay to indicate how you have strengthened your application since the last time you applied. (500 words)
17. Emory University （Goizueta）
The program has also updated its website with the MBA application essays for Fall 2016 entry. Applicants are asked to respond to four brief required prompts. The
adcom also offers an optional essay, and requires that repeat applicants to Emory respond to two additional essay prompts.
The Emory / Goizueta 2015-2016 MBA essay topics are:
Essay 1: Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 word limit)
Essay 2: The business school is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, and creating unprecedented shareholder wealth. Mr. Goizueta’s core values guide us in educating Principled Leaders for Global Enterprise. Provide an example of your leadership – professional or personal – and explain what you learned about yourself through the experience. (300 word limit)
Essay 3: Complete one of the following statements. (250 word limit)
I am passionate about…
The best piece of advice I’ve received is…
The best day of my life was…
A personal goal I want to accomplish is…
Essay 4: Share with the committee and your future classmates a fun or noteworthy fact about you. (25 word limit)
Optional Essay: If you have additional information or feel there are extenuating circumstances which you would like to share with the MBA Admissions Committee (i.e. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance issues or areas of weakness in application). Please limit your response to 250 words.
Reapplicant Essay 1: Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 word limit)
Reapplicant Essay 2: Explain how you have improved your candidacy for Goizueta Business School’s MBA Program since your last application. (250 word limit)
For more information about applying for the Emory MBA, visit the Goizueta admissions website.
18. University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill （Kenan Flagler）
The UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA essay topics for 2015-2016: Essay 1: 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) Essay 2 (Optional): 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? (300 words maximum) Essay 3 (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) Essay 4 (Optional): Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
19. University of Texas-Austin（McCombs）
1.At The University of Texas at Austin, what starts here changes the world. You are at the Texas MBA Orientation for the Class of 2018, meeting your cohort for the first time. Please introduce yourself to your new classmates, including relevant information about your personal and professional life.
Select only one communication method that you would like to use for your response.
.Write an Essay (250 words )
.Share a video introduction ( one minute )
. Share your about me profile
2.The McCombs School of Business is where leadership is earned. We have an inclusive environment where our dynamic and driven students take an active role in the Texas MBA community. Please discuss why the Texas MBA is the ideal program for you, what you hope to achieve, and how you will contribute to your classmates' experience. (500 words)
3.Optional Essay:
Please provide any additional information you believe is important and/or address any areas of concern that will be beneficial to the Admissions Committee in considering your application (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic performance, significant weaknesses in your application, or extenuating personal circumstances). (250 words)
20. Carnegie Mellon University （Tepper）
The CMU / Tepper MBA essay topics are as follows: Essay 1: Describe a defining moment in your life. How has it shaped you professionally? (300 words) Essay 2: Based on your research and interactions, describe how your strengths contribute to the Tepper School community. How will you benefit from being a member of the Tepper School MBA program? (300 words)
21. Georgetown （McDonough）
The McDonough MBA Essays for 2015-2016 are as follows:
Essay 1: Essay 1: Why You? (Hint: we are looking for an answer that cannot be found from research on our website; 750 words)
Optional Essay 1: If you are not currently employed full-time, use this essay to provide information about your current activities. (250 words or fewer)
Optional Essay 2: Please provide any information you would like to add to your application that you have not otherwise included. (500 words or fewer)
Re-Applicant Essay: How have you strengthened your candidacy since your last application? We are particularly interested in hearing about how you have grown professionally and personally. (500 words or fewer)
For more information about applying, prospective students should visit the McDounough MBA program website.
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