The Most Common MBA Admission Essay Prompts

MBA Admission essay success, or how to get into a Top Ten or Ivy League business school:

MBA admission essay prompts are the first encounter you will probably have with your application.

The questions may change every year, but the MBA essay prompts for the Top Ten business school programs typically fall into the same consistent categories. This means YOU have an edge if you know what the essay questions are before you begin your applications:

Read through the below to see the most common MBA admission essay questions:

1. Why are you pursuing an MBA?

• In this question, Ivy League and Top Ten MBA admissions officers are looking for your motivation in terms of your current work and/or life experiences.
• Think about where you think an MBA can take you in your career , and how you couldn’t get there as easily without the degree.
• What is it about this particular school’s business school program that has caused you to apply to this particular school? Why HBS, or MIT Sloan, or Kellogg, Wharton, or any of the other Top Ten bschool programs?
• In other words, know your school!

2. What are some strengths and weaknesses you have?

• Failure is not a negative by itself and the way you responded to it is very telling! Give examples how you failed, but how you learned from those examples and overcame adversity in order to learn from your mistakes and succeed the next time. Show that you own your failures and grew from them, and that way every life experience becomes valuable!

3. How have you shown yourself as a leader?

• This is your opportunity to show your leadership style and how you use it to successfully complete projects. Admission officers want to see that you can influence and motivate a team. Just because a person has a leadership position doesn’t mean they are any good at it! Showcase what makes you a great leader.

4. What makes you stand out?

• You need to show off the qualities that you possess that make you stand out and make you more unique than other candidates. Remember most of the applicants are all going to be high performers but you are unique from them and here’s where you can demonstrate that to the MBA admissions officers.

5. What principles do you work and live by?

• MBA admission officers are looking for people with strong business ethics and values. Everyone can talk about good values, but having solid examples where you show your commitment to them even perhaps when tempted will resonate strongly.

If you need more guidance and insight please reach out for a free MBA or EMBA consultation.

As a former Harvard admissions interviewer and Harvard grad, I specialize in helping clients get into the Top Ten + Ivy League MBA and EMBA programs around the world.

Take a look at my website at:  www.MBAIvy.com and let me help you get into a great MBA program and achieve your dreams!

Also, check out my other MBA & EMBA  admission essay tips and blog articles, such as The 5 mistakes That Will Ding Your MBA Application!