2019–2020 MBA Essay Analysis: Berkeley Haas, Dartmouth Tuck, Stanford GSB
How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With these thorough essay analyses, our friends at mbaMission help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute so that your experiences truly stand out.
This week, we round up essay analyses for The Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley; the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College; and the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB).
BERKELEY HAAS ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
Applicants to the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley this season will be responding to two totally new required essay questions. We were a little sad to see that the school’s unique and challenging six-word story prompt had been removed, but we imagine many candidates are not. Instead, Berkeley Haas wants applicants to dig deep on a personal level and discuss something about which they are passionate.
For their second essay, candidates must explain the school’s role in their anticipated development as a leader. For its optional essays, the admissions committee has maintained its multipart questionnaire prompt (which is much less complicated than it may seem at first glance) and an open-ended prompt that gives applicants the opportunity to address any unclear or problem areas in their profile. These four essays together should allow you to present a well-rounded impression of yourself to the school, complementing the information presented in your resume, recommendations, and basic stats with insight into who you are as an individual and who you hope to be as a future business leader. Continue reading the full essay analysis for Berkeley Haas.
DARTMOUTH TUCK ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
Although the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College has made some tweaks to its MBA application essay questions this season, the information its candidates are expected to provide remains largely the same. Instead of four short-answer questions and two 500-word essays, applicants must provide three 300-word essays. The school’s first essay prompt broadly covers candidates’ need for an MBA, and specifically a Tuck MBA, though it no longer directly asks for defined career goals.
Essay 2 addresses applicants’ individuality, and for the third essay, candidates must discuss a time when they helped facilitate another’s success. Clearly, Tuck is interested in identifying individuals who will be ambitious, cooperative, and supportive members of its community. Click here for our more detailed essay analysis of Tuck’s prompts for 2019–2020.
WATCH: mbaMission’s Julie-Anne Heafey helps you tackle Darmouth Tuck’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
STANFORD GSB ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
At the beginning of every MBA application season, we at mbaMission ask ourselves the same question for all the top programs: “Are they going to change their essay questions this year or not?” We now have our answer for the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), and it is “yes and no.” Although the school has not altered the core prompts for its two central essays, it has revisited the accompanying text and made minor adjustments to its counsel—though we cannot say we see any momentous revisions in those messages. The big change this year is the addition of an Optional Short-Answer Question, which gives applicants the opportunity to share some of their most significant accomplishments and experiences. We suspect the school has provided this outlet for (likely quant-minded) candidates who might have otherwise felt compelled to shoehorn such information into their “what matters most?” essay, thereby freeing them to speak more from the heart in that submission, without fear that the admissions committee will somehow overlook what they believe are key “selling points” in their profile.
In our full MBA essay analysis, we provide more insight into the GSB’s two required questions as well as this added element and how it can complement the school’s other application essays this season. Click here to continue reading.
Watch: mbaMission’s Liza Weale helps you tackle Stanford GSB’s 2019–2020 application essay questions…
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Insider’s Guides:
For a thorough exploration of each business school’s academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics and resources, we recommend downloading a complimentary copy of our school-specific Insider’s Guides. Informed by firsthand insight from students, alumni, program representatives, and admissions officers, our Insider’s Guides offer a detailed look at each business school’s most defining characteristics. According to Poets & Quants, “A more thorough analysis of a school will not be found elsewhere on the web.”
- Insider’s Guide to Berkeley Haas School of Business
- Insider’s Guide to Dartmouth Tuck School of Business
- Insider’s Guide to Stanford Graduate School of Business
Interview Guides:
Take the next step towards mastering your business school interview by downloading mbaMission’s free Interview Guides. Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And, on your way to this high level of preparation, we offer our free Interview Primers to spur you along.
- Berkeley Haas School of Business Interview Guide
- Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Interview Guide
- Stanford Graduate School of Business Interview Guide
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