2019–2020 MBA Essay Analysis: Texas McCombs, Fisher College, UNC Kenan-Flagler
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 McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
TEXAS MCCOMBS ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
Once again, the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin has made only slight modifications to its MBA application essay prompts, simply refining the queries without changing the fundamental information on which they focus. The school’s required self-introduction essay (or video, for those who prefer that option) has been in play since at least 2013, and its second essay, for which applicants are asked to imagine themselves at graduation and to reflect on their time at McCombs, now specifies that candidates frame their response within the context of their goals, rather than the broader “post-MBA world.” Anyone with a potential problem area or unclear element in their profile can also submit an optional essay to address the issue(s). As a whole, the Texas McCombs essays give applicants ample opportunity to provide meaningful insight into their characters and strengths. Click here our entire analysis of the program’s essay prompts for 2019–2020.
FISHER COLLEGE ESSAY ANALYSIS 2019-2020
The Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University has expanded its application essay questions this year, giving candidates more of an opportunity to discuss their profiles beyond the statistics and other basic data conveyed in the rest of their application. The school’s first required essay is a rather traditional career goals statement for which the maximum word count has been cut back from 750 to 500. Perhaps this reduction was to allow for the addition of a second required essay without adding too much to the amount applicants need to write. For that new second essay, candidates must share a significant achievement from their past and explain how the experience has equipped them to be an additive member of the Fisher MBA community. If needed, a 250-word supplemental essay is also available for candidates with unusual or unclear elements in their profiles. All aspiring Fisher MBAs must complete a video interview soon after submitting their application, and although this is not technically an essay, we offer some tips for addressing it as well in our complete essay analysis.
UNC KENAN FLAGLER ANALYSIS 2019-2020
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is offering a mix of old and new essay prompts this season, having maintained its rather traditional career-focused first essay while replacing its second required essay question with a trio of new options. Rather than having to discuss a core value they share with the school, applicants can choose the prompt they feel gives them the best opportunity to convey the nonprofessional side of their candidacy. And although the word count has been slashed in half (from 300 to 150), the school’s optional essay still provides candidates with an outlet for explaining a problematic element of their profile or augmenting their application with potentially key information. Our more in-depth analysis of Kenan-Flagler’s 2019–2020 essay questions is available here.
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