Tuesday Tips: London Business School Fall 2019 MBA Essay Tips

london mba essayLondon Business School values independence and original thought. Other values clearly displayed by LBS are multiculturalism and an international approach to business.

This application is streamlined, with only two essay questions. In order to showcase all of your career accomplishments, extracurriculars and personal attributes you will likely need to maximize other parts of the application, like your resume and recommendations. Talk to your recommenders about the experiences in your background you might want to highlight through their letters, and use your resume to describe key moments at work.

Understanding the culture at London Business School will be important to answering the essay questions and preparing the rest of your application for admission. One of the best ways to get to know LBS is to visit campus, and/or interact with a London Business School Student Ambassador. Once you have a good sense of the school and how you will take advantage of the opportunity to attend LBS, you will be better prepared to approach the essay questions.

REQUIRED ESSAY

What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)

Self-awareness about your strengths and interests will help you refine what you truly want in your career. To take your research into your post-LBS options deeper it could be helpful to talk to colleagues and alumni who have MBAs in your field to identify various career paths. Make sure that your career goals are both realistic and aspirational. Think about the short term roles post-MBA that may lead to your most ambitious longer term goals.

Your past experiences have certainly informed your post-MBA plans, and touching on those most relevant will be helpful to setting the background for your current pursuit of an MBA. To make this essay more than a rehash of your resume, think about explaining the rationale for your decisions throughout the essay. Why did you pursue your past experience and what has been the impetus behind subsequent career choices? At this point, why are you choosing LBS?

As you speak with current LBS students and visit campus or other events, learn as much as you can about the programs, professors, and classes that may help you achieve your goals. What do you think you will learn at LBS and in your time in London that will lead to achievement of your career goals? The network you create during your MBA will open doors for you, and preparing for this essay can help you to make the most of the experience.

OPTIONAL ESSAY

Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)

In describing the LBS vision, continued business impact, the school describes the culture: “We challenge how things are done and we teach our students to constantly question and innovate. We believe in providing our students with the most diverse, world-class and rewarding business education in the world.” This open-ended question is a great opportunity to touch on a personal story and add color to your story to demonstrate how you will be part of this culture. This could be the ideal place to describe a unique background, experience or attribute that did not fit elsewhere in the application.

Diversity can be about where you are from, the culture you identify with, the people you grew up with, or your approach to life. If diversity of experience or attitude doesn’t resonate for you, consider when you have approached a challenge and innovated. When have you taken a new view or challenged conventional wisdom? Global perspective is invaluable as well. Think about stories that could illustrate how you have demonstrated any of these qualities that are valued by LBS.

Challenged by the LBS essay questions? Contact us to learn how Stacy Blackman Consulting can help.

Did you know that SBC offers test prep services? We’ve recruited a team of best in class instructors who will help you recognize your individual learning style, discover holes in your foundation knowledge and set manageable yet ambitious goals. We focus on a deep understanding of the content, and later a grasp of smart test strategies. Let SBC’s long tradition of excellence support all aspects of your application process.

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