How to Choose Your Best MBA Essay Option
When approaching the essay questions in MBA applications, many candidates fall into the trap of overanalyzing or second-guessing their choices. “They must have a favorite prompt they’re hoping everyone picks, even if they don’t say so,” applicants fret. Or, “What if there’s some unspoken preference, and I choose the ‘wrong’ one? Maybe I should dig into forums or find out which MBA essay option past admits chose.”
Please don’t go down that rabbit hole! We swear these prompts aren’t testing your ability to suss out the “right” MBA essay option. Instead, think of these options as an opportunity to present your unique story in an authentic way.
Business schools recognize that no two applicants are alike. That’s why they offer multiple essay question options: to give candidates the flexibility to highlight different aspects of their personal and professional journeys.
Whether it’s a question about your career goals, a pivotal experience, or how you envision contributing to the school’s community, the aim is to select the prompt that resonates most with your experiences and aspirations.
Are you curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
The Myth of the “Preferred” MBA Essay Option
A common misconception among applicants is that there is a preferred essay option that will increase their chances of admission. This mindset leads to overthinking or tailoring responses to what they assume the admissions committee wants to hear. However, admissions officers are not trying to elicit a specific answer. They seek genuine, well-articulated insights into your identity and what drives you.
For example, the 2024-2025 MBA essay options in the Cornell Johnson application offer two distinct paths for candidates to shine: by sharing a unique trait or describing how they would impact the Johnson community.
Meanwhile, Georgetown McDonough School of Business lists three MBA essay options applicants can choose from to “highlight their experiences, characteristics, and values that showcase the value proposition that they can bring to the McDonough community.”
Once again, the Yale School of Management offered three choices for the one required essay question: “Sharing What Matters to You.” These options provide the SOM with insights “into your background, passions, motivations, responsibilities, ideals, identities, challenges, or aspirations, depending on where you take your response.”
Bruce DelMonico, Yale SOM’s Assistant Dean for Admissions, emphasizes the importance of choosing a topic that resonates deeply with you: “We have no preference among the prompts; you can focus on personal or professional experiences.” The key is to go beyond the surface and describe your behaviors and actions. As DelMonico advises, “Point to the specific actions you have taken relating to your chosen commitment, community, or challenge.”
Several other business schools also offer options in their essay prompts or will in the future. So, how should you decide which MBA essay option to tackle?
Decision Time
Start by reflecting on your journey. What experiences or themes are central to your narrative? Consider which prompt allows you to tell the story that aligns most closely with your goals and values.
Perhaps you’re passionate about a particular professional achievement. In that case, choose a prompt that lets you explore that moment in detail. If you’ve faced a significant challenge, such as a difficult decision or a failure, that shaped your perspective, use the essay to share that experience and how it influenced your future decisions.
B-Schooled Podcast Episode #235: Authenticity in Your MBA Applications
Above all, prioritize authenticity. Admissions committees can easily spot essays that feel forced or overly strategic. Instead of worrying about what might impress the committee, focus on crafting a response that genuinely represents you. A sincere, well-written essay will always stand out more than one that tries to check perceived boxes.
Ultimately, having MBA essay options is a gift—not a litmus test. By thoughtfully selecting the prompt that best aligns with your unique story, you can give the admissions committee a deeper understanding of who you are and how you’ll contribute to their program. Remember, there’s no “right” or “wrong” choice—only one that feels right for you.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs. From our All-In Partnership to interview prep, essay editing, resume review, and much more, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×