LBS MBA Essay Samples

London Business School Admissions (LBS) likes to see uniqueness in each applicant, as that helps to add to the diversity dimension more broadly – it’s not just international diversity but differences in professional experiences, goals, and paths to these goals.

LBS is very focused on Leadership. “There is a big emphasis on how we could recognise certain characteristics in applicants who were likely to become global business leaders,” shared a representative of LBS’s MBA program. LBS really wants well-rounded students. They are interested in mistakes or failures that candidates have experienced and how they have grown from those experiences. Demonstrating global awareness is key, as LBS teaches a global business model, not just the American business perspective.

SBC has former LBS MBA Admissions Officers and several additional LBS experts on our team. We know the nuances of applying to LBS successfully. If you’d like to speak with one of our Principals about your candidacy, please request a free analysis here.

Successful Examples of LBS Essays

Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.

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

My interest in the intersection of healthcare and technology was initially piqued during a high school internship at a laboratory. While I realized in college that I prefer the world of finance to a career in medicine, I have retained a strong passion for healthcare that I plan to apply to my post-MBA goals.
After graduating from LBS, I intend to join a global venture capital (VC) fund in London, such as X, Y, or Z, with exposure to digital health and a thesis that aligns with my vision of making healthcare more accessible. As a naturally curious person, I am drawn to VC because I’m excited to invest in founders who create innovative solutions that improve people’s lives. Working in VC will allow me to gain insight into the operational challenges of building a startup through partnerships with founders all around the world and learn about existing gaps in the healthcare landscape. This will prepare me for my long-term aspiration of launching a women’s health-tech startup in India.
In GLOBAL BANK’s ABC Group, I work on private equity-led transactions and analyze investment ideas for our clients – these are transferable skills that I will leverage for a job in VC. My internship with VC FIRM has further prepared me for VC by providing a window into the operational side of investing. The next step for me is to pursue an MBA at LBS in order to cultivate a diverse network and develop the requisite skillset that will aid me in accomplishing my post-MBA career goals.
LBS’ location at the center of Europe’s burgeoning startup ecosystem coupled with its entrepreneurial focus is appealing to me. I plan to take advantage of living in London by interning at VC firms throughout the year and consulting a startup through ABC, a module I become excited to pursue after speaking with ALUNA3 (’20).
The LBS curriculum caters to my interests in VC, entrepreneurship, and healthcare and will help me to develop as an effective leader in a global context. In conversations with Professor NAME and ALUMNA4 (’21), we discussed my career aspirations and how electives such as ELECTIVE1 and ELECTIVE2 will help me gain the strategy and operational skills that I will benefit from in my post-MBA goals. These electives, coupled with the initiatives through the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will prepare me to become a well-rounded investor.
Immersion into the LBS community through student clubs is a key ingredient in broadening my network and achieving my career goals. The global treks offered by the PE / VC Club are opportunities to engage with VC firms that I could work at post-MBA. The ABC challenge and the annual VC challenge will allow me to place myself in the shoes of an investor and test out my business ideas in the healthcare space. These clubs, along with LBS ABC CLUB, are also great ways to connect with LBS alumni working in firms that interest me.

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

At the end of 2019, I secured a part-time internship in venture capital at VC FIRM, in addition to my current job in investment banking, through a combination of networking and thought leadership through my online blog. I source deals, tackle operational challenges with founders, research industries of interest to VC FIRM, and execute due diligence. Placing myself in the shoes of an investor has further demonstrated to me the value and strength of a global network and has deepened my interest and passion for investing and entrepreneurship. While it has been difficult at times to balance the internship with my current job, I have honed my prioritization and time management skills and feel motivated knowing that I am getting invaluable hands-on experience that will help me immensely with my post-MBA plans.
This drive and resilience is something that I have consistently noticed in the diverse group of LBS students I have spoken with. Inspired by ALUMNA3 (’21) and other students I have spoken with in the LBS network, I am excited to become a Student Ambassador at LBS. My prior experience as the UNIVERSITY recruiting caption for GLOBAL BANK’s summer intern program and my desire to give back to students who have been in the same place as me is something that motivates me. Through my involvement with UNIVERSITY intern recruiting, I also built out a mentorship program for female students in order to help them succeed before, during, and after the internship. This effort carried over to our recruiting process for other schools and last year we were able to achieve gender equity in our intern class. Empowering women through mentorship and elevating their voices is a cause that I am very passionate about. As I aspire to join a heavily male-dominated industry, I am a proponent of having a strong network of women throughout one’s career starting at the earliest stages, which is why I would like to build out a mentorship program between LBS CLUB and women in senior VC positions in London.

Tell us about your responsibilities. Describe your day-to-day role, details of any clients you work with/for, the level/title of the person you report to, the size of budget for which you are directly responsible and the number of people in your team.

As an Investment Banking Associate in the ABC Group at GLOBAL BANK I advise global private equity firms on transactions and assist with investment idea generation for their portfolios. The clients I work with are late stage investment firms and buyout firms, such as X, Y and Z. These clients are amongst the largest clients of the bank and our business with them generated approximately $XXMM in revenue last year, making our group the highest revenue-generating group in the bank.
I perform financial analyses to assist in due diligence for global transactions ranging from $XXMM to $XXBN, with fees ranging from ~$XXMM to $XXMM. My role is dynamic in nature and I must manage unpredictability of transaction timelines and ad hoc client requests, which consistently require fast turnarounds. I mainly interact with Principals and Partners at our private equity clients and frequently speak to portfolio company management whenever there is a live transaction. Speaking directly with company management is interesting for me as it allows me to understand the drivers of day-to-day choice within the company as well the thought process behind larger scale, strategic decisions.
In addition to frequent interactions with clients and company management, I work cross-functionally across portfolio management, credit, capital markets, and relationship managers to lead processes for deal approval and execution. Our deal teams are comprised of Managing Director, a Vice President, an Associate, and an Analyst from each of these internal groups, including my group. I report directly to the Head of U.S. ABC Coverage, who reports directly to our Head of North America Investment Banking and Markets. Moreover, I supervise five analysts on deals and client pitches; this has helped me refine my communication and conflict resolution skills and become an effective and trusted mentor and supervisor for junior colleagues. The development of my people management skills has also been beneficial when I present to clients, senior management, or at deal screenings.
When I first joined this group, I joined a team of XX people; in the last two years, the group has expanded to include XX people. This rapid growth has allowed me to actively undertake more responsibility in my current role over the last two years. In addition to being designated as a lead Associate on deals, I spearheaded our firm’s middle market direct lending initiative, which culminated in an increase in revenue of almost $XXM against a $XXMM budget.

Please tell us your most significant international experiences to date.

As an NATIONALITY1 NATIONALITY2 woman, living in EUROPEAN CITY and working at a GLOBAL bank was an immersion into a rich blend cultures that gave me a view into how business is conducted differently across the globe. I stepped into the shoes of my international teammates to understand their culturally driven approaches to certain situations, making me a better problem-solver. I acquired the ability to value and leverage the characteristics of those working around me, became a more dynamic worker, and developed the confidence and empathy required to navigate unfamiliar situations with adaptability and understanding.

Please tell us about your main interests and activities in your free time.

Whether it has been through advising a non-profit on its business strategy or collaborating with GLOBAL BANK’S human resources department to implement new corporate social responsibility initiatives, helping others by getting involved has been a driving force in my life. For the last three years, I have volunteered with NFP1, advising resource-constrained local organizations and organizing the annual conference in New York. My involvement has challenged me to think outside the box and prepare for unexpected situations – these skills have proven critical when leading projects at work. Through volunteering, I have been able to combine my interests in entrepreneurship and commitment to social impact initiatives while also improving my team-building and negotiation skills. I hope to continue contributing my time to social impact causes through participation in the XXX Club at LBS.
For the last five years, I have mentored young women as GLOBAL BANK’s UNIVERSITY recruiting team captain and have organized firm wide networking events led by senior leadership as a member of the Women’s ABC Group. Having had strong female mentors throughout my career, I am driven to elevate women’s voices and promote female leadership. Inspirational conversations with women at LBS have underscored my excitement about collaborating with likeminded individuals in LBS ABC CLUB and using the platform to organize a speaker series with women in venture capital.
Two years ago, I started an online blog, where I publish my thoughts on various industries and interviews with founders. My blog serves as a portfolio of my thoughts and has served as a bridge into the startup ecosystem. The release of creativity and freedom I feel when I write is similar to the rush I get when playing the piano and composing music, an activity that I started when I was five years old and still continue to pursue in my free time.
Finally, being a competitive figure skater for nine years and playing doubles tennis in both high school and college have been two of my most wonderful experiences. Today, these sports remain a large part of my life and continue to instill in me the values of discipline, self-motivation, and teamwork.

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from LBS, Columbia CBS and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Meet Susan, just one of the many superstars on the SBC team. Susan was the Director of Recruitment and Admissions at London Business School LBS and also the Director of the Executive MBA program at Columbia Business School CBS.

Tap into this inside knowledge for your MBA applications by requesting a consultation.

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