Stanford GSB students meet with social entrepreneurs and microfinance representatives during their East Africa Service Learning Trip.
Advice on how to write effective essays
"The best thing about Stanford for me was being a part of such a generous group of people. I have never before gotten to know and work with people who are as giving as they are talented. From helping someone to study for an exam; to introducing people to potential employers; to sharing meals, time, and experiences; I am so proud of how the GSB community helps each other."
Tanya Melillo, MBA 2007
New York, USA
Consultant, Monitor Executive Development
Essays & Activities
Essays
We read the essays to get to know you as a person and to learn about the ideas and interests that motivate you.
Because we want to discover who you are, resist the urge to "package" yourself in order to come across in a way you think Stanford wants. Such attempts simply blur our understanding of who you are and what you can accomplish.
In other parts of the application, we learn about your academic and professional accomplishments (i.e., what you have done). Through your personal essays, we learn more about the person behind the achievements (i.e., who you are).
We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write and this is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams.
In your short answer responses, we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations.
Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.
Essay Questions for 2007/2008
- Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?
(Recommended length is 3 pages, double-spaced) - Essay B: What are your aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?
(Recommended length is 2 pages, double-spaced)
As a Stanford MBA student, you will be assigned a team of advisors who will guide both your academic experience and your personal development. Your team will include a faculty advisor, a career counselor, and a leadership coach.
Use Essay B to help you prepare for your first conversations with these mentors.
- Essay C: Short Essays—Options 1-4
Answer two of the questions below.
Option 1: Tell us about a time when you empowered others.
(Recommended length is 1 page, double-spaced)
Option 2: Tell us about a time when you had a significant impact on a person, group or organization.
(Recommended length is 1 page, double-spaced)
Option 3: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating.
(Recommended length is 1 page, double-spaced)
Option 4: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.
(Recommended length is 1 page, double-spaced)
In answering both questions, tell us not only what you did, but also how you did it. Tell us the outcome, and describe how people responded. Describe only experiences that have occurred within the last three years.
Editing Your Essays
Begin work on these essays early, and feel free to ask your friends and family members to provide constructive feedback. When you ask for feedback, ask if the essay’s tone sounds like your voice. It should. Your family and friends know you better than anyone else. If they do not believe that your essays capture who you are, how you live, what you believe, and what you aspire to do, then surely the Committee on Admissions will be unable to recognize what is most distinctive about you.
However, there is a big difference between "feedback" and "coaching." There are few hard and fast rules, but you cross a line when a piece of the application ceases to be exclusively yours in either thought or word (excluding the letter of reference, which should be exclusively the recommender’s in thought and word).
Appropriate feedback occurs when you show someone your completed application, perhaps one or two times, and are apprised of errors or omissions. In contrast, inappropriate coaching occurs when either your essays or your entire self-presentation is colored by someone else. You best serve your own interests when your personal thoughts, individual voice, and unique style remain intact at the end of your editing process.
It is a violation of the spirit of the Fundamental Standard and Honor Code to have someone else write any part of your Stanford MBA Program application. Such an act will result in denial or your application or withdrawal of your offer of admission.
Essay Format and Instructions
Your answers for all three essay questions must not exceed 7 pages in total.
You may submit 8 or more pages as long as the actual essay text would occupy no more than 7 pages.
Each of you has your own story to tell, so you may allocate these 7 pages among the essays in the way that is most effective for you.
Below are some guidelines but you may write as much or as little as you like on any question as long as you do not exceed 7 pages total (see illustration below).
- Essay A: 3 pages
- Essay B: 2 pages
- Essay C: 1 page each
- Use a 12-point font, double spaced, and make sure it is easy to read.
- Indicate which essay question you are answering at the top of each page.
- Number all pages.
- After you upload your documents to your application, preview each document to ensure that the formatting is true to the original.
- Save a copy of your essays.
Additional Information
If there is any other information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in this section of your application. Do not include additional essays.
Examples of pertinent additional information include:
- Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance.
- Explanation of why you do not have a Letter of Reference from your current direct supervisor.
- Explanation of criminal conviction, academic suspension or expulsion, and/or failing grades.
- Any other information that you did not have sufficient space to complete in another section of the application (begin the information in the appropriate section).
- Additional work experience that cannot fit into the space provided.
Activities
You have an opportunity to describe your extracurricular activities in your online application. This is an excellent way for us to understand your experiences and insights and to come to know you personally.
No club, community, or professional activity is more important than another.
With activities, a sustained depth of commitment in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six organizations.
Please note that there are separate sections in the online application for you to report activities during and after university/college. Examples of activities in which you are/have been involved may include charitable, civic, community, and professional.
Employment History
In this section of the online application, you have an opportunity to describe your full-time and part-time employment history, including your core responsibilities, your most significant challenges, and your greatest accomplishments.
We look for a diversity of employment activities in our student body, so no one industry or function is more important than another. As you approach your MBA application, keep in mind that we are more interested in the impact you have had in your work place than the name or stature of your organization. Have you made the most of your professional opportunities? Are you cultivating your leadership and team skills and making a difference? We look at your response in conjunction with your recommendations to create a broad picture of the impact you have had in your work environment(s).
If you have had more than one job, we also ask why you left your previous employer(s). Your response to this question will help us understand your career development and what has motivated your decision making. After completing the Employment History section, please upload a current copy of your resume.