Stanford Business
School Admission 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 actually 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. Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.
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.
Tell us in your own words who you really are. Answer essay questions 1, 2,
and two of the four options for essay 3.
- Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why?
- The best examples of Essay 1 reflect the process of
self-examination that you have undertaken to write them.
- They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are—and
they also convey how you became the person you are.
- They do not focus merely on what you've done or
accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values,
experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives.
- They are written from the heart and address not only a
person, situation, or event, but also how that person,
situation, or event has influenced your life.
- Essay 2: What are your career aspirations? How will
your education at Stanford help you achieve them?
- Use this essay to explain your view of your future, not
to repeat accomplishments from your past.
- You should address three distinct topics:
- your career aspirations
- the role of an MBA education in achieving those
aspirations
- and your rationale for earning that MBA at Stanford,
in particular.
- The best examples of Essay 2 express your passions or
focused interests; explain why you have decided to pursue
graduate education in management; and demonstrate your
desire to take advantage of the opportunities that are
distinctive to the Stanford MBA Program.
- Essay 3: Answer two of the four
questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it.
What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences
that have occurred during the last three years.
- Option A: Tell us about a time when you built
or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.
- Option B: Tell us about a time when you made a
lasting impact on your organization.
- Option C: Tell us about a time when you
motivated others to support your vision or initiative.
- Option D: Tell us about a time when you went
beyond what was defined, established, or expected.
Essay Length
Answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1800 words. A guideline
from Stanford's website suggests the following breakdown:
Essay A - 750 words
Essay B - 450 words
Essay C - 300 words each
Additionally, applicants must adhere to the following formatting guidelines:
- Use a 12-point font, double spaced.
- Indicate which essay question you are answering at the beginning of each
essay.
- Number all pages.
- Upload all four essays as one document.
- Preview the uploaded document to ensure that the formatting is true to
the original.
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* Admissions essays for the 2008-2009 application
season.
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