Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business MBA Program Essay Tips
The admission essays you submit as part of your application to the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business MBA program play a significant role in the selection process. The admission committee will use your essays to get a sense of who you are as a person beyond just your resume and transcripts. They want to understand your motivations, values, experiences, leadership examples, and how you would contribute to and benefit from the Scheller MBA program.
There are two required essays for the Georgia Tech MBA application that provide opportunities for you to share important aspects of your background and goals. In this article, we will provide:
An overview of each essay prompt
Key elements to include in your responses
Examples from successful applicants
General tips for crafting compelling essays
Following the guidance and structure discussed here will help you craft essays that allow your authentic personality and qualifications to shine through in a meaningful way for the admission committee.
Essay #1: Your background and goals (500 words max)
This first essay prompt asks you to:
Describe your background, including your accomplishments thus far and how your prior experiences have prepared you for an MBA. Discuss your post-MBA short and long-term career goals and how an MBA from Georgia Tech will help you achieve them.
Some essential elements to touch on for this essay include:
Details on your educational background, work experience, extracurricular activities, and any awards or notable achievements
Reflection on how these past experiences have shaped you as a professional and leader so far
Specific insights into what you hope to gain from an MBA education at Georgia Tech and how it will help advance your career aspirations
Tangible short and long-term career goals you have post-MBA and how the Scheller program will help prepare you to achieve them
A successful response flows logically from a description of your relevant experiences and strengths to an explanation of how an MBA will allow you to take your career to the next level.
For example, one applicant discussed her background in supply chain management, a role in launching a startup company, and involvement in various leadership roles. She explained that through these experiences she developed a passion for operations strategy and wanted to further develop her business acumen. The applicant’s goal post-MBA was to take on a director level role managing global supply chains and believed the program’s focus on analytics and operations would be invaluable for achieving that objective.
Essay #2: Contributions to the classroom (350 words max)
This second essay asks you to:
Discuss how your unique background and experiences will contribute to the classroom and your peers’ learning.
For this essay, the committee wants to see evidence that you:
Have qualities, perspectives, or experiences that differentiate you from other applicants
Can elaborate on how those traits would enrich discussions and add value to your peers in the MBA program
Demonstrate self-awareness of your strengths and how you would utilize them within the classroom environment
Provide a realistic example of the type of discussion, insight or perspective you may bring
Some successful applicants have discussed their experiences living abroad which enhanced cultural awareness, military service bringing strategic thinking skills, careers in startups offering entrepreneurial mindsets, or roles resolving complex problems teaching collaboration abilities.
The key is to thoughtfully link your distinct experiences and capabilities gained to specific ways you believe you could meaningfully contribute to classroom dynamics, teamwork projects, or your cohort’s overall educational experience. Don’t just state you will add value – show potential impact through well-developed examples.
General Essay Tips
In addition to addressing the prompts directly, here are some overarching tips that will help polish your Georgia Tech MBA application essays:
Provide a compelling storyline by arranging your ideas and experiences chronologically when possible.
Quantify or qualitatively describe your achievements and responsibilities rather than just listing them.
Use concrete, vivid examples and anecdotes to bring your experiences to life for the reader.
Edit meticulously for clarity, flow, structure, spelling, and grammar. Ask others to proofread as well.
Show, don’t just tell, through your word choices and phrasing how you developed as a leader.
Keep the tone professional yet personable – you want the reader to get to know you.
Stay within the word limits – concise, well-organized responses are best.
Consider practicing answering the prompts verbally to help refine your narrative.
Have others review to ensure your character and goals align with what you conveyed in writing.
Following the provided essay prompts directly, thoughtfully addressing each aspect they request you to touch on, and leveraging your own unique strengths and career progression to date are the best ways to differentiate yourself successfully. With polished, impactful responses, the essays can highlight your qualifications and pave the way for your acceptance into the highly selective Scheller MBA program.
In closing, the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business admission essays evaluate your fit for the program based on your experiences and potential to add value within and beyond the classroom. With intention, examples, and high-quality writing, your essays can substantiate why you belong in the next cohort of emerging business leaders graduating from this exceptional institution.
Andrew Stroud