The admission essays you write are one of the most important components of your Stern MBA application. These essays allow you to share your experiences, personality, and motivation in your own words. They provide a humanizing element that shows the admission committee who you are beyond just your resume and test scores. While Stern evaluates candidates holistically, your essays can help strengthen other parts of your application or potentially overcome weaknesses. Crafting compelling, high-quality essays takes time, effort, and strategy. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as you prepare your Stern MBA admission essays.
Tell your story: Your essays should tell a coherent story about who you are and why an MBA makes sense for you at this point in your career. Avoid just regurgitating your resume – dive deeper into formative experiences and what specifically you learned from them. Paint a picture of your personal and professional evolution that leads clearly to why an MBA and Stern are a perfect next step. Get to the heart of what drives you and your motivations. Use vivid, engaging storytelling to bring your experiences to life for the reader.
Connect to Stern’s values: Be sure to connect your experiences and goals back to Stern’s values whenever possible. Stern prides itself on developing leaders who make a positive impact. Express how an Stern MBA will help accelerate your ability to create meaningful change in your career, industry, or the world. Stern also values a diverse, global community – discuss if relevant how your unique background and perspectives will contribute. Relating your story back to Stern shows your passion and fit with the school.
Focus on growth: Rather than dwelling on past achievements, the committee wants to see how you have grown as a person. What challenges have you faced and overcome? What lessons have you learned? How have your perspectives evolved? Focus on growth mindsets, being open to new ideas, and continuous self-improvement. Humility and intellectual curiosity are highly valued. The committee does not want to admit candidates who think they already have all the answers.
Show, don’t just tell: Don’t just state you have strong leadership skills – show a specific example from your background that demonstrates your leadership in action. Vivid details and compelling anecdotes will bring your experiences to life for the reader. Use facts, figures, dialogue – whatever you need to paint a picture rather than leaving things abstract or superficial. Help the committee intuitively feel and understand you versus taking your word for it.
Have a theme: Your essays should feel cohesive and tell a consistent story versus just being a random assortment of unconnected events. Identify a core theme that ties your experiences together, like leadership in times of change or taking initiative to solve problems. A theme gives your essays direction and resonance. It helps the committee intuitively gain a window into your values and priorities.
Be authentic: Your essays should feel like an authentic reflection of who you are versus something that seems artificially constructed. While you’ll need to carefully craft and edit them, avoid coming across as too polished or inauthentic. Let your personality shine through with humor, passion, or vulnerability where appropriate. Admission officers are evaluating whether you’d be a good cultural fit, so bring your full self to the essays.
Follow instructions: Make sure to closely follow all essay length, format and content guidelines specified. Pay attention to number of required/optional essays, word limits, and any other specifications. Fit your story and experience within what’s requested – don’t go off topic or over the word limit. Carefully proofread for typos, grammar mistakes or other errors that could undermine your message. Small details matter to the committee.
Get feedback: Run drafts by several people – professionals, peers, mentor figures – and ask them to critically assess your essays for flow, storytelling impact, authenticity and whether they achieve your objectives. Incorporate constructive feedback and revise iteratively to polish your essays. Also have others proofread for any glaring errors or areas of potential improvement before submitting. Multiple perspectives help strengthen your work.
Be timely: Leave adequate time for drafting, feedback, and revision iterations before your deadline. Rushing at the last minute often results in subpar work. Stern deadlines are quite early in the application cycle, so plan accordingly. Get started well in advance versus procrastinating until crunch time. Your essays deserve the time and energy to make them your absolute best work.
Focus on the prompt: Each essay question has a specific goal the committee wants to learn about you. Make sure your essay directly addresses the question or issue posed rather than going off on unrelated tangents. Answer the prompt specifically and fully but avoid simply rehashing your resume. Your response should provide new insights beyond just past accomplishments.
Keep it positive: Stay away from dwelling on past failures, blaming others, excuses or other negative themes. While growth from challenges is fine to discuss, focus on the lessons learned and keep a solution/growth orientation whenever possible. The committee wants to admit candidates who will contribute positively to the Stern community and be successful in the program/career.
Your Stern MBA admission essays are one of the most important elements you control in your application. By crafting high quality, compelling essays that tell your authentic story and directly address the prompts, you can significantly strengthen your candidacy for admission. If done right, your essays have potential to override other weaknesses and impress the committee with who you are as a person and future leader. With strategic preparation and feedback, you can craft essays that will resonate and stay top of mind with readers.
Andrew Stroud