Emory Goizueta Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2022 – 2023]

Taken together, these essay questions cover a lot of ground: your professional path and plans, your alignment with the program’s core values, and your interpersonal and communication responsiveness. Moreover, this vast ground is covered in few words – the written essays are short, requiring tough decisions about what key points and anecdotes to include and what to leave out. Write simply and directly to pack as much meaning and impact as possible into each word. Not least, ensure your video “personality” aligns with your written “personality.”

Emory Goizueta 2022-2023 MBA application essays

Emory Goizueta essay question #1

Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 word limit)

This question challenges you to define your short-term goals in three dimensions: your past experience, your skills, and your unique character. Yet, with only 300 words, you can’t give a comprehensive, detailed delineation of those elements. I suggest discussing one point from each category that is relevant to your goals. The key to making this part of the essay work is specificity, detail, and anecdote – e.g. don’t just say you have a charismatic personality that brings people together; show through a brief anecdote how it lets you be the glue in a rough-and-tumble team. Then discuss directly the relevance of this quality to your short-term goal. The question’s emphasis on short-term goals suggests practicality and concreteness: what (type of) position and in what industry, to achieve what, and why (and, sometimes, where).

Emory Goizueta essay question #2

The business school is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, creating unprecedented shareholder wealth, and demonstrating a commitment to values and positive impact on society. Roberto Goizueta’s core values guide us in educating principled leaders to have a positive influence on business and society. Provide a specific example of your leadership and explain what you learned about yourself through the experience. (300 word limit)

Respond to this question as a story (a very succinct story): describe a time you led in a situation of some significance that reflects a positive influence. It can (almost certainly WILL) be narrower in scope than “on business and society” given your early career status and relative youth . Walk through it straightforwardly, focusing on your actions. In a final, brief paragraph reflect on what this leadership experience taught you about yourself; don’t list ten things, but rather focus on the one to two most meaningful points.

To select the best topic or experience to portray, look for something that is fairly recent and that has a clear impact. While most people will want to grab this opportunity to showcase their impact at work, it may make sense to select a non-work story if, for example, it reflects a situation or experience that truly distinguishes you in a relevant way and illustrates substantial leadership as well. Think strategically in selecting the topic and choose one that enhances your overall application and adds to the information found elsewhere.

Emory Goizueta essay question #3

What are you looking to gain from Goizueta’s MBA degree and how do you see yourself contributing to the Goizueta community? (200 word limit)

This essay should align smartly with essay #1 for the first part, what you hope to gain from the program. Discuss how it will be a bridge to your short-term goals. You can also express broader growth aspirations through the program – but always be specific, e.g. if you say you want to develop leadership presence, cite exactly how the program will assist that aim.

For contributions, also be specific: cite 2-3 ways you’ll contribute, strategically showcasing skills, qualities, experiences and/or other factors that are not presented elsewhere in the application, that distinguish you, and that will enhance the learning and/or social environments.

Video essay

Telling your story in the written essays is an important part of the application process, but we also want to hear you tell some of your story. The video essay lets every candidate talk to the MBA Admissions Committee and we enjoy getting to know you through the “small talk” questions.

You can’t prepare content obviously, but you can prepare approach and presentation. A great way to do that is to practice – literally give yourself questions and video yourself answering. (Even better, see if someone can ask you random questions so you are really prepared for anything without knowing what it is first.) Don’t just stand in front of a mirror or talk into a room for 60 seconds. It feels a lot different to be talking while being videoed – if you’re like most people you’ll really benefit from doing it enough to make it second nature.

Additional information

If there is an important part of your story missing from your MBA application (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic probation issues), please use this section to provide a brief explanation. Please use bullets if you need to address more than one topic. (200 word limit)

Use this essay to address any extenuating circumstances. Obviously, be succinct. Think of this essay as an opportunity for you to provide context, not excuses.

Reapplicant essays

Applicants who have applied to Goizueta Business School in the past are required to answer the following questions:

1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 word limit)

See tip for Essay 1 above. If your goal has changed since the previous application, explain why.

2. Explain how you have improved your candidacy for Goizueta Business School’s MBA Program since your last application. (250 word limit)

This is THE key question for all MBA reapplicants. Goizueta just asks it explicitly. See MBA Reapplication 101 for more advice.

Emory Goizueta at a glance

Emory Goizueta average GMAT score: 692

Emory Goizueta average GPA: 3.36

Emory Goizueta acceptance rate: 53.1%

U.S. News ranked Emory Goizueta #21 in 2023.

Check out the Business School Selectivity Index for more stats.

You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are in life. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your Emory Goizueta application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want a member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with expertise tailored specifically for you. Check out our flexible consulting packages today!

Emory MBA deadlines 2022-2023

	Application Deadline	Decision Notification
Round 1	October 5, 2022	December 7, 2022
Round 2	January 9, 2023	March 15, 2023
Round 3	March 22, 2023	May 10, 2023

Source: Emory Goizueta website

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***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***

Cindy Tokumitsu has advised hundreds of successful applicants, helping them gain acceptance to top MBA and EMBA programs in her 20 years with Accepted. She would love to help you too. Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Why MBA? a free guide to writing about your MBA goals
• “I Wish the Admissions Committee Had Asked Me…”
• School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips

This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com