I'm sure many of you reading this understand the significance of essays. They are the ultimate doorway to your dream business school since they provide the admissions committee with a comprehensive picture of you as a candidate. And one of the most prevalent and crucial Essays is 'Why MBA?'—why do you want to take an MBA? or why do you want to get an MBA from a particular school?
This essay is significant since it informs the adcom about your reasons for pursuing an MBA and about your employability to the employers who come to a business school to hire. If your 'Why MBA' does not have conviction, collinearity, or a strong fit, you will not get admitted, no matter how exceptional your achievements are.
An excellent 'Why MBA' Essay requires many strong aspects to weave your story together. That is why, together with our experts, we are here to provide some premium tips on how to develop a killer 'Why MBA' story.
Here is a snapshot of the article:
- Why should you ace the “WHY MBA essay”
- Structure of a Killer MBA essay
- Do's and Don't while writing an MBA essay.
- Example of Essays
- Frequently asked questions.
Why should you ace the “WHY MBA essay”?
This question addresses the majority of the questions that the adcom may have about you, which is why 'WHY MBA' is critical to answer in order to gain the attention of the adcoms that are reading your essay.
While the question is good, the information provided by applicants is generic. The goals they mention are vague and ineffective. You want to make money, learn new things, and become a leader. So, who doesn't like it? The question is w what motivates you to pursue an MBA?
Now, what are the reasons why you should ace the 'WHY MBA' essay?
- Control/Responsibility - Control and responsibility come only when the firm's top management is confident that you understand the business principles and can handle them; this comes from prior experience and knowledge obtained while pursuing the MBA; this is " WHY MBA. "
- Connections - MBA allows you to connect with a broad and intelligent group of individuals you are unlikely to meet in your day-to-day job. For example, if you are a tech enthusiast, you will meet people with similar skillsets in a tech company rather than a hardware shop. A great MBA program will try to build this network for you by putting you in the company of smart individuals from various backgrounds. This learning can be incomparable.
While the reasons for applicants differ, the main goal of the WHY MBA is to address how an MBA can help you grow as an individual and how an MBA can cover gaps that no other degree can; this is a tricky question that requires much thought before putting your views on paper.
While answering the why MBA question, it is critical to consider the post-MBA objectives and get to know them. We have a full essay on Strong Post-MBA Goals Essay Sample.
How to frame practical post MBA goals essays?
Structure of a Killer WHY MBA essay
Creating a structure is a huge assist in gathering all of the material that a candidate can on their background, MBA and beyond designed this basic structure for individuals wishing to write a killer MBA essay.
- Strength -The admission committee assesses your personality, credibility, and fit in their b-school community through your strong stories. It is vital and challenging to convey your true self in essays. This section will assist you in writing about your Strength, fascinatingly and engagingly, that will appeal to admission officers.
How to address your strengths? Click here to know more!
- Achievements - The most common reason that good applicants do not get into a top business school is that they cannot convey the significance of their story. This section will assist you in selecting your most compelling stories and conveying them in a way that maximizes your potential in all of your applications.
- Weakness - Writing about your weakness is the most challenging element of your application. Most candidates fail here because they do not comprehend what admissions authorities want to know about their weaknesses. Weakness stories are about how you coped with a circumstance rather than the context or what happened.
How to address your weaknesses? Click here to know more!
Try to incorporate no more than one or two weaknesses. Simply mentioning your weakness is not enough; you must provide a reasonable justification based on your future aspirations. Ask yourself why you want to alter something and how this change will make you a better person.
- Failure - Do you realize there's a fine line between weakness and failure? What is that fine line, and how can you explain your shortcomings so that you project a good and influential personality in your essays?
Weaknesses are more dynamic and change over time, whereas failure is more fixed. It reflects the difficulties you have overcome and demonstrates your unique qualities.
- International experience -In a business school, you learn more from your classmates than from the professors. These batchmates come from various backgrounds, and admission authorities want to know if you can exhibit your worth in a varied setting.
Suggested Reading: What do Business schools mean by International Experience?
- Extracurricular activities - The extracurricular area provides a chance to demonstrate the colorful, dynamic personality that b-schools want. However, what should you mention here if you are not involved in any organizational activities? Even if you have, which ones should you choose to make the greatest influence on the admissions committee?
Extracurricular activities should have two characteristics:
- -For starters, it personally enriches you.
- -Second, your ECs should have some communal effect.
What is the role of Extracurriculars activities in your MBA applications? Click here to learn more
- Goals - Your post-MBA short-term and long-term ambitions are critical in creating a cohesive picture for the admissions committee.Suppose you cannot draw the connections between your job experience, short-term goals, and long-term ambitions. In that case, you risk jeopardizing your admission prospects to a top MBA program, even if your profile is stellar.
Suggested reading: How to frame practical post MBA goals essays? Strong Post MBA goals essays Sample
- Why MBA? - Every business school asks this question, and just a few MBA candidates can answer it. We have divided this into two parts: checklist 1.0 and checklist 2.0.
The Checklist 1.0 relates to your current version, your current abilities, and the relevant skills to your current employment description.
The Checklist 2.0 refers to the version you anticipate becoming with a worldwide MBA. MBA is required to bridge the gap between version 1.0 and version 2.0. This gap becomes your response to the question, "Why MBA?" This response will assist you in understanding the need for MBA and acquiring the abilities required to become version 2.0.
Suggested Reading: How to build your MBA application?
Let's look at an example.
| Skills and characteristics you have now (Applicant 1.0) |
Skills and characteristics you need to achieve for your short-term goal (Applicant 2.0) |
|---|---|
| Leader (5/10) | Global Participative Leader (10/10) |
| Empathy (8/10) | Empathy (10/10) |
| Initiatives (4/10) | Entrepreneurship (9/10) |
| Relationships (6/10) | Relationships (10/10) |
| Confidence (7/10) | Confidence (9/10) |
| Convincing Skills (3/10) | Convincing & Negotiations (8/10) |
| Adaptability (6/10) | Adaptability- Committed to Change (10/10) |
| Inquisitiveness | |
| Team Member |
Our product assists applicants in writing a powerful essay by filling in the holes that applicants overlook. Our product is free to use and provides a framework that anybody can use.
Do's and Don't while writing a ‘WHY MBA’ essay
Writing essays is a critical step in which you must calculate and then put your thoughts on paper. They will create the image that the admissions committee will see before meeting you at your interview and this essay should represent the true answer to your ‘WHY MBA’ question rather than your academic achievements
DO'S
- Tell your own story - Everyone wishes to be seen and remembered. And that should only be done when you act as yourself in the story, not someone else. Remember that this is your essay at the end of the day; it needs to be in tune with your distinct voice, which only you have the best sense of. If you are adamant about retaining something in your essay, if there is a term, sentence, or detail that you believe should be in the original form as you wrote it – then go ahead and include it.
- Be truthful- Admissions officials, like it or not, are like lie detectors. They can readily detect the difference between an honest candidate and one faking it. If they catch a liar, their essay will be sent straight to the rejected pile.
- Tell them about the Goals - Tell them about your objective and how an MBA can help you to achieve those goals. Your objectives are a part of who you are. That is exactly what the admissions committee is looking for in your essay.
- Why you are the best fit for the school - Admissions officers will want to know why after you've selected to attend a specific business school. What do you have to give them in terms of experience and knowledge? In what ways do you suit the program into which you intend to enroll?
When discussing why you want to go to business school, create clear and motivating professional goals. - Research - Research offers you an advantage, and there are various expert guidance websites (like Mba and Beyond) where you can research the important information and suggestions for writing a ‘WHY MBA’ essay.
- Practice your essay- Don't worry about the word restriction when writing your essay. Get everything out first, and then worry about refining afterward put everything on the paper which is in your mind related to the essay. Practicing your essay will make it even much better and it will give you a better idea of what to include and exclude at the end of your essay.
DON'TS
- CV is not your essay. - It's not a good idea to turn your CV into an essay. They already know about your academic and professional accomplishments thanks to your resume, and now they want to learn more about you as a person and why you want to pursue and MBA.
- A sob story is not always an option- Telling a sob story to generate sympathy is not a good way to get attention unless it answers the question; otherwise, it will give the admission committee a negative image of you.
Example of ‘WHY MBA’ Essays
Even after mentioning the do's and don'ts, applicants make mistakes in their essays; this is why we have a few examples of applicants who have already made it through the top B-schools; these examples will help you figure out where you stand and how to apply the things mentioned above systematically.
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This is an example in which we requested candidates to compose the essay without any aid and then assisted them in identifying gaps and filling those gaps with appropriate remarks. Click here to access
Various colleges have distinct essay questions, and uniquely responding to them will get you through the process; for example, Kellogg, INSEAD, and Darden all have different aspects that they emphasize.
Examples of good “WHY MBA” answers
*An MBA will help me grasp how firms operate and are controlled. My long-term objective is to become a company’s CFO with a whole perspective of the entire firm. My Undergraduate degree has given me a solid foundation in accounting and finance. An MBA will teach me strategy, marketing, international business, law, and the necessary soft skills to be a successful corporate leader.*
Though grades, courses, and test scores are likely to be the most important components of your application, an essay can help you stand out. Essays allow for direct connection with admissions officers, answering questions such as "Why MBA?"—why do you want to pursue an MBA? Alternatively, why do you want to pursue your MBA from a specific school? It has a significant influence on the Adcoms and demonstrates how committed you will be to the program once admitted to the school
We believe in every applicant's ability to complete the application process, which is why we created a product that assists applicants in writing an essay and having their gaps identified by experts, and assisting them in curating a killer essay.
So, schedule a call with us today and have our experts point out your gaps so you can fill them with something concrete. Book a free evaluation call with our experts now.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) Why are you doing an MBA answer?
This is a question that every business school asks, and only a few MBA applicants can answer it. This has been broken into two sections: checklist 1.0 and checklist 2.0. MBA is necessary to bridge the version 1.0-to-version 2.0 gap. This gap serves as your answer to the question, "Why MBA?" This response will help you realize the necessity for an MBA and acquire the skills needed to become version 2.0.
2) How do you conclude an MBA essay?
While everyone recalls a great finish, a confusing or unclear ending may completely derail a good story, remember these points
- - Link your conclusion and your introduction.
- - Include a surprising twist.
- - Be unique to stand out.