We have three required essays and two optional essays. The essays for the 2012-2013 application season are:
Essay One (Required)
What are the 2 or 3 strengths or characteristics that have driven your career success thus far? What are the other strengths that you would like to leverage in the future? (500 words maximum)
Rather than list Strength 1, Strength 2, and Strength 3, I recommend you start with one brief story that illustrates 2-3 or your strengths and shows you as a contributor and doer. Then analyze how those traits have contributed to your career success. Remember to describe your accomplishment in terms of impact and to quantify as much as possible.
Weave into your essay the response to the second questions — a trait that you would like to take advantage of in the future -- into your conclusion.
Essay Two (Required)
Please describe your short and long term goals post-MBA. Explain how: your professional experience has shaped these goals; why this career option appeals to you; and how you arrived at the decision that now is the time and the MBA is the appropriate degree. (500 words maximum)
What do you see yourself doing immediately upon graduation and what would you like to do ten years from now? Describe why this path attracts you. What experiences have convinced you to pursue it? Why do you need an MBA, especially one with UNC’s approach to business education, to proceed down your chosen path. For more tips on writing about post-MBA goals, please see MBA Goals 101.
Essay Three (Required)
What personal qualities or life experiences distinguish you from other applicants? How do these qualities or experiences equip you to contribute to UNC Kenan-Flagler? (500 words maximum)
Everyone has a story. What’s yours? What makes you tick? What would you like the admissions committee to know about you — you the human being, the individual? What hobbies and experiences will differentiate you from the IT guy, consultant, real estate developer, or banker that the adcom just read about? How will your perspective contribute to the classroom and community at Kenan-Flagler?
Essay Four (Optional)
If your standardized test scores are low, or if you have not had coursework in core business subjects (calculus, microeconomics, statistics, financial accounting), please tell us how you plan to prepare yourself for the quantitative rigor of the MBA curriculum. (300 words maximum)
This is pretty straightforward. Just answer it. You may also want to highlight professional preparation that you have already had in quantitative areas.
Essay Five (Optional)
Is there any other information you would like to share that is not presented elsewhere in the application? (300 words maximum)
My favorite: The optional essay. A gift allowing you to give the adcom one more reason to admit you.
UNC Kenan Flagler 2013 MBA Deadline
| Application Due | Decisions Released | |
| Round 1 (EA) | Oct 19, 2012 | Dec 10, 2012 |
| Round 2 | Dec 7, 2012 | Feb 4, 2013 |
| Round 3 | Jan 11, 2013 | Mar 18, 2013 |
| Round 4 | Mar 15, 2013 | Apr 29, 2013 |
If you would like help with your Kenan-Flagler MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA essay editing and MBA admissions consulting or our UNC School Packages, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Kenan-Flagler MBA application.
By Linda Abraham, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools.
Accepted.com's experienced admissions consultants can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages, or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs to designing a dazzling resume, constructing engaging essays, or preparing for intense interviews…and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 – we know what works and what doesn't, so contact us to get started now!
This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog, the official blog of Accepted.com.
