{"id":24044,"date":"2014-05-25T08:25:25","date_gmt":"2014-05-25T15:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=24044"},"modified":"2014-05-25T03:31:28","modified_gmt":"2014-05-25T10:31:28","slug":"stanford-gsb-2015-mba-essay-tips-deadlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/stanford-gsb-2015-mba-essay-tips-deadlines\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanford GSB 2015 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Stanford\"<\/a>Stanford cut it's essays from 3 to 2, actually returning to the same two essays it asked for several years (or slight variations of them) before it increased the number of essays for the 2007 entering class. <\/span><\/p>\n

The other change in these questions is that Stanford has done away here with the behavioral questions that it added for the applications for the classes entering in 2007 - 2013.<\/span> It will be interesting to see if those types of questions show up as short answer questions within the application or if they are used a lot more in the Stanford interview. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stanford gives a lot of advice and guidance as to what it\u2019s looking for in the essays. You should access that advice. My tips are in blue below. <\/span><\/p>\n

Stanford GSB 2015 MBA Application Questions<\/a>:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Essays help us learn about who you are rather than solely what you have done. Other parts of the application give insight to your academic and professional accomplishments; the essays reveal the person behind those achievements.<\/p>\n

When writing your essays, resist the urge to \u201cpackage\u201d yourself into what you think Stanford wants to see. Doing so will only prevent us from understanding who you really are and what you hope to accomplish. The most impressive essays are the most authentic.<\/p>\n

Essays:<\/strong><\/p>\n

We request that you write two personal essays. The personal essays give us glimpses of your character and hopes. In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams prior to writing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Essay A.<\/strong> What matters most to you, and why?<\/p>\n

A strong response to this question will:<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Focus on the \u201cwhy\u201d rather than the \u201cwhat.\u201d
\n\u2022 <\/span>Reflect the self-examination process you used to write your response.
\n\u2022 <\/span>Genuinely illustrate who you are and how you came to be the person you are.
\n\u2022 <\/span>Share the insights, experiences, and lessons that shaped your perspectives, rather than focusing merely on what you\u2019ve done or accomplished.
\n\u2022 <\/span>Be written from the heart, and illustrate how a person, situation, or event has influenced you.<\/p>\n

This superficially straightforward question has been Stanford<\/span><\/a>\u2019s first for the last several years, and it is actually one of the most difficult, if not the<\/em> most difficult MBA essay questions to answer. It demands introspection. Before you put finger to keyboard or pen to paper, really reflect on what you value, how you have acted upon those principles, and why you value them. Stanford\u2019s advice urges reflection. The question requires it.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I reflect on our many successful Stanford clients, initiative in the face of need is the common thread among them. They are always the ones who revealed, especially in Essay A, that they do not turn away when they see a problem or need for action. They grab the initiative when faced with an opportunity to contribute. They are comfortable expressing emotion and their values, and their actions reflect both, but particularly the latter. Think purpose-driven, principle-driven lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

More than anything else, to me initiative and self-awareness characterize the successful Stanford applicant. Implication: You have to know your values and those times you have acted upon them.<\/strong><\/span> Yes I wrote that a few seconds ago, but it bears repeating. Climbing Mt. Everest or suffering from terrible social ills is not a requirement of admission, but you do have to know the person occupying your skin.<\/span><\/p>\n

Essay B.<\/strong> Why Stanford?<\/p>\n

Enlighten us on how earning your MBA at Stanford will enable you to realize your ambitions.<\/p>\n

A strong response to this essay question will:<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Explain your decision to pursue graduate education in management.
\n\u2022 <\/span>Explain the distinctive opportunities you will pursue at Stanford.<\/p>\n

Now that question is succinct, and really says what they want to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to questions that have occupied this Stanford application slot for years, this question is a variation of a standard MBA goals question<\/a>, as revealed in the two bullet points after it.<\/span> <\/span>For this forward-looking question, you say why you want an MBA. The best way to do so is in terms of your desired post-MBA professional direction. Then explain how Stanford\u2019s program specifically will help you attain them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Understand the flexibility inherent in Stanford\u2019s curriculum, its integrated approach to management, its entrepreneurial culture, and how both will help you learn what you need to know to achieve your career goals. Realize that the curriculum allows for personalization based on your goal and your past experience, specifically your previous business education. Two pieces of information are required to answer this question: A clear MBA goal<\/span><\/a> and an in-depth understanding of Stanford GSB\u2019s curriculum<\/span><\/a>. (Folks: It\u2019s not just the ranking, brand, or location.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Essay Length:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,600 words.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your answers for both essay questions combined may not exceed 1,100 words. Below are suggested word counts per essay, but you should allocate the maximum word count in the way that is most effective for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Essay A: 650-850<\/span> words<\/strong>
\n \u2022 Essay B: 250-450<\/span> words<\/strong><\/p>\n

Additional Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

If there is any information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in the \u201cAdditional Information\u201d section of the application. Pertinent examples include:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance
\n\u2022 Explanation of why you do not have a letter of reference from your current direct supervisor
\n\u2022 Work experience that did not fit into the space provided
\n\u2022 Academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere<\/p>\n

This is optional<\/span><\/a>. Respond if you have something to explain or need the additional space because you can\u2019t fit in your work experience or all academic info. Responses should be succinct and to-the-point and should provide the context necessary for Stanford to understand the circumstances surrounding whatever difficulty you are writing about. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you would like professional guidance with your Stanford GSB application, please consider Accepted\u2019s MBA essay editing<\/span><\/a> and MBA admissions consulting<\/span><\/a> or our <\/em> MBA Application Packages<\/span><\/a><\/em>, which include advising, editing, interview coaching, and a resume edit for the Stanford GSB application.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stanford GSB 2015 MBA Application Deadlines<\/a>:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Application Round <\/strong><\/td>\nSubmit Your Application By <\/strong><\/td>\nNotification Date<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Round 1<\/td>\n1 Oct 2014*<\/td>\n10 Dec 2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Round 2<\/td>\n7 Jan 2015*<\/td>\n25 Mar 2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Round 3<\/td>\n1 Apr 2015*<\/td>\n6 May 2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* Applications and Letters of Reference are due by 5:00 PM, Pacific Time<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Linda<\/a> By Linda Abraham<\/a>, president and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the new, definitive book on MBA admissions, <\/em>MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools<\/a>.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accepted.com's experienced admissions consultants<\/a> can help you create the most impressive application possible with comprehensive packages<\/a>, <\/i><\/b>or provide targeted assistance from picking perfect programs<\/a> to designing a dazzling resume<\/a>, constructing engaging essays<\/a>, or preparing for intense interview<\/a>s<\/a>\u2026and more! Accepted.com has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top MBA programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so contact us<\/a> to get started now!<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on the Accepted Admissions Consulting Blog<\/a>, the official blog of Accepted.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stanford cut it’s essays from 3 to 2, actually returning to the same two essays it asked for several years (or slight variations of them) before it increased the number…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,6,939,775,113,243],"tags":[812,1048,844,90,621,267,1046,262,811,1280,1313,784,370,998,887,325,282,934,599,1145,877,883,600,104,1415,924,48,1038],"class_list":["post-24044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-current-events","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-advice","tag-advice-for-mba-applicants","tag-application-deadlines","tag-application-essay","tag-application-essays","tag-deadlines","tag-essay-advice","tag-essay-questions","tag-essay-tips","tag-how-to-write-an-applications-essay","tag-mba-admissions-deadlines","tag-mba-admissions-essay","tag-mba-advice","tag-mba-application-advice","tag-mba-application-deadlines","tag-mba-application-essay","tag-mba-application-essays","tag-mba-deadlines","tag-mba-essay","tag-mba-essay-advice","tag-mba-essay-questions","tag-mba-essay-tips","tag-mba-essays","tag-stanford","tag-stanford-full-time-mba","tag-stanford-graduate-school-of-business","tag-stanford-gsb","tag-stanford-mba","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24044"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24047,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24044\/revisions\/24047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}