{"id":46477,"date":"2019-07-19T15:54:30","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T22:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/how-to-answer-stanford-gsbs-essay-what-matters-most-to-you-and-why\/"},"modified":"2019-07-19T15:54:30","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T22:54:30","slug":"how-to-answer-stanford-gsbs-essay-what-matters-most-to-you-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/how-to-answer-stanford-gsbs-essay-what-matters-most-to-you-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Answer Stanford GSB\u2019s Essay: What Matters Most To You and Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h2>\n

In opening its application for the 2019-2020 cycle, Stanford GSB\u00a0<\/a>demonstrated that its iconic essay question persists for well over a decade: What matters most to you, and why?<\/h2>\n

This elegant query embodies the sentiment \u2018simple but not easy.\u2019 It demands a level of profound self-awareness and unapologetic authenticity that can overwhelm the most excellence-driven applicant in the hopes of conveying something distinctive, intelligent and resonant.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether Stanford GSB is on your application shortlist, dedicating time to think about this question is a valuable, notes Fortuna\u2019s Tatiana Nemo<\/a>, a Stanford GSB alum & former MBA admissions interviewer. \u201cThis kind of perspective-taking helps unearth a clarity of purpose that\u2019s invaluable for anyone who\u2019s ever wrestled with the expectations of others, peer pressure and unexamined momentum,\u201d says Nemo. \u201cIf the question is tackled bravely and thoughtfully, with keen focus on the action of speaking from the heart rather than worrying on the effect that doing so will create, then it provides a substantial and valuable view into the applicant\u2019s motivations, character, fears and beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortuna\u2019s\u00a0Heidi Hillis<\/a>, Stanford GSB grad and former GSB Alumni Interviewer, has encouraged many successful candidates to delve deeper in the spirit of getting this question\u2019s core, which is inextricably linked to the school\u2019s tagline: Change lives. Change organizations. Change the world.<\/p>\n

\u2018A GOLDEN TIME TO PAUSE, GET INTROSPECTIVE & MAKE SURE YOU\u2019RE HEADED WHERE YOU WANT TO GO\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIt is so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day, to plow forward with life and career without really considering our values. It\u2019s a vital thing for everyone to do periodically, but especially early in your career,\u201d says Hillis. \u201cIt\u2019s a golden time to pause, get introspective, and make sure you\u2019re headed where you want to go \u2013 that you even know where you want to go and what success looks like for you. This essay question makes you stop and think about what it is that makes you who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, why has Stanford posed this question \u00a0for so long?<\/p>\n

Stanford GSB Assistant Dean of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid, Kirsten Moss, discussed\u00a0what MBA Admissions really wants\u00a0<\/a>at the CentreCourt MBA Festival\u00a0<\/a>in San Francisco in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that has been proven over and over in research is that highly inspirational leaders who get the highest level of performance from their organizations really know what drives them, and they are thinking beyond themselves to the problems they can make change and have an impact on. So in our application one of our key questions is \u2018what matters most and why?\u2019, and it has been an iconic question for a long time,\u201d says Moss. \u201cTaking the time to understand what matters to you will be your true north as a leader, no matter what school you go to, in the rest of your life\u2026 You will be one step ahead of the game in terms of being able to motivate others.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what matters most to you, and why? Listen first to your instinctive gut response and jot it down -\u2013\u00a0we\u2019ll revisit it momentarily.<\/p>\n

CONSTRUCT A TIMELINE OF INFLUENCES, CIRCUMSTANCE & MOMENTS THAT HAVE IMPACTED YOU<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Stanford recommends targeting between 750 to 1,150 words to address this essay and a secondary question, \u201cWhy Stanford?\u201d Perhaps you feel you can answer the first part of the question with one word, with things like knowledge, relationships or chocolate. But the belly of the question, the part that discloses your life\u2019s calling and singularly uniquejourney for getting there, requires significant reflection. Why does that particular thing matter to you more than any other?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re getting overwhelmed gazing blank page and blinking cursor, Nemo advises: \u201cInvest time building a timeline of the influences, instances, moments that have shaped you. Dig deep connecting the dots between what has shaped you and who you\u2019ve become. Devote essay A to talk about past and present, and talk about the future in essay B. Both essays need to be coherent and could read as a single story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our expert coaches at Fortuna Admissions offer guidance on how to best approach the structure of these questions, while persuasively relaying your narrative:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Begin by with recognizing an individual, occasion or experience that poignantly influenced you.<\/li>\n
  2. What lessons, morals and values, did you garner from this person or experience?<\/li>\n
  3. How do you specifically utilize these lessons, morals and values in your daily life, and how do they influence your motivation and views of the world? (Bear in mind Stanford\u2019s motto above.)<\/li>\n
  4. How has your professional progression been linked to the aforementioned?<\/li>\n
  5. Conclude by reiterating the connection between your values and career aspirations, and why these ambitions are important to you.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF<\/strong><\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re still drawing a blank on what truly matters to you, commence by writing down your formative experiences to date, and examining aspects like:<\/p>\n