{"id":48996,"date":"2020-06-11T12:23:04","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T19:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=48996"},"modified":"2020-09-29T12:25:49","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T19:25:49","slug":"stanford-gsb-essay-tips-and-deadlines-2020-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/stanford-gsb-essay-tips-and-deadlines-2020-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanford GSB Essay Tips and Deadlines: 2020-21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Stanford's Graduate School of Business, the top Silicon Valley B-school, is one of the most selective business schools in the world. The school prides itself on innovation in the classroom and emphasis on new ideas and cutting-edge developments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Stanford website<\/a>, \"Our global reputation is hard-earned. Stanford GSB offers unparalleled opportunities that will help you launch a meaningful career and make an impact.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application Deadlines:<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deadlines for the 2020-21 season\nare listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Round\n <\/td>\n Application\n Deadline\n <\/td>\n Admissions\n Decision Posted\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 1\n <\/td>\n September 15, 2020\n <\/td>\n December 10, 2020\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 2\n <\/td>\n January 6, 2021\n <\/td>\n April 1, 2021\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 3\n <\/td>\n April 6, 2021\n <\/td>\n May 20, 2021\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Applications are due by 4 p.m. PST on the\nday of the deadline. For additional information on applying, please visit the\nStanford GSB admissions website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Like previous years, the Stanford Graduate School of Business<\/a> asks MBA applicants to submit the same two required essay questions. It has reduced the word limit from 1,150-words to 1050 words, with the recommendation of using 650 words for Essay A and 400 for Essay B. All of you have your own story to tell, so please allocate these words between the essays in a way that is most effective for you. Effective essays are often written in far fewer words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford GSB offers guidelines and advice on its website<\/a> for writing essays, \"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. In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams. There is no \"right answer\" to these questions\u2014the best answer is the one that is truest for you.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explicit\ninstructions for formatting<\/a> are given on Stanford Website. The essays should have\ndouble space with a number on all pages. Only one document that includes both\nessays is to be uploaded. The short-answer response will not be uploaded in\nyour essays upload; use the text boxes in the application for the optional\nessay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\nwriting Stanford essays, our best advice is simple: answer the question. Resist\nthe urge to 'package' yourself into what you think Stanford wants to see. Doing\nso will only prevent you from understanding who you are and what you hope to\naccomplish. The most impressive essays, after all, are the most authentic ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is MER's analysis of Stanford\nGSB's essays:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

For\nthis essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once\nyou've identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might\nconsider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people,\ninsights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nis one of the most challenging essays asked by the business schools, and\nStanford has asked applicants this essay question for a long time now. This\nessay requires you to introspect and reflect on your experiences and lessons\nlearned along the journey. The answer to this question will reveal the\nundisclosed profound side of the applicant that cannot be found anywhere in the\napplication. This essay is an opportunity to demonstrate who you are, what\nmotivates you, and why. We would like you to do some deep self-reflection, so\nyou can genuinely illustrate who you are and how you became the person you are.\nInstead of focusing merely on what you have done or accomplished, share\ninsights, experiences, and lessons that shaped your perspective. Write from the\nheart, and illustrate how a person, situation, or event has influenced you.\nFocus on the 'why' rather than the 'what.'<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\nare who we are because of the experiences and events that we have gone through\nin our life. To brainstorm ideas for this essay, you will need to look back and\nreflect on your past experiences - growing up years, schooling, college,\nprofessional life, volunteer activities, general interests, etc., and look for\nsome common thread that runs through some or all of them. Since there is no\ndirect answer to this essay, do not try to write a response right away.\nPrewriting your experiences to identify a unifying theme would be of great\nhelp. Try to focus on life experiences that have shaped your values and\npriorities all these years. Don't shy away from sharing the challenging\nexperiences\u2013 often tough experiences make us stronger and instill a zeal in us\nto fight. Whatever stories you choose, focus on their impact on your life and\nyour values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\nyou recount your experiences, make sure to share your thought process- how you\nfelt, thought, and reacted at that time and what lessons you eventually\nlearned. I suggest providing a chronological account of events that have\ninfluenced your thoughts, values, and beliefs and have shaped you into a person\nyou are now with your firm belief system and priorities. Please remember this\nessay is not directly about your accomplishments; it is about your values and\nperspectives that you have developed over the years. So, your focus has to be\non the events, people, and anecdotes that made you the unique person you are\ntoday. Also, elucidate here how you have translated your values into actions.\nThis way, your accomplishments will naturally stem from your values and\npriorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay\nB: Why Stanford?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe\nyour aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize\nthem. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to\naddress your interest in both programs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsecond essay concentrates on the candidates' career goals and reasons for\npursuing a management degree at Stanford. After you have explained in the first\nessay what matters most to you in life, you need to tell why your next step is\na Stanford MBA. Explain why you are interested in pursuing an MBA, and why you\nspecifically want to attend Stanford GSB. You need to have clarity regarding\nyour goals and the additional training you require, which a Stanford MBA can\nprovide.  Thorough research of the school's resources and curriculum will\nhelp you determine how the Stanford MBA program aligns with your aspirations.\nInstead of mapping out a specific career path in this essay, applicants should\nfocus on defining the broad impact they aim to make on a service, a sector, or\nsociety. While Essay A is your opportunity to explain what matters most to you,\nEssay B allows you to show how you would use your time at Stanford to further\nyour career and what matters most to you. In a way, Essay B picks up from\nwhere Essay A ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be\nas specific as possible in your response to provide evidence that you have done\nyour research. You should know everything about the aspects of the program that\ninterest you the most. Talk about specific classes, programs, collaboration\nwith other parts of the school, clubs, conferences, or other offerings that\ndistinguish Stanford from other top business schools. Are there any particular\ncourses that appeal to you most? Have you met current students and alumni? Have\nyou attended any admission events that offered you additional insights about\nthe programs and confirmed your decision to apply to Stanford? Are there any\nprofessors whose classes you are most excited about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford\nlikes to see applicants who have big dreams and have the potential to realize\nthose dreams. Be bold with your aspirations, but at the same time, be realistic\nin showing that you have the ability to fulfill your dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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