{"id":53806,"date":"2021-12-22T17:52:38","date_gmt":"2021-12-23T00:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=53806"},"modified":"2021-12-22T23:11:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T06:11:46","slug":"stanford-gsb-essay-tips-and-deadlines-2021-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/stanford-gsb-essay-tips-and-deadlines-2021-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Stanford GSB Essay Tips and Deadlines: 2021-22"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

From the Stanford website<\/a>, \"Our global reputation is\nhard-earned. We offer unparalleled opportunities that will help you launch a\nmeaningful career and make a positive impact on the world.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\n Round<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Application Deadline<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n Admissions Decision<\/strong>\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 1<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 09 Sep 2021\n <\/td>\n 09 Dec 2021\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 2<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 05 Jan 2022\n <\/td>\n 31 Mar 2022\n <\/td><\/tr>
\n Round 3<\/strong>\n <\/td>\n 12 Apr 2022\n <\/td>\n 26 May 2022\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your completed application, including\nyour letters of reference<\/a> and application fee payment<\/a>, is due at 4:00 p.m. Pacific\nTime on the deadline date for the round in which you apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For additional information on\napplying, please visit the Stanford GSB admissions website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Like\nprevious years, the Stanford Graduate School of Business asks MBA applicants to\nsubmit the same two required essay questions. Both essays combined may not\nexceed 1,050 words. We recommend up to 650 words for Essay A and up to 400\nwords for Essay B. We often find effective essays that are written in fewer\nwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\naddition, Stanford asks two optional short answer questions to allow applicants\nto share experiences that they could not present in the required essays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford\nGSB offers guidelines and advice on its website<\/a> for writing essays: \"Essays help\nus learn about who you are rather than solely what you have done. Other parts\nof the application give insight into your academic and professional\naccomplishments; the essays reveal the person behind those achievements. In\neach essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your\nvalues, passions, aims, and dreams. There is no \"right answer\" to\nthese questions\u2014 the best answer is the one that is truest for you.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Essay A: What matters\nmost to you, and why? (650 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write\nfrom the heart. Once you've identified what matters most to you, help us\nunderstand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important\nto you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?<\/em><\/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 write a response right away. Instead,\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 to\nfight. Whatever stories you choose, focus on their impact on your life and your\nvalues.<\/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 the\nperson you are now with your firm belief system and priorities. Please remember\nthis essay is not directly about your accomplishments; it is about the values\nand perspectives that you have developed over the years. So, your focus must 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 B: Why Stanford?\n(400 words)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience\nwill help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx\nprograms, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs.<\/em><\/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. It would be best to clarify your\ngoals 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 the\nprograms 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. So be bold with your aspirations, but at the same time, be\nrealistic in showing that you can fulfill your dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford MBA optional short-answer\nquestions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"In this section, we provide an optional opportunity for\nyou to discuss some of your contributions and background more fully<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional Question A: <\/strong>\"<\/em>In\nthe Essays section of the application, we ask you to tell us about who you are\nand how you think Stanford will help you achieve your aspirations. We are also\ninterested in learning about the things you have done that are most meaningful\nto you. If you would like to go beyond your resume to discuss some of your\ncontributions more fully, you are welcome to share up to three examples (up to\n1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example).<\/em>\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Think about times you've created a positive impact,\nwhether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was\nyour impact? What made it significant to you or to others?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nessay is an opportunity to share an experience when you made a difference. You\nmay not necessarily select a professional experience.  Stanford gives you\nan option to choose from any area of your life- professional, personal,\nacademic, extracurricular. The key is to show how your actions are meaningful\nto you and others (community, organization, or a person). As always, we suggest\nfollowing the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result \/Significance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet the stringent word limit, make every word count<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Optional Question B<\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>\"We know that each person is more than a list of facts or\npre-defined categories. We are interested in how your background may have\ninfluenced your life experiences. In answering this question, consider how your\nbackground, such as your work, education, skills, interests, culture,\nsocioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity,\nwhere\/how you grew up, and\/or other factors had an impact on your recent\nactions and choices (up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words).\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question: Tell us about a time within the last three years when\nyour background influenced your participation in a situation, interaction, or\nproject.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nquestion allows you to share more about your identity, your background. Our\nbackground (family, city, country) influences our thoughts and actions. Reflect\nand dig deeper into your experiences and select an experience when you took\naction (in a professional or personal setting) because of who you are as a\nperson. Make sure to choose a recent incident that reflects your personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though\nthese essays are optional, we strongly encourage you to write them to give\nStanford additional insights into awesome candidacy. However, make sure that it\ndoes not repeat what you have already shared in Essay A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

 <\/strong>If there is any information that is critical\nfor us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in the\n\"Additional Information\" section of the application. Pertinent\nexamples include:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n