Calling all Stanford GSB MBA Applicants: (2018 Intake) Class of 2020!!

Chase your dream.

Researching or Writing Essays
Location: India
GMAT: 580, Q49, V21
GPA: 3.75
WE: 48 months
Industry: Real Estate

Glad to have you on board man. I am curious: others applying for GSB! What are your backgrounds?

The HBS thread is really engaged and busy. Us, GSB wannabees need to get this party going!

I'm applying, currently research and writing essays.
Location: US
GRE: 330
GPA: 3.65
WE: 8 years
Industry: Nonprofit

I was reading an admissions consulting blog where they strongly advised against working on the GSB application first. I would really like to know if anyone has heard this advice before? The argument is that Stanford essays are too hard, so you should work on another school first before tackling Stanford.

That advice makes sense...didn't hear about it until now but that's the approach I took and it worked for me. Working on other essays in R1 and delaying stanford to R2 helped me work through my MBA story (for the Why MBA/Why Stanford Essay) and allowed me more time to think about their "what's most important to you and why" essay. Writing their essay isn't hard, it's the deep self reflection required to get to a solid central topic that takes a while.

Thanks for weighing in! How many applications did you submit in Round 2 with Stanford?

Just GSB. I did Tepper, Haas, Sloan rd1. If I didn't get into any of my rd1 schools, I was going to do Kellogg and Ross R2 (in addition to GSB), but had a great turnout R1 so I just focused on GSB.

Aaliyah537, I do think that is seriously good advice, and I know the blog you are referring to, and they are known to make solid posts. My 2 bits is that you will never know when that lightbulb will go off, and it is more likely that it will while you are working on some other essays. That said, it should not stop you from writing the Why Stanford content.

hlin - I'd be curious to know if you are willing to share your what matters most and why approach. How did you tackle it?

I originally fell into the trap of thinking about what...I care about most (which is education). But I don't think I was being honest with myself by saying that education is what has mattered to me most in the last twenty-some years of my life. I care the most about education NOW...but that's not something that has defined who I am as a person for my entire life.

I think what led me towards the correct path was thinking about what I love to do. I would suggest using lists, meditation, thinking out loud in the shower, running, yoga, whatever method of thought processing works for you. Think about what you TRULY like to do and also what personality trait(s) is/are constantly "noticed" by others (for me, it was the fact that I like talking...A LOT.

After landing on the "what" - this is where I ran into my biggest hurdle. I fell into explaining "what" it is that matters to me and that's exactly what they tell you NOT to do. I wrote an entire essay that was more centered around the "what" than the "why". Had to toss the entire essay. HOWEVER, it did help me get a better grasp around the "what" and helped me clearly define it...so at the end, it was still a helpful exercise.

So after I tossed my "what-centric" essay, I took a step back and thought: Ok, so I love to talk. I love to communicate. But why? Why is it important to me? Why do I talk so much? Why do I think it's important to others? How has talking a lot impacted me in a good/bad way? What does this mean for my future? Ask yourself questions like that.

TLDR: (1) Make lists/workout/shower/meditate do whatever to figure out the why, focus on things you like to do and things ppl notice about you. (2) Don't spend your entire essay writing about the what, but do have a very well-defined "what". (3) Ask yourself lots of questions to get to the "why"

all right, I'm back from my short vacation and ready to roll!
Location: Chicago, Illinois
WE: 48m
GMAT: 650 (retaking)
Industry: Logistics & Transportation

My profile:

Chinese American
Top 5 liberal arts school, 3.42 math major/physics minor
GMAT: 750 (49Q 42 V)
Work experience and leadership: 4 years of life sciences consulting at matriculation - 2 promotions (basically engagement manager)
Community and others: Grassroots political activist and organizer, mentor for immigrant youth, write about healthcare, marathoner. Vice chairman of undergrad student invest committee
Short term goal: Healthcare system consulting at McKinsey or Avalere
Long term goal: Healthcare delivery reform at hospital system or government
Why MBA: Develop leadership/management skills, gain broader business education, learn more about healthcare systems, develop healthcare industry network

That new 740 GMAT average is pretty crazy lol. I scored higher in my practice tests and vaguely thought about retaking...that new 740 is making me reconsider.

Good morning/evening everyone,
Is anyone interested in having a chat with an admitted student, to whom Africa MBA Fellowship was granted?
I believe applicants from Africa would love to hear from him. Let me know, and we'll try to schedule a chat!

That would be awesome ♡

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM

Like anything you're going to get better at something as you get more practice and this is no different. I think the main thing here is that you just have to do a great deal of introspection, and many people are not really willing to do that until they have been forced to in smaller ways by other applications. You can say the introspection needed for other schools is more like a lake where is Stanford as an ocean. But that said I would get going immediately on the introspection process, understanding your brand for the perception of others and really getting a deep assessment of your own values.

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM

Ive found this values exercise very helpful in getting to the heart of the "why" question in WMM&W https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.htm

https://MBAPrepCoach.COM

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champachameli congrats on a fantastic GMAT. Even though Indian, where GMAT scores must be at the top this does make you a contender. Would really need more information about you to assess.
Why do you feel your profile is not great?
Also, not really very clear on why you need an MBA and what that would make possible for you and others. This is important to make plain, especially for GSB
I'm attaching a profile review questionnaire; would be happy to send you an audio file with my impressions.