Blog Archive University of London (London Business School) Essay Analysis, 2009-2010

Blog Archive University of London (London Business School) Essay Analysis, 2009-2010 Question 1 (600 words) In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation?   Why?   How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this?   How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal? Why is this the right time for you to pursue an MBA? The first part of LBS’s personal statement question is slightly different from others in that it is very specific, requiring you to identify your particular postgraduate role. There is no room here for aspirations (Stanford) or vision (HBS)â€"name your position and state exactly how LBS will help you get there. As for your “past experiences,” you need not offer a work history; you are to relate these experiences to your goals. This is not a discussion of your “path to your MBA,” but a statement of how your MBA and professional experience will enable you to succeed in the future. This is a nuanced distinction, but  an important one. Nonetheless,  even this essay has some  similarities to others. Because of  such overlap  from one application to the next, we have produced the “MBA Mission Personal Statement Guide.” We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store.   Please feel free to download your copy today. Question 2 (200 words) Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision? In essay two, you should again be particular in identifying your role in five years, but you can be a bit more “grand” with respect to your longer-term career vision. Here, you get to identify less of a role and more of an ideal end point. Again, you need to ensure that there is a logical connection between your plan, from post-graduation to five-year progress to long-term vision. Question 3 (500 words) Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life.   Include any specific challenges you have faced. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your first year study group? Ideally, you will offer a diversity of personal and professional experiences that show compelling examples of when and how  you had an impact on a team, as a leader, an equal team member or even as a junior. You can use this  essay to give the MBA Admissions Committee insight into your communication skills and personality, particularly in the face of “specific challenges.” Via this question, you will naturally be able to reflect on how you have been successful in team environments and how you will harness  experiences (positive and negative) to be a positive force on your learning team. By proving that you possess a clear understanding of the demands of your learning team, you can show the MBA Admissions Committee that you have done your homework and are truly interested in LBS. Question 4 (400 words) Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community events will you be involved with and why? How will you contribute? In this essay, you have the opportunity to give insight into your interests and passions, whether they are academic, professional or personal. So, essentially, the opportunities in this essay are twofoldâ€"first you can reveal your personality, and then you can connect them to your awareness of LBS’s extracurricular offerings.  Ultimately, via your proposed contribution, you can explain how you would promote community at LBS, showing additional character traitsâ€"industriousness, an enterprising or  creative nature, etc. In a short 400 words, you can accomplish a great dealâ€"your ideas for this essay should be carefully considered. Question 5 (150 words) Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these? In a very short space, you have the opportunity to discuss your international experiences and explain why they were important to you. This should not be a long list of travels with one sentence at the end connecting them all. Even in such limited space, you should try to tell a brief story of the best of your experiences and incorporate some reflection about your adventures. Share ThisTweet Blogroll University of London (London Business School)