Essay Analysis
August 10, 2022
Anderson Optional Application Essay
Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)
Read our team’s complete take on the idea of optional essay, including a brief (recent) history of b-schools’ relationship with it, and how our recommendations have evolved over the years, right here.
You can also read through our team’s analysis of the rest of UCLA Anderson School of Management’s application essays here.
Learn more and explore each step of the UCLA Anderson School of Management MBA application process here.
August 10, 2022
Anderson MBA Application Essay 1
We have one essay question that is required for first-time applicants and optional for re-applicants: Tell us about a recent personal or professional achievement and how it connects to your MBA goals. (250 words maximum)
Strong essays describe the impact of your achievement and clarify its connection to your future MBA plans in the short- and long-term. We look forward to learning about the specific ways your achievement helped set you up for future success.
Folks, this UCLA MBA essay prompt is as “bog-standard” as it gets. But (and we hope this is the case?) assuming you’re applying to several business schools, you may find slight variations on this question. So let’s zero in on the elements you need to pay attention to here, along with the 250-word frame the MBA Admissions committee at Anderson has given us.
First, we’ve got to pick that “recent personal or professional achievement.” Given the limited word count UCLA provides for essays, a professional achievement is likely the best use of the space. But which one? Consider your “greatest hits” in the context of the prompt… which has the clearest connection to your future plans? This achievement has to both show the impact you’ve had at work, AND the impact your work has had on your future plans. If you’re choosing between a story with a slightly more impressive outcome, and a story with a more obvious connection to your future goals, pick the second one all day. With only 250 words, we can’t afford long-winded explanations: the connection has to be straightforward.
When considering your goals, the name of the game is “how good is your plan.” Put differently, “how good are you at conceiving of an objective, and then mapping out an action plan to getting it done?” There’s ONE additional layer, which is, “does this plan make sense given who you are, your background, strengths, weaknesses, etc. or… is it a stretch?”
Those are the only things that matter, folks. Notice how we didn’t say “is your actual goal interesting, or good?” Why? Because it’s actually irrelevant. No one’s going to follow-up on you to make sure you’re continuing along “the path you set out in your business school application.” This is a test. “Do you have a business school mind? Can you plan smartly? Are you logical? Is your brain efficient? are you connecting the right dots?” You get the picture. As long as you pass that test, the actual goal is immaterial. Those of you who can wrap your head around that will relinquish that vice-like grip around needing to SELL the idea itself. Again, no one cares about your idea. They ONLY care about that other stuff.
So, to review, the 250 words in Essay A should go something like:
- Establish the situation and challenge you faced (75 words)
- Explain how you dealt with it, emphasizing MBA-relevant leadership skills (75 words)
- Connect the dots between the story and your future, showing how the experience shaped your goals and vision for your future career (100 words)
August 10, 2019
Anderson MBA Re-Applicant Essay
Please describe your career progress since you last applied and how you have enhanced your candidacy. Include updates on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (750 words maximum)
This is a typical re-applicant essay – a nice, specific question about updates on short-term and long-term career goals. It’s important to keep in mind when addressing this piece that it’s not just about the matter-of-fact update itself… we also need to assess the IMPROVEMENT you’ve pulled off.
In other words, one year later, your career plan has to become sharper or more plausible, or more exciting in some way. We need to understand HOW. And WHY. That’s the key: a crystal clear explanation of how your candidacy has improved and what it means given your (new and improved) reasons for getting an MBA. Take a deeper dive into our analysis below:
Read more and explore each step of the UCLA Anderson application process here.
You can also read through our team’s analysis of the rest of Anderson’s application essays.
View more essay analyses.
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