Stanford GSB Essay Tips & Guidance 2013 - 2014

What matters most to you, and why?

• Could be a person or a group of people, a hobby or interest, an event that occurred or might occur in the future, or a situation that you’re in
• This essay needs to be pretty introspective – and it needs to be about you.  If you are going to say “eradicating poverty or hunger” or “spreading literacy”, take care to not make this essay about the cause – it must be about why it matters to you.
• The essay isn’t just about stating why something or someone matters to you – it’s about explaining the deep relationships or connections that make this so important in your life.

What do you want to do—REALLY—and why Stanford?

• The guidelines for this essay clearly state that you shouldn’t repeat and reiterate your accomplishments from your resume or other essays – it must be forward looking.
• Career aspirations can be simply stated – i.e., “be a CEO of a Fortune 50 company” – but you should explain in very pragmatic terms the path leading to it and how the MBA fits into that path
• The “why Stanford” piece should follow naturally from your career goals – and remember, this is not an essay about Stanford – this is about how what they offer fits into your goals.

Tell us about a time in the last three years when you built or developed a team whose performance exceeded expectations.

• The most important part of this essay is that it should be clear to the reader what the expectations were of your team – because without this baseline understanding, it is challenging to prove how you went over and beyond
• “built and developed” – for candidates in consulting, make note that you often don’t build and develop short-lived teams; so don’t forget to address this piece – how did you coach the people on your team?  how did you attract and retain talent?
• The most engaging responses to this question respect the idea that building and developing a good team is extremely challenging.

Tell us about a time in the last three years when you identified and pursued an opportunity to improve an organization.

• If you work in a large multi-national company, this is not an easy question to answer in that setting; unless you are confident that your actions really made a sustainable impact on your company, avoid using this question
• Candidates will often rely on their own characteristics to answer this question – e.g,. “as a woman… ” or “as the youngest Manager..” – if you are going to do this, be very careful not to slight others that don’t share the same characteristic as you – and remember again, the impact must be sustainable and organization-wide.

Tell us about a time in the last three years when you went beyond what was defined or established.

• This is a good question to take on, because it is fairly individualistic, so it is easier to relate why you did something and how you changed what was defined
• Again, pick a practice such that it is obvious to the reader and seems natural why things were established or defined a certain way – so that your efforts jump out as something that was “over and beyond”