In this edition of our Admissions Director Q&A series, we are back with David Simpson, the Recruitment and Admissions Director for the MBA and Masters in Finance (MiF) programs at London Business School (LBS).
David is one of London Business School’s most experienced professional staff. Starting in admissions, moving through various roles in marketing and business development, he jumped at the chance to return to admissions. His undergraduate degree is in business, majoring in international marketing. In his time at London Business School, he has enjoyed travelling the world to meet prospective applicants. He’s loved reading thousands of applications in the search to select the most talented candidates for the MBA and Masters in Finance (MiF), learning something new every day about global business and different cultures. David leads the MBA and MiF Admissions Committees, setting policy and advising on candidate selection; and sits on the MiF Strategy Board and MBA Curriculum Committee. He has also served on the School’s Governing Body.
Read our discussion below for his advice on crafting your essays, preparing for interviews, and the unique aspects of the MBA program.
Clear Admit: What is one aspect of your MBA program that you wish applicants knew more about?
David Simpson: Business schools are only as good as their people. At London Business School we have the best people from around the world gathering to expand their horizons and transform their futures.
I refer back to the way students answer this question. The answer is the huge impact that working with a talented, experienced and diverse student cohort brings. Learning together and from each other magnifies the impact of our amazing faculty’s teaching in the classroom. Wherever a case or topic is discussed, there will likely be someone in the class from the country or organization being discussed. Curiosity and a collaborative culture form in the DNA of the learning experience at LBS; and alongside the power of our London location, this gives a unique opportunity to grow.
CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision?
DS: At LBS, we value and appreciate every single application we receive.
We start our review process with a team reminder that each and every application comes from someone who is excited to join our very special community and has put a lot of work into the process.
When you click submit to apply, our Operations team prepares everything for the Admissions team to read. Your application is initially read by at least two members of our team.
We take a holistic approach to our application review process and believe each section is an essential part of the assessment. We review your application in its entirety – academics, test scores, the reference, your CV / resume, essays and all the short response questions. A lot of focus is placed on your career journey so far. We are looking for consistency across the whole submission.
If we think you could possibly be a good match for us, we invite you to an interview with one of our alumni around the world. After that interview, your application and the interviewer feedback will be read again by the Admissions Committee, in order to reach a final decision. We might consult colleagues from different teams for their views, e.g. sector specialists in the Career Centre team, or the Programme Director. But we have many years of experience within the admissions team.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read an essay? Are there common mistakes applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing candidates should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
DS: Writing business school essays should be something of a journey of self-discovery for candidates. We ask about your past and your potential future and how we might fit in with that journey.
We have two compulsory essays and an optional extra essay to tell us anything else you think we should know. Essays are a good way to show us who you are and what you hope to achieve. Our primary essay is very practical and asks you: ‘What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School program contribute towards these?’ This is your opportunity to show us that you have researched us well and can see how we could fit into your future career and life journey.
Our second essays asks ‘What makes you unique?’. The goal of this essay is not to stand out or appear quirky, it is to tell us about a combination of attributes and experiences that make you who you are. That in turn makes everyone unique.
One key writing tip: When you’re telling us about your career so far, be sure to talk about your roles and company descriptions in language we can understand. Answer all the application form questions we ask about your roles and the organisations you worked at, so we can understand what experience you have, and you don’t then need to list those again in your essays.
Tell us about yourself in detail, but not too much detail! Think whether what you are telling us is relevant and interesting.
Another top tip when writing anything: Have your reader in mind when you are writing. Ask yourself, “Who are they?” and “Will they understand what I am writing?”
Essays are your chance to tell us more than just the facts of your career and life so far, adding colour and stories.
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately what percentage of applicants are invited to interview, who typically conducts interviews, and what should candidates expect in terms of interview style and format?
DS: Interviews are a vital part of our selection process. And that’s because they involve people who have a big stake in our community looking for talented individuals who align with our culture and aims.
The interview is nearly always with alumni (senior admissions staff also conduct a few interviews) and will be arranged by your own dedicated Regional Admissions Manager. We will carefully match you with alumni who fit with your profile in some way. They are often from the same country as you and may be employed in the sector you hope to work in. The alumni will meet you in person, or virtually, in what we hope is a friendly but challenging conversation about you, and us.
Alumni send their feedback to us for final review by the Admissions Committee.
The interviewers complete a comprehensive feedback form, covering lots of different elements. They are given guidance and a set of example questions, but we trust them to conduct the interview in the way that they can best learn as much about you as they can. They’ll explore your career history, personal work style, leadership and team experiences, and potential contributions to the community they are so proud of. Utilising local alumni communities means they can explore everything in greater detail, as they’ll understand your working environment, cultural reference points and life stories better than we in the admissions team could. Students often tell us that the interview was their favorite part of the admissions process, as they had the opportunity to speak to someone who had been in their place, completed the program and then started a successful career.
The number of applicants invited to interview varies from year to year. We allow the number to vary naturally, rather than aiming for a specific number or percentage of the pool.
CA: If your admissions process includes any video-based components, such as video essays or recorded interview responses, what advice would you offer applicants preparing for this part of the process?
DS: Candidates who reach the interview stage will also be asked to complete a video submission, comprising two questions linked to LBS and our values. Don’t get stressed about the idea of having to provide videos, we just want to see how you communicate. It helps the Committee to see everyone on video for consistency, given that we have hundreds of different alumni who interview prospective students. We ask that candidates do not use AI tools in the videos; we’d much rather see a genuine response than a scripted one which lacks authenticity.
CA: Is there anything in particular international students should keep in mind during the admissions process?
DS: The vast majority of our students are international!
Whilst we don’t have quotas, the balance of our class is important to us. But we are viewing you as an individual, rather than as simply ‘an applicant from X country’.
Wherever you are from, always keep in mind how important our international class diversity is to us. Our community is enriched by students’ life experiences and perspectives. It’s what we are.
CA: Conversations about MBA value often center on jobs, salaries, and ROI. What are some of the other ways students benefit from the MBA experience that may be harder to quantify upfront?
DS: Access to a huge range of diverse employers, developing your chances with great post-MBA jobs, the payback period of your financial investment are all important. But you must view an MBA as a life-long investment in yourself.
An MBA is a life-changing experience; you grow as a person, well beyond professional development. It is a period of your life like no other. All the networks, skills and experiences you gain will stay with you and add value forever.
The primary aim of a great MBA starts with the basics of knowledge acquisition, skills development and experiential learning. But then builds so much further.
Developing strategic decision-making frameworks is a key outcome. You will learn to handle ambiguity, build resilience, enhance your influencing skills and cross-cultural competencies.
The diversity of the LBS community will give you a lifelong network you can draw on from all around the world. You will learn so much from your peers, through their vastly different experiences and diversity of thought.
CA: Are there any trends in the applicant pool, admissions process, or MBA experience that you are particularly focused on right now?
DS: As ever, our admits come to LBS with a myriad of aspirations, spanning sectors, functions and geographies – but they are aligned around the goal of using the MBA to develop experiential skills and build an effective network in a competitive recruitment or entrepreneurial landscape.
We are extremely active in the AI space, having launched the LBS Data Science & AI Initiative in 2025 to strengthen the School’s position as a leading source of bold ideas and leadership insights on AI in business. This multi-disciplinary initiative is building a community of faculty, students, alumni, policymakers, and industry partners that not only understands AI, but actively shapes how it is used to create value, drive innovation, and deliver positive impact across business and society. Tech skills are now an essential requirement for many roles, so we are ensuring that students make AI part of their everyday toolkit.
Within the degree programmes, we now have a growing set of AI-focused electives, including Generative Artificial Intelligence, Applications of AI & ML in Business, Economics of AI, AI Enhanced Systematic Innovation, and No Code Data Science using Generative AI. There is also a substantial Executive Education portfolio focused on AI and Generative AI, helping leaders and organisations understand both the opportunities and limitations of these technologies.
More broadly, AI is increasingly being embedded across the curriculum rather than treated as a standalone topic. Faculty across subject areas are incorporating AI into core and elective courses, developing new AI-related teaching cases, and experimenting with AI-enabled teaching tools such as in-class and out-of-class chatbots, simulations, and intelligent tutoring tools. Faculty and students also have access to leading frontier AI models through LBS platforms, and the Data Science & AI Initiative is actively investing in further educational innovation in this space.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about your MBA program or admissions process?
DS: The LBS MBA is an incredibly flexible and customizable program. From the choice of 15,18 or 21-month exit points, to choosing options from the Tailored Core and a large and varied elective portfolio, the LBS MBA provides personalized journeys to suit students’ diverse aspirations.
We also have a One-year MBA programme. The programme is designed specifically for professionals who already hold a Masters in Management or equivalent. It builds on your existing masters and applies this learning to contemporary business challenges – in just 11 months.
Career paths and employer requirements have changed rapidly over recent years and modern professionals need to be equipped for managing change, ambiguity and shifting global trends.
The applicant experience is a two-way process, where we get to know you in detail, and you get to learn all about our amazing community. Applicants show us, through the application process, that you understand what makes London Business School special and how you can have an impact on our community and later, the world.
