Essays
Published: September 10, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
In the midst of Round 1 deadlines, you’re making one final pass through your application before hitting submit–that’s why we’re sharing these MBA essay tips. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You
Read more
Published: September 3, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Word Limits and Character Counts
MBA candidates naturally have a good deal of information they want – and need – to convey in their materials, and getting the important ideas down under restrictive essay word counts is a difficult task. While it might be tempting to run a bit beyond the guidelines to slip in that one extra thought, it’s important to keep the reasons for these limits in mind. In addition to being a forum for explaining your goals and sharing your story, the essays and short answers also serve as a test of the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly and concisely, not to
Read more
Published: August 20, 2026
How to Use AI in Your MBA Application: What Admissions Officers Told Us
Across five Clear Admit MBA Essay Insight webinars this July, admissions leaders from 23 business schools sat down to discuss their essay questions—and, at the beginning of every session, their school’s policy on applicants’ use of artificial intelligence in the admissions process. Representatives from schools including Chicago Booth, Columbia Business School, Georgetown McDonough, INSEAD, Northwestern Kellogg, SDA Bocconi, SMU Cox, Washington Foster, and Wharton all addressed the topic. Their policies were worded differently. Their underlying message was not. If you are applying this cycle, here is the reality, drawn directly from what these officers
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2026
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays or Artificial Intelligence? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: July 21, July 22, July 23, July 28 & July 29. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start
Read more
Published: January 1, 2026
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
In the midst of Round 2 deadlines, you’ll be making one final pass through your application before hitting submit–that’s why we’re sharing these MBA essay tips. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality.
Read more
Published: September 4, 2025
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
In the midst of Round 1 deadlines, you’re making one final pass through your application before hitting submit–that’s why we’re sharing these MBA essay tips. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2025
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays or Artificial Intelligence? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: July 9, July 16, July 23 & July 30. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a
Read more
Published: December 31, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
The Round 2 deadlines are looming and you’re making one final pass through your application before hitting submit–that’s why we’re sharing these MBA essay tips. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You
Read more
Published: December 26, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Word Limits and Character Counts
MBA candidates naturally have a good deal of information they want – and need – to convey in their materials, and getting the important ideas down under restrictive essay word counts is a difficult task. While it might be tempting to run a bit beyond the guidelines to slip in that one extra thought, it’s important to keep the reasons for these limits in mind. In addition to being a forum for explaining your goals and sharing your story, the essays and short answers also serve as a test of the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly and
Read more
Published: September 5, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Word Limits and Character Counts
MBA candidates naturally have a good deal of information they want – and need – to convey in their materials, and getting the important ideas down under restrictive essay word counts is a difficult task. While it might be tempting to run a bit beyond the guidelines to slip in that one extra thought, it’s important to keep the reasons for these limits in mind. In addition to being a forum for explaining your goals and sharing your story, the essays and short answers also serve as a test of the applicant’s ability to communicate clearly and concisely, not to
Read more
Published: September 3, 2024
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
The deadline is looming and you’re making one final pass through your application before hitting submit–that’s why we’re sharing these MBA essay tips. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You do want
Read more
Our Favorite MBA Admissions Essay Topics & What We Would Ask
As a team at Clear Admit, we are very familiar with the ins and outs of MBA admissions. We offer advice on essay topics, review applicant profiles and welcome admissions directors to share their insider insights – and more. As we guide MBA applicants through the admissions process, we thought it would be fun to share our favorite essay topics (in no particular order) of the season and what we would ask applicants if we were in the admissions office. Personal Favorites of the Clear Admit Team Three Votes for a Creative Essay We each
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2024
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: July 10, July 17, July 24 & July 31. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel,
Read more
Published: December 28, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Essay Polishing
With the deadlines looming, consider this MBA Admissions Tip as you make one final pass through your application and essays before hitting submit. This isn’t the time for drastic changes – but there might still be an opportunity for small improvements. Read on for three big picture, “crunch time” tips! Keep It Professional It’s true that many schools ask “fun” questions and most urge applicants to be themselves rather than submitting “overly polished” material. But it’s important to remember that this is a graduate school application, and you should approach your essays with a degree of formality. You do want
Read more
Published: November 28, 2023
MBA Admissions Tip: Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Submitting an Optional Essay
We realize that the questions of whether or not to answer an optional essay—and, if so, what to say—are ones that loom large for many MBA applicants. In addition to our school-specific Essay Topic Analysis, we wanted to suggest a few questions that applicants might want to consider when making this call. Is my MBA optional essay relevant? Perhaps this goes without saying, but the only information worth sharing in an optional essay is that which will make a material difference in your candidacy. Whether you wish to comment on an exciting leadership role you’ve just
Read more
Published: August 24, 2023
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Fall 2023
We’re sure you’ve already heard that application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: September 13th, September 20th & September 27th. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel, hosted by Clear
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2023
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: July 12, July 19, July 26 & August 2. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel,
Read more
Published: August 2, 2022
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Fall 2022
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: September 14, September 21, September 28. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel, hosted by Clear
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series Summer 2022
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process without the use of sample essays? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Webinar Series! Dates: July 13, July 20, July 27 & August 3. Time: 12 pm-1 pm Panel & 1 pm-1:30 pm Breakout Q&A with Individual Schools (all times Eastern) Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel,
Read more
Published: August 4, 2021
MBA Essay Insight Event Series: Sept/Oct Dates!
As you most likely already know, essays are a critical component of the MBA admissions process. That’s why we’re bringing back our popular MBA Essay Insight Event Series for three more events this September into October. Join us on September 22nd, September 29th, and October 6th at 12 noon ET for insider application advice that you won’t want to miss. Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel, hosted by Clear Admit Co-Founder Graham Richmond. Admissions reps will share some insight into their programs, and offer detailed advice on how to tackle their school’s essays.
Read more
MBA Essay Insight Events: Join Us On July 28!
We’re sure you’ve already heard that the application essays are a crucial component of the MBA application. So how can you ace this part of the admissions process? Get essay tips straight from admissions representatives at leading business schools during our upcoming MBA Essay Insight Event Series! We had our first two events on July 14th & July 21st and will be hosting one additional free online event – on July 28th @ 12 pm ET – to provide some insider advice to MBA applicants. Each session will start with a 60-minute roundtable panel, hosted by Clear
Read more
Published: October 2, 2019
Successfully Answer the UT Austin McCombs MBA Application Essays
The MBA application essays only allow you a few hundred words to tell admissions teams who you are, what you offer, and why you should be accepted. It's a lot to fit in such little space. For those candidates applying to UT Austin McCombs, the adcom shared a blog post all about “Successfully Answering the MBA Essay Questions.” They cover what it takes to write a thoughtful and genuine response to their prompts and offer tips for submitting a strong application.
Read more
Published: January 21, 2019
A Conversation with Kirsten Moss of Stanford GSB
Clear Admit recently sat down with Kirsten Moss, who leads MBA admissions at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Our conversation was both insightful and incredibly wide-ranging–covering topics like leadership, application essays, admissions interviews, and financial aid.
What follows is the transcript of our conversation. Moss starts by covering the importance of assessing leadership and by extension, leadership’s importance for candidates applying to the Stanford MBA Program. In the subsequent pages, Moss tackles essays, interviews, and financial aid.
Read more
Published: September 3, 2018
Clear Admit Webinar Series Recap – “How to Ace Round One Applications”
Are you planning on applying in Round One? Clear Admit’s experts are here to give you advice and tips to be successful at navigating the admissions process. We’ve just completed both parts of our two-part webinar series available online – and we highly recommend that you watch and listen to it as it provides valuable insight into acing your Round One applications! The webinar covers: Identifying your target schools How to correctly fill in data forms The best advice for preparing your references for the recommendation forms Final touches to the application Preparing for the interview Making the decision on where to enroll
Read more
Published: August 22, 2018
Adcom Director Demystifies New Tuck Application Essays
Amid extensive international and domestic recruitment travel, Luke Anthony Peña—who leads admissions at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business—found some rare downtime to devote an August post on the Tuck360: MBA Blog to the school’s new essay prompts. The new essays are part of an overhaul of Tuck’s admissions criteria designed to streamline and simplify the process. The topic of the new essays has come up a lot as part of recent admissions events for prospective applicants across Asia and North America, Peña said. “There’s lots of advice and guidance for our revised essays popping
Read more
