IESE MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2026-2027
The following essay topic analysis examines the IESE MBA admissions essays for the 2026-2027 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analyses for other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.
IESE MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2026-2027
Let’s take a closer look at each question.
Essay Question 1
To understand where you’re headed and how the MBA fits into your bigger picture, we’d like to hear what you hope to do after graduation, where you see yourself in a few years, and what your long-term ambitions look like. Keep it personal, realistic but ambitious, and show us how IESE fits into that journey.
What are your immediate career goal after graduation and your mid-term career goal 5-10 years after graduation? How will the IESE MBA program help you achieve them? (word limit 450 max)
This essay is a standard career goals essay. Applicants will need to clearly and concisely state what their future plans are for both immediately after business school and in the medium term (five or so years out of school). This entails identifying a desired function and industry, along with a few target firms. If you have room, you can highlight the impact you hope to have along the way; however, it would behoove you to prioritize explaining how your immediate plans are a natural step to your mid-term career plans. Then, be sure to illustrate how your goals relate to your work thus far and the skills you would gain from an MBA. Finally, connect to your interest in IESE’s MBA program, identifying some key courses and clubs and other features, to support why you want to earn your degree at IESE specifically.
Essay Question 2
Career paths rarely follow a perfectly straight line. We would like to understand how you think about alternative routes to achieving your professional aspirations and how you adapt when plans change.
If your preferred post-MBA role or industry is not immediately attainable, what alternative path (Plan B) would you pursue? Why is it a compelling option for you, and how does it align with your strengths, interests, and long-term aspirations? How would the IESE MBA help you pursue this path? (word limit 250 max)
It would be ideal to maintain a common thread between your two potential short-term goals, as this will show the adcom a sense of commitment and clear vision. For instance, if Plan A is to become a management consultant and Plan B is to join the real estate industry, the divergence of these paths could cast doubt on your sense of direction. In light of finding a common connection, you could select a “Plan B” that would ultimately lead to the same long-term goal, based on the skills or experience you need to gain. This response also needs to be concise, so be prepared to jump directly into describing another industry or function that appeals to you and fits in your overall career trajectory. Regarding how IESE would help you pursue this path, you can again identify specific courses and features–ideally connecting to how your MBA education will instill flexibility and transferrable skills.
Optional Essay
What would you like to highlight about yourself or your journey which may have not been captured in your application? (word limit 300 max)
This question provides candidates a chance to briefly explore an important aspect of their candidacy not mentioned in their data forms, résumé, or other essay responses. It makes sense to complete this essay in order to round out your application or explain any issues such as a low GPA or test score, work experience or choice of recommenders. For applicants from oversubscribed groups in the applicant pool, this essay could offer a great opportunity to truly stand out from the crowd by sharing an unusual hobby or an interesting anecdote. Potential topics could be a time you demonstrated leadership, ethical behavior, entrepreneurial spirit, or persuasion skills, as these are all topics that are often of interest to admissions committees. In the case of explaining a worrisome issue about your candidacy, be brief and to the point. Avoid making excuses and simply explain the situation. For example, perhaps you’ve taken coursework to mitigate a weak academic record, or you chose a recommender who was not your direct supervisor, but could still attest to your leadership skills. Whatever topic you select, it would be ideal to link this quality or fact to some element of your intended experience in the MBA program and/or future career.
Video Essay
As part of the admissions process, all candidates are required to complete a brief video assessment through Kira Talent. This is an opportunity for us to get to know you beyond your written application and learn more about your experiences, motivations, and communication style.
What to expect:
- Four video questions
- 1 minute to prepare and 1.5 minutes to respond to each question
- Unlimited practice questions before starting the official assessment
- One attempt per question in the official assessment
- You will receive an email invitation with instructions on how to access the assessment after you have paid your application fee and submitted your application.
Once invited, you must complete the assessment within 48 hours. The exact deadline will be included in the invitation email from Kira Talent.
Please ensure you have access to a desktop or laptop with a webcam, microphone, and a stable internet connection.
Before pressing the “record” button, it would be worth reviewing our advice on video essays to understand the broader goals of a video prompt. As this is a visual presentation that will be recorded live, ensure you are dressed in appropriate professional attire. In terms of a background, clean and steady may work best—you do not want to make the adcom dizzy by taking them on an unsteady walking tour with your laptop. While many applicants will be tempted to introduce props into their video, such as signs, souvenirs, or any prized possessions, we would like to urge caution in this domain. A focused response to the question (while looking your audience in the eye) may be far more effective than a distracting string of props, signs, charts—each requiring valuable time to make transitions—not to mention careful attention to readability/visibility on screen.
Clear Admit Resources
Thanks for reading our analysis of this year’s IESE MBA essay topics. As you work on your IESE MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s IESE Business School offerings:
- IESE Profile on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
- Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to IESE
- Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to IESE