IMD Essay Topic Analysis

The following essay topic analysis examines IMD’s MBA admissions essays for the 2019-2020 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analyses for all other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.

IMD Essay Topic Analysis 2019-2020

Let’s take a closer look at each prompt.

What other programs are you applying to? Of the programs you are applying to, what can IMD bring to you as a differentiator? (Word limit 100)
It is ok that you are applying to more than IMD, but beyond the other school names, your content here should be entirely focused on why IMD is the best option for you.  Do not waste space with a comparison game (“while School X has Y, IMD has Z”).  Instead, stay focused on what IMD has that appeals to you.

Describe a situation in which you failed as a leader. What did you learn from it? (Word limit 300)
While the topic of failure is a common one when it comes to MBA applications, the very tight word limit of this response makes this a relatively unusual task. With only 300 words to work with, applicants will need to summarize the failure itself in a very high-level manner, devoting the majority of the response to a treatment of the lessons they learned from the experience and perhaps a mention of the sorts of situations to which this learning has subsequently proven applicable.

Failures from the personal realm are technically fair game here, but candidates will likely want to give first consideration to professional or academic examples, or to those from structured extracurricular activities.

Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (i.e. re-application, health, grades, etc.) (Word limit 50)
Given the short word limit here, applicants will not have room to dig deep into any outstanding issues.  It will be best to be direct and concise, and avoid making excuses.  Simply assert the issue and, if relevant, how you have addressed it or plan to address it.

Clear Admit Resources

Thanks for reading our analysis of this year’s IMD essay topics! As you work on your IMD MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s offerings:

• IMD School of Business 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 IMD
• Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to IMD