Rochester / Simon MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2026-2027

The following essay topic analysis examines the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business (Simon) MBA admissions essays for the 2026-2027 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analysis for other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.

Rochester / Simon MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2026-2027

Let’s take a closer look at each prompt.

Essay 1

In 400–700 words total, respond to the following prompts:

• Describe your short-term and long-term post-graduation goals.
• Given the fluctuation of economic and industry hiring trends, identify a back-up plan should your short-term goal not be immediately attainable.
• How does your past education and experience support your career objectives? How will you leverage your Simon Business School experience to support your objectives?
• How have your personal, academic, professional, or volunteer experiences helped you value and engage with perspectives different from your own? How will you contribute to a community where all voices are heard at Simon?

In the 2026-2027 admissions season, Rochester Simon combined their previous two essays into one. Most of this prompt is a standard career goals essay that touches on one’s educational and career history, career goals, as well as one’s interest in the Simon MBA. The main nuance here is that the admissions committee also asks for an alternate short-term plan (as is increasingly common in the MBA admissions process). The most direct structure for this response will be to address each of these items in the order in which it appears in the prompt. You may therefore begin by identifying the function or job title you plan to pursue after business school, as well as your target industry and perhaps one or two target organizations. This position should be a logical first step toward a longer-term role that you hope to hold 10 or so years after your MBA. Your long-term plans should lend meaning to your proposed short-term goals and also support reasoning behind an alternate short-term path. In regards to your alternate plan, it may be established best briefly in conjunction with the initial statement of your short-term goals. You may also feel that your original short-term goal leads to the long term so clearly that you keep those together, but then conclude your opening paragraph with your alternate plan and why it is feasible. Structurally, it should be tailored to the flow of the introduction, but also appear before you discuss past experiences and pending skills.

It would then make sense to include a few sentences about how your educational and work experience to date has influenced (and prepared you for) these future roles, as well as the skills and knowledge that you still need to gain in order to move successfully along this path. With this “why MBA” piece established, candidates will then want to offer a detailed treatment of the ways specific elements of the Simon MBA program would help you to bridge the gap between their current skill set and their future plans. We recommend that candidates aim to devote at least 200 words to this section of the essay. To get as much mileage as possible out of this essay, you should aim to develop a very detailed response that explains how lessons from key classes and participation in certain student organizations will position you to accomplish your professional objectives. The adcom will also be interested in hearing about how you see yourself contributing to the community and enhancing the experience of other students, so naming some events that you would like to help organize or a club you would hope to lead will also bolster your case. Zeroing in on the aspects of the Simon MBA program that are most closely aligned with your goals will be important to developing an effective response; an in-depth review of the program website, conversations with current students and alumni, or online admissions events, are all viable sources of the information you’ll need here.

For the conclusion, Simon wants to see evidence of teamwork, collaboration and openness, and you will need to connect to how you would contribute to the Simon community. Ideally, you would be able to expand on experiences already shared in the essay to connect to diversity and inclusion, but the door is wide open for examples. If you have to introduce a new example, it will need to be brief as this is a lot of ground to cover. Action is important here—think beyond comments or campaigns shared on Facebook, and reflect on advocating actively. Then, connect to specific avenues at Simon through which you can demonstrate your values, whether in class or in a club.

Video Essay – Optional

The video essay is optional for Full-Time MBA applicants.
You will receive a single question (all questions are those often asked by our Admissions Committee during formal interviews).
You will have 30 seconds to think about your answer and then up to 90 seconds to answer the question.
You do not have to use the entire 90 seconds, so if you finish your answer earlier, it’s fine to stop the recording.

Video Essay Submission Process
Submit your application. Upon submission of your application, your video essay link will appear in your applicant status portal.
Log in to your applicant status portal. Navigate to the checklist, click on the Video Essay link, and follow the instructions to complete.
Important Reminder

You have 5 days to complete your video essay (you will not have access until you submit your application).
If you do not complete your video essay within 5 days, it may not be considered as part of your application. Note: you will not be penalized for opting out of the video essay.

Review our step-by-step Video Essay Guide with visual aids, which includes helpful reminders and considerations ahead of recording your video essay.
Be sure to review our tips on Video Essays before completing this element of the application. The adcom is just looking to get to know you better in an off-the-cuff, spur of the moment video. The best approach you can take is to relax, stay focused and speak clearly. Though Simon did change this from mandatory to optional a few years ago, it is still a good idea to complete this element of the application.

Clear Admit Resources

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

• Rochester / Simon 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 Rochester / Simon
• Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to Rochester / Simon