DEADLINES
Round 1: 14 September 2018
Round 2: 03 January 2019
Round 3: 01 March 2019
Round 4: 17 April 2019
ESSAYS
London Business school is both one of the most flexible and one of the most diverse MBA programmes in the world, which is why it’s on the lookout for candidates with international outlooks.
LBS has made their application seemingly straightforward by settling on two essays, one of which is optional. However, a smaller overall application means that every element, down to a single word, needs to be carefully crafted. Take time to compare all the stories that you’re developing across every part of the application, including the CV and recommendation letters. You’ll need to make sure that the complete app accurately and clearly reflects all of your most valuable attributes.
What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)
To begin answering this question, you need to zero-in on what post-MBA goals you’d like to target. Whether short or long-term, these objectives have to follow a natural and realizable career path, while retaining some sense of daring. It may sound difficult to accomplish, but this only depends on how well you understand the potential curves and detours in your target roles. If you’re unsure of how to approach this section, try to source opinions on natural career paths from your network.
For the next part of the essay, it’s important to identify matching skills between your previous occupations and future roles. Sometimes, it’s easier to work backward from the major successes that you’ve experienced towards the skills that they illustrated. To add some color to the essay, try to elaborate on some of these successes, especially if they don’t appear in other sections of the application.
Finally, you need to show what value LBS brings to your upcoming career. The most important mistake to avoid in this part of the essay is a lack of specificity. LBS is very open about sharing information on its courses, professors, and tools, as well as facilitating meetings between candidates and alumni. They want applicants to have taken the time to understand the demands of their futures occupations and to link them to a programme that best meets those needs.
Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (Optional) (500 words)
The most common question I get is, do I really have to answer this optional question? It’s tempting to think that your profile and first essay answer are strong enough to hold up the application all on their own, but, in the vast majority of cases, avoiding this question will cost you the opportunity to show the admissions committee how you stand out.
While there are many topics you can choose to write about, applicants often benefit from concentrating on one of the aspects that LBS prides itself on most: internationality. Look for stories linked with foreign experiences or cultural interactions. Try to identify those that best illustrate your strengths and would contribute most to LBS.
If you don’t have many international experiences or diverse background, focus on meaningful personal events that highlight the most positive traits of your character. It’s ideal if those stories also include instances of teamwork or leadership, especially if you can tie them to a greater level of participation at LBS.
