2007-2008 European MBA Essay Questions

Ashridge

1. Outline your career aspirations and why you have chosen to apply for the Ashridge MBA/EMBA.

2. Looking back on your career so far, what have been your significant successes and failures? What have you learnt from these?

3. What do you feel are your major strengths and weaknesses? Please provide examples.

4. Drawing on your work experience, what do you think you will be able to contribute to the Ashridge MBA?

5. Please outline your initial thoughts on the type of consultancy project you would like to undertake and why. How would you benefit and what would you offer a host organisation?

6.If you have already identified a potential project sponsor, please give details

7.Please list your hobbies and leisure interests

8.Are you applying to any other MBA programmes? If so, please state which institutions you are considering

9. Where did you hear about the Ashridge MBA Programme?

Effective leadership

Which leader do you most admire and why? In your view, what characteristics and skills are required for effective leadership? Please respond in no more that 500 words. Please use a separate sheet if necessary.

CASS

1. Why have you applied to the Cass MBA? How will you contribute to the course? What will you do if you are not accepted to the Cass MBA?

Cambridge

CAREER OBJECTIVES

What is your immediate post-MBA career objective? What will you be doing 10 years after graduation? What skills/experience do you already have that will help your aims? How will tha Cambridge MBA help you? (Please do not exceed 400 words in total.)

Essays:Please answer the following questions on separate sheets of paper, and enclose then with application form. Your answer to each question should not exceed 400 words.

(1) Tell us a work project or task where you did not perform well. What did you learn about yourself?

(2) How would you like to be remembered?

(3) Why is the Cambridge MBA right for you?

ESADE

1. Write a brief explanation of your most important professional and personal achievements to date.

2. What do you consider your most powerful strength or asset? Describe a situation where you demonstrated this strength or asset.

3. If you could pick the one quality that caractherizes a good leader, which would you choose and why?

4. What are your mid- and long-term goals after doing the MBA?

5. Is there anything you have not mentioned in the essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know?

HEC

1. Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)

2. What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)

3. Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you.

(250 words)

4. Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)

5. Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)

1) What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?

2) Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.

3) What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).

6. Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)

IE

Essays - A

Please answer this question with a minimum of 250 words.

If you had the opportunity, what would you ask the president or leader of your country, and why?

Essays - B

Please answer this question with a minimum of 250 words.

What was the most difficult problem you have faced in your life, and how did you deal with it?

Essays - C

Please answer this question with a minimum of 250 words.

Cite at least one example in which your leadership impacted or changed a situation and discuss how you think Instituto de Empresa will help you refine, focus or enhance this skill.

Other questions:

1. What is your motivation for you to study a Master degree? Describe how you believe a Master degree fits with your future

career objectives?

2. What are your reasons for applying to IE Business School program?

3. Have you applied to any other schools? If so, please state which ones.

4. What contribution could you make to a highly dynamic and interactive program?

5. Which of your personal characteristics could be considered valuable for teamwork?

6. Which of your personal characteristics would you like to improve through the program?

7. What, in your opinion, have been your most important achievements?

8. What are your aspirations?

-Personal

-Professional

-Financial

IESE

1. Please describe your short term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)

2. Please describe your long term professional goals (post MBA). (200 word limit)

3. Describe two substantial accomplishments and one failure in a professional or private endeavour. (600 word limit)

4. Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which you used a contact from your network to achieve a personal or professional objective. (200 word limit)

5. Describe the most difficult project (personal or professional) that you have faced recently (within last two years). (200 word limit)

6. Describe a recent situation (within last two years) in which it was difficult to convince others. (200 word limit)

7. I wish that the application had asked me... (200 word limit)

IMD

ESSAYS (each question only allows 1230 characters)

Essay 1: Two situations of importance to you

Essay 2: Failure to reach objective

Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it.

Essay 3: Leadership

Describe a situation where you had to demonstrate strong leadership skills. Explain how effective you were and what you learned.

Essay 4: Describe yourself

How do you imagine your superior would describe your strengths and weaknesses to someone who does not know you?

Essay 5: Motivation

What is motivating you to seek an MBA education at IMD?

Essay 6: Contribution

What will you be able to contribute that would make you a unique and valuable addition to the IMD MBA class?

Essay 7: Alternatives

If you are not admitted, what alternatives will you consider?

Essay 8: Finance

Please explain how you intend to finance your studies at IMD. What would be your budget?

Essay 9: Disability / illness

Do you have a disability or illness that could affect your performance at IMD? If so, please explain.

Essay 10: Additional Information

Optional question: Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee to know which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? Other questions:(1) Please describe the position you will be seeking after graduation (please specify position, responsibilities, industry, location, etc.).Very briefly give us your short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and objectives.

(2) What do you consider to be your single most important achievement and why?

INSEAD

Job Essays

1. Please give a detailed description of your job, including nature of work, major responsibilities; and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, number of clients/products and results achieved. (250 words)

2. Please give us a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position? (250 words)

Personal Essays

1. Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

2. Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

3. Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

4. Discuss your career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career. (500 words approx.)

5. Please choose one of the following two essay topics:

a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.), or

b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

6. Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.) This essay is optional.

7. In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for reapplying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words.

LBS

MBA

Question 1 (500 words):

In what role do you see yourself working immediately after graduation? Why? How will your past and present experiences help you achieve this? How will the London Business School MBA Programme contribute to this goal?

Question 2 (200 words):

Where do you see your career progressing five years after graduation and what is your longer term career vision?

Question 3 (500 words):

Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it?

Question 4 (400 words):

Student involvement is an extremely important part of the London MBA experience and this is reflected in the character of students on campus. What type of student club or campus community event do you envisage yourself leading? How would you set about becoming involved in a leadership position and how would you align and communicate the goals and vision for the club to the wider School community?

Question 5 (150 words):

Describe any significant experiences outside of your home country. What did you gain from these?

Question 6 (300 words) (This question is optional):

Is there any other information that you believe would help the MBA Admissions Committee when considering your application?

MiF

The completed document must not exceed two pages in total by using the attachment below.

Question 1

What has prompted your application to the Masters in Finance? Why do you believe you would benefit from it at this stage in your career? What do you expect you would contribute to the programme? What are your career objectives: what are your career plans immediately after graduating from the Masters in Finance and how do you see your career developing over the next five years? Why do you want to study for a specialist Masters in Finance programme as opposed to a more general maters degree?

Question 2

Any other matters you wish to draw to the attention of the Admissions Committee.

Question 3

Please describe your experience of working in and leading teams, either in your professional or personal life. Given this experience, what role do you think you will play in your study group, and how do you intend to contribute to it?

Becoming a full-time student will involve taking a break in employment, and for many participants it will also involve relocating to another country or city. Have you discussed these issues with your partner, family and employer? What were their responses? How supportive are they?

Oxford

1) Explain why you chose your current job. How do you hope to see your career developing over the next five years? How will an MBA assist you in the development of these ambitions? Maximum 1,000 words.

2) Which recent development, world event or book has most influenced your thinking and why? Maximum 2,000 words.

RSM

Required Essay 1

How do you see your career developing and how will earning the RSM Erasmus University MBA help you achieve your goals?

Please respond fully but concisely to this question, ensuring it does NOT exceed 500 words.

Required Essay 2

Describe your favorite hobby, pastime or sport and how it reflects your personality.

Please respond fully but concisely to this question, ensuring it does NOT exceed 500 words.

Required Essay 3

Describe the most difficult decision you have made and its personal effect on you.

Please respond fully but concisely to this question, ensuring it does NOT exceed 500 words.

Optional Essay 4

Please feel free to supply any additional information that you believe would be helpful to the Admissions Committee in making the final decision on your application.

SDA

1. What are the reasons that lead you to apply to the MBA program at this point in your life?

2. What do you hope to get from the MBA program?

3. What other possibilities have you seriously considered, apart from the MBA program, for reaching your goals of personal and professional growth?

4. Have you applied to other business schools in Italy or elsewhere? If yes, which ones and why?

5. Where do you wish to pursue your profession after receiving the MBA diploma? Why?

6. What are your short-term professional goals (within the next four years)?

7. What are your long-term professional goals?

Other question:

(1) Write down, in order of importance, all possible past or present community or cultural responsibilities.

(2) What interests and occupations do you pursue in your free time?

(3) What do you think you gained from your university studies? Conversely, what important things do you think your studies lacked?

(4) Explain the most significant goals you think you have achieved so far and the reasons for their importance in your personal growth.

(5) Describe your strong points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such:

(6) Describe your weak points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such: