The EssaySnark blahg is a veritable treasure trove for learning to write MBA essays. We have essay critiques for you to study, and dos and don’ts on how to approach this task. This directory of all the top U.S. business schools links to their dedicated page of essay questions and discussions which also includes the examples we’ve collected over the years. And the snark. Definitely the snark.
= using one or another version of standardized recommender questions in 2022= using semi-standardized recommender questions in 2022
= doing their own thing with recommender questions in 2022
= which version of the SnarkStrategies Guide is currently available
- Harvard Business School • 2022-23 version
- Stanford GSB • 2022-23 version
- University of Pennsylvania Wharton • 2022-23 version
- Chicago Booth • 2022-23 version
- Northwestern Kellogg • 2022-23 version
- Dartmouth Tuck • 2022-23 version
- MIT Sloan • 2022-23 version
- Columbia Business School • 2022-23 version
- NYU Stern • 2022-23 version
- UC-Berkeley Haas • 2022-23 version
- Yale SOM • 2022-23 version
- University of Virginia Darden • 2022-23 version
- Duke Fuqua • 2021-22 version
- University of Michigan Ross • 2022-23 version
- Cornell Johnson • 2019 version
- UCLA Anderson • 2020 version
Please note: An application guide published for a past admissions season is still likely to be super useful! That’s because the schools don’t change their strategies in who they are looking for and the priorities they give to particular elements of a profile from year to year. The questions may sometimes change, though in many cases they actually don’t! It’s worth checking out the older versions if you’re looking for insights on strategies and positioning for your profile.
The Cornell Johnson MBA Application Guide will not be updated further.
We also have an application guide for European MBA programs that covers strategies for INSEAD, LBS, HEC-Paris, and more. This guide was updated in 2019 which seems like a long time ago, but it’s actually still very relevant. By design, it does not go in-depth on all of these schools’ specific essay questions, with the exception of INSEAD which is covered in greater detail. You’ll get a full discussion of what’s different with applying to the European schools as a category, since they do many aspects of admissions differently than U.S. schools do, and their trending is not identical. You’ll learn how to angle your strategy to show these schools the aspects they’re looking for you, so you can better put together a winning pitch.
EssaySnark’s Top 19
Our ranking of schools based on how “easy” it was to get in as of 2021.
Also a note that the MBA essay materials we post throughout this site are not “samples.” We don’t publish samples. It’s because reading sample essays won’t help you be authentic in your pitch to the schools. We only publish essays that are flawed… then we tell you why. These pages list out the schools’ questions, and we provide guidance on how to tackle them. Our essay reviews are of drafts that people tried earnestly at, but came up short. Navigate these waters carefully, Brave Supplicant.