London Business School, an internationally focused program in one of the most exciting cultural centers of Europe, has a diverse student body, with 92% of its students coming from 69 countries of the world.
Round | Application Due | Decision Date |
Round 1 | September 10, 2021 | December 2, 2021 |
Round 2 | January 06, 2022 | April 07, 2022 |
Round 3 | March 25, 2022 | June 10, 2022 |
The essay questions remain unchanged from last year. The MBA applicants for the 2021-22 application season are required to write only one essay of 500 words. They also have an option to submit an optional essay of 500 words.
Let's take a closer look at the essays:
Required Essay 1: What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School program contribute towards these? (500 words)
This is a straightforward Goals Essay question. You begin this essay with a statement about your post MBA career objectives. Explain what you plan to do after your MBA. Make sure your career objectives are both ambitious and realistic. Be as specific as you can about your goals and specify the industry, your role, and the companies that interest you.
To demonstrate how your professional experiences are aligned with these goals, provide a brief career history focusing on your career progression and the skills and knowledge you acquired at each job position. Also, discuss your rationale behind each career move and explain how your career so far has prepared you for your goals.
Then describe where you stand now, what skills you lack to fulfill your career aspirations, and how an MBA from LBS is aligned with your goals. This means that you must provide a logical connection between your previous experience, your current need for an MBA degree from the LBS, and your future career goals. For this, you will need to do a thorough research of the program to draw out a link between specific resources/ offerings of the LBS and your career goals and interests. Write about what specific classes, professors, clubs, or other clubs and student organizations will contribute to your success. In addition, reach out to current students and alumni to learn more about the program and attend admission events to learn more about the school.
You may organize the essay in the following manner:
- Your Short-Term Goals (approximately 100-150 words)
- Career history & accomplishments (approximately 100-150)
- How LBS can help you fulfill your post MBA goals (approximately 200 words)
Even though the essay prompt does not require you to discuss your contribution to the school, it still makes sense (if space permits) to wrap up your essay by briefly stating what value you will bring to the school.
Essay 2: 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 optional essay is an excellent opportunity to touch upon other key aspects of your candidacy that you did not get a chance to discuss in any other parts of the application, i.e., essay, résumé, and application form. The online application provides you fields to address any academic weaknesses, such as academic probation and class withdrawal So you can use this essay to address other flaws in your application, such as employment gap, choice of recommenders, or any other extenuating personal circumstances.
Even if you do not have any weakness in your profile, I highly recommend you write this essay to provide more information about your accomplishments or leadership experiences since the required single essay does not leave you much space to discuss your past achievements in detail. The data form provides you enough space to discuss your 'interests and activities in your free time so you may not discuss your non-work activities in this essay. Please note the word 'should' in the essay prompt and make sure to use this essay to highlight that personal/professional story that you could not fit in any other part of the application. Perhaps you have a stellar leadership story, or entrepreneurial experience, or a life experience that makes you stand out of the crowd, so you can use this space to showcase that. You may also outline your potential contribution to the program. This open-ended question allows you to cover almost any topic that you want to clarify or elaborate on. The 500 limit of this open-ended question provides you an opportunity to explain any topic or throw a spotlight on any aspects of your background or experience (professional or personal) that make you a perfect fit with the culture of LBS.
Free Resources
10 Key Essay Tips with Examples
MER Students Share their Success Stories
Essay Analysis of Other Top Programs-2021-22
AIGAC Virtual Conference 2021: MER's Key Takeaways
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