Lucky for MBA applicants, UGA Terry College of Business tends to stick to the same prompts year-on-year, which means it’s never too early to get started! Most MBA programs will highly value the personal statement in your application. So don’t slack on it! Writing a unique essay that captures your individuality while responding to the prompt is a challenging task, but here at Menlo Coaching, we have a comprehensive guide to perfect it.
The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business is looking for students with a well-rounded background and lots of experience that can be translated into a succinct and compelling statement. One of the essential tips for an impactful essay is asking yourself why you chose to highlight a particular experience for the Admissions Committee. Did it show significant professional development? Did it show how you overcame a personal struggle? Making sure your essay connects to the prompt, especially that it shows why you are pursuing an MBA, will make your essay stand out.
No matter what the essay prompt is, these tips are broadly applicable. The two types of essays you will see on Terry College of Business’s application are career goals and behavioral—although UGA also has an optional essay section.
The career goals essay is the space to describe your post-MBA plans to the Admissions Committee. The University of Georgia MBA program wants to accept students who have concrete, achievable career plans and a roadmap to success.
MBA programs want a glowing post-grad report that proves they produce successful graduates with many job prospects (and who will donate money in the future)! The University of Georgia also wants students to promote their MBA program to friends, co-workers, and prospective applicants. Let’s have a look at their recent essay prompts.
The career goals essay combines your hard statistics (eg: GMAT score) with your interpersonal skills (eg: recommendations) to formulate the case for getting an MBA. Make sure to state your achievable short-term and long-term goals explicitly, explain why an MBA would help you achieve these goals, and detail how the University of Georgia MBA program essential to your plan. Also, research what fields the graduates of Terry College of Business enter, and emphasize your findings in the essay to show you’re genuinely interested. A recent career goals prompt for UGA was: How will the Georgia MBA help you achieve your short- and long-term career goals?
The behavioral essay asks you to reflect on your professional leadership skills. This could mean recalling a time when you’ve led a team to success or recovered after a failure and what you learned.
Be honest with this essay, and don’t downplay the story; the Admissions Committee can tell if you’re being disingenuous. Showing growth is essential to a constructive essay and shows development that you can easily apply to on-campus activities.
Say what mistakes you made and how you remedied them; if there is a situation where you used the lessons you learned from the failures, be sure to include that. Having the bravery to express your failures shows the Admissions Committee that you are willing to admit your mistakes. Here’s a recent UGA Terry behavioral essay prompt: Tell us about a time you created a positive impact, either personally or professionally. Describe the impact. Why was it significant to you or others? OR Describe a time when you contributed to making a work environment or organization more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse.
For the UGA MBA essay, you will have a choice between the following two options:
Behavioral Essay
Option A: Tell us about a time you created a positive impact, either personally or professionally. Describe the impact. Why was it significant to you or others? (250 words or less)
Option B: Describe a time when you contributed to making a work environment or organization more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse. (250 words or less)
The Terry MBA program also offers applicants the opportunity to submit an additional optional essay to supplement their application. While this is not a required essay, it is a useful space to explain, if necessary, your test scores, undergraduate GPA, non-traditional background, or anything else you have not had the opportunity to address within your application.
Filling in the gaps of your MBA application can be a difficult task. It’s tough to discern whether an element of your application needs to be addressed.
If you feel there are any glaring faults in your MBA application, which you can justify, you should absolutely shed some light on this here. If you are addressing a low GPA or sub-standard test scores, it is important to prove that these results are not indicative of your future performance in your MBA program.
For example, if you have a below average GMAT score, you will want to make reference to your academic achievements elsewhere and point to a valid reason why your scores aren’t as high as your peers’.
Equally, if there is something that you believe will strengthen your application that you haven’t had the chance to write about, this is the place to include that information. Maybe you run a successful blog, you’ve spent a lot of time travelling internationally, or you are an accomplished musician.
Excellence in one area can often translate to excellence in another, so any accomplishments or achievements you’re proud of should certainly be mentioned here. Make sure that you use this essay to highlight the transferable skills you developed as a result of pursuing this accomplishment.
Although this is entirely optional essay, some applicants might find that they have not had the opportunity to express their personality and enthusiasm for the Terry College in their MBA application. If you’re confident on camera, this is a great opportunity to make a positive, lasting impression on the AdCom.
Regarding the video essay, the University of Georgia MBA program had the following to say:
Overall, honesty and growth are the most important parts of a successful MBA application essay. In addition, applying the lessons you learned shows improvement in your interpersonal and professional skills, making you a more attractive candidate for MBA admissions.
At Menlo Coaching, we are prepared to help you take the next step and perfect your essays—along with the rest of your application materials. Visit our process page to understand how Menlo Coaching can help you!
