At Menlo Coaching, we noticed that most MBA essays will fall into one of a number of categories: personal essays, career goals essays, behavioral essays, etc. Read ahead for our expert guide on approaching these essays for Haas School of Business.
- What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (Impromptu video Essay, 2 minutes maximum)
Your video essay may be recorded on the next page. The video essay can be completed either before or after submitting the application. The latest deadline to record the video essay is 7 days after the round’s deadline. Video essays may not exceed 2 minutes. Applicants may record the video essay up to two times. However, if you choose to use the second attempt, the first recording will be deleted and cannot be submitted.
This section of the application requires a webcam and microphone. Please be sure you are in a quiet and well-lit environment before you begin. You are allowed 2 attempts to record your Video Essay, and your response can be no longer than 2 minutes
1. Before recording, you will be prompted to test your audio-visual connection. Follow the steps on-screen and check the box to confirm your successful completion of the audio-visual test.
2. You will then be asked to confirm that you are ready to begin recording your Video Essay.
3. Once you click the “Ready” button, the Video Essay question will appear and you will have 20 seconds (on-screen countdown) before recording begins. Once you have finished responding, click the “Stop” button. Note that the recording will end automatically at 2 minutes – the maximum video length – if you do not click the “Stop” button.
4. You will have the opportunity to review your first attempt and choose to submit or discard your recording. If you discard this first recording, you will have a final attempt to re-record your response.
5. Once finished, you will be prompted to continue through the submission process.
Note: this is an impromptu video recorded through the Haas application portal and NOT a video to be recorded in advance.
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from Haas help you achieve those goals? (Text box, 300 words maximum)
- At Berkeley Haas, we consider “distance traveled” as the contextual information that helps us understand the unique circumstances, challenges, or influences that have shaped your personal and professional journey.
We invite you to share aspects of your background, personal circumstances, or significant experiences that have meaningfully impacted who you are today and how you’ve reached this point. Please tell us how these experiences have influenced your perspectives, decisions, and aspirations, and how they contribute to the person you are becoming. (Text box, 300 words maximum)
- This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate. (Text box, 300 words maximum)
Finally, Berkeley Haas also asks applicants for supplemental information, which include some additional prompts.
Applying to UC Berkeley Haas
In this program, students are encouraged “to take risks and make mistakes.” They are looking for students who are moved to create. Through the story you relate in your essay, the admissions council is looking to see if you reflect the same values that the school does. Berkeley Haas is looking for students who are looking to develop their emotional intelligence and eager to use rigorous analysis. The best way to represent that you possess those qualities is through the type of essay you choose to write.
The Personal Statement Essay
Like we touched on earlier, schools are looking for the right fit for their campus community, just as you are searching for the school that aligns best with your goals. In the personal essay, this is your chance to show Berkeley Haas the values that drive you both as a person and as a student. These values tell the admissions council what you prioritize, the moral code you live by, and, most importantly, who you are as a person.
Berkeley Haas is looking for applicants who want to contribute to a larger purpose. The program is dedicated to students completing their own research and analysis in order to make decisions. They encourage intelligent risks.
In these essays, you can talk about almost anything; typically, applicants will write about relationships in their lives, or times when there was a hardship they had to overcome. Be warned, though: there are some topics to avoid, and we have outlined a few things to watch out for in this article.
The Career Goals Essay
You’re not the only one hoping you’ll have a job after you’ve graduated with your MBA. Admissions committees are looking for students who are motivated and clear in their intentions so that when they get a job post-grad, they’ll be more willing to speak positively of their experience in the program. And, of course, in the hopes that their alumni will earn enough money to become a donor to the school one day.
There are three aspects to the career goals essay:
- What you want your future profession to look like.
- Why an MBA is necessary to advance your career.
- Particularly, why a degree from Berkeley Haas will be most beneficial to you and your job plan.
Your aspirations need to be convincing, ambitious, and realistic. Berkeley Haas is looking for applicants who have meaningful goals grounded in their past experiences, and it’s important that you relate that notion in your essay, however it applies to your experience in life.
Optional Essay
An unusual aspect of the Haas application is that they have two optional essays: one traditional optional essay, in which you can elaborate on or clarify any element of your application you feel requires further consideration, and an additional family information essay, in which you can expand on your family background and any unusual life circumstances that could fortify your overall application.
One trap that MBA applicants fall into is using the additional space provided by the optional essay to write on a whole new topic. However, this is not always the best idea.
You should only make use of this essay if you what you write will provide context to an element of your application to improve your candidacy—you don’t want to jeopardize your chances by adding unnecessary noise to your application.
Supplemental Information
Finally, UC Berkeley’s Haas MBA program has some additional prompts pertaining to your application. Here you will have the opportunity to detail activities that enhance your MBA profile as well as explain any peculiarities in your application.
Supplemental Information Prompts
1. If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain. If not applicable, enter N/A. (text box, no word limit)
2. List, in order of importance, up to five significant community and professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Include the following information for each using the format below:
- Name of organization or activity
- Nature of organization or activity
- Size of organization
- Dates of involvement
- Offices held
- Average number of hours spent per month
If not applicable, enter N/A. (text box, no word limit)
3. List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree. If not applicable, enter N/A. (text box, no word limit)
4. If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended, or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.) (text box, no word limit)
Conclusion
Writing strong, coherent, genuine stories is an essential part of your MBA application. These essays are meant to help you stand out among many other applicants, so it is worth your time to do the work and write about situations unique to your life and that you truly learned from.
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