Located in one of the most important up-and-coming cities for entrepreneurship, the IE MBA continues to rank as a top-choice school for globally-minded innovators who seek to use business school as a step toward greater career success.
However, with a highly customizable yet rigorous 1-year program (45% of the course is customizable), a strong focus on online learning (IE’s liquid learning methodology was created pre-COVID, giving them a leg up when it comes to online learning!) and a Tech-focused MBA, competition to join IE’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your IE admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips to ensure you give your IE application your best shot.
1. Who is IE looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @iebusiness on Instagram)
“We seek motivated, creative and high-potential candidates who stand out for their academic and/or professional achievements, as well as interpersonal skills. We take a holistic approach when evaluating each candidate in order to bring in the most talented people into our international classrooms.” IE Admissions
Every year, IE literally searches the globe for the outstanding professionals given the honor of joining one of its two annual classes. Find the complete class profile here.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, IE is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), IE seeks candidates who:
QUESTION THE STATUS QUO
and open your mind to new ways of thinking as a member of a diverse, global community.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
and focus on transforming yourself to face new career challenges head on
ACT OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
and discover that there are no limits to what you can do.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
as a future Dream-Doer, with your sights set on success for both yourself and those in your network.
HAVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
that pushes you to explore boundless avenues of collaboration and success.
If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering IE’s admissions essay questions.
2. How should I answer the IE essay questions?
Writing any admissions essay is a tough task. However, in an effort to streamline their application process this year, IE raised the bar by presenting a new, highly open-ended question.
Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to turn this rather open-ended task into a standout essay!
2.1. Essay 1 Tips
This section is important in understanding who you are, not just as a student but also as a person in order to grasp the value that you could add to our program. Take this as an opportunity to showcase your unique attributes and personality. There are three formats you can choose to express yourself: a video (max. 3 minutes), a PowerPoint presentation (max. 10 slides), or a written essay (between 550-650 words). Please pay special attention to punctuation, structure and content.
What is the most important thing that you would like us to know that is not in your resume or application?
As an admissions consultant who encourages clients to use the MBA application process to reflect on past accomplishments and future ambitions, I personally think this question can be an excellent exercise in self-reflection.
The open format allows you to include plenty of information about the experiences and examples you think make you unique.
At its core, this essay is focused on allowing IE to get to know the person behind the data, understanding how you have demonstrated leadership and excellence in your life, as well as showing off your fit with IE’s highly global MBA program.
That means your first task is to decide what you want IE to know about you. Consider the fact that they have read your letters of recommendation, your CV, and all the information you typed into the online forms. If you’re not sure where to start, review IE’s mission statement here.
Good examples would include — but are certainly not limited to — how you created a new volunteer initiative in your community, how you navigated complex work situations, context for the decisions you made, motivations behind your professional choices, difficult challenges you faced and overcame, how you acted as a leader at work and/or at school, etc.
No matter what you choose, each example should add something new about you to the mix.
In addition, business schools in general often prefer essays that incorporate good storytelling techniques. In the past, some of our most successful clients have been those who select a defining theme and connect their examples to this theme.
Finally, though you may choose to focus on a single example, the word count flexibility does give you space to mention several examples. If you choose to include several stories, make sure they connect to each other to present a cohesive image of who you are.
TOP TIP: You do not have to choose the multimedia format to be admitted. We have had many clients submit written essays only and be highly successful. However, if you feel a creative format better allows you to express yourself, go for it!
2.2. Optional Essay Tips
If you think there is any relevant information on possible disciplinary actions, criminal proceedings where you were involved or related matter, please describe them. (400 characters)
We have written extensively on the topic of optional essays and how to draft them here.
2.3. Video Essay Tips
This year, IE has added a video essay component, designed to help them get to know you better. In their words:
“Kira Talent Assessment is a way for us to get to know you better. We are looking to learning more about your personality and communication skills.
During your Kira assessment, you will have to do a series of live questions, 2 in video and 1 in written format. The questions are about general topics around the values of IE: innovation, diversity, entrepreneurship and humanities.
You’ll be able to record your responses from the comfort of your home, and you can do so in your own time.”
We have written extensively on how to prepare for video essays. You can find our best tips here!
3. Struggling to Make Your MBA Application Stand Out?
You have the experiences. You have the insights. But somehow, when you try to put it all into 500 words, it comes out flat. Generic. Like everyone else’s essay. This is the most frustrating part of the application process: not the lack of substance, but the struggle to bring it to life on the page.
This is where essay coaching makes all the difference. Not just someone who corrects your grammar, but someone who helps you see what you’re missing, what needs to go deeper, what’s getting in the way of your real story.
Leland gives you access to vetted coaches who specialize in exactly this: former admissions officers who know what moves committees, consultants who’ve helped hundreds of applicants find their voice, and students who just navigated your target schools’ essays. You can work with them for brainstorming, multiple editing rounds, or a final review before submission, all within a budget that works for you.
The right coach doesn’t rewrite your essays. They help you discover what was always there and shape it into something that resonates. Leland matches you with experts based on your schools, your background, and where you’re stuck in the process. Because the story is already in you. Sometimes you just need help getting it out.
We earn a small commission when you book coaching through our link, which helps support the free resources we create.
4. IE Deadlines
IE admits students on a rolling basis and has both January and August intakes each year. You can access the online application here. [/vc_column_text]
