UPDATE: This article was originally posted on October 5, 2022. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
Earning a Knight-Hennessy scholarship (KHS) from Stanford is an exciting accomplishment that allows students to not only get financial help with their MBA studies, but also be part of an interdisciplinary program of change-oriented graduate students. The program, promoting Stanford’s mission to “create ideas that deepen and advance our understanding of management and with those ideas to develop innovative, principled, and insightful leaders who change the world,” recruits talented leaders from all fields, including business, who are interested in tackling some of the world’s biggest and most urgent problems.
Given its diverse, tight-knit network, leadership development opportunities, and tuition reimbursement (plus a living stipend!), landing a spot in the Knight-Hennessy program is no small feat.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide – to help you craft Knight-Hennessy essay responses that make you stand out from the competition. We’ve rounded up our best tips to ensure you give your Knight-Hennessy application your best shot.
1. Who is Knight-Hennessy looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @stanford on Instagram)
“Knight-Hennessy scholars have lived, studied, and worked in a wide array of communities and cities, colleges and universities, companies and organizations throughout the world. Knight-Hennessy scholars also bring varied cultural perspectives based on (but not limited to) sex and gender identity, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and more. Each cohort includes a breadth of backgrounds, beliefs, lived experiences, and aspirations. This is a multicultural community united by independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and civic mindset.” – From Knight-Hennessy’s “Why KHS” page
Every year, the KHS committee selects around 80 students from Stanford’s seven schools. The KHS program states that there is no “typical” recipient, as they consider a range of strengths and problem-solving abilities. This is true of Stanford’s overall philosophy:
“We always remember that there is neither an ‘ideal’ candidate nor a ‘typical’ Stanford MBA student. You should remember this, too. While the Stanford GSB community does include students who have pursued incomparable opportunities, most Stanford MBA students have excelled by doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. What you make of an experience matters to us, not simply the experience itself.” there are certain requirements and values that the committee considers.
However, there are a few requirements and values that the KHS committee does consider when making their decision.
First, all KHS applicants must receive an offer of admission to one of Stanford’s eligible schools, including, but not limited to, the DMA, JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MPP, MS, or Ph.D. programs. This means that if you are an MBA candidate applying to be a Knight-Hennessy scholar, you must prepare and submit two applications: one for KHS, and one for an eligible Stanford program.
Second, there are three key qualities that you must demonstrate in order to be successful in your KHS application: independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and a civic mindset.
2. How should I answer the Knight Hennessy essay questions?
Writing any admissions essay is a tough task, but competing for a spot within Knight Hennessy’s extremely selective process is particularly difficult.
The KHS application asks you to answer three short-answer questions and complete one longer essay. Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to use each word to concisely but powerfully market yourself to the scholarship committee!
2.1 Short Answers
- How will your Knight-Hennessy Scholars experience prepare you to realize your immediate and long-term intentions? (250 word limit)
For this response, you are asked to write a relatively standard short- and long-term goals statement. Essentially, you will want to describe your immediate and long-term plans for after the MBA, including what role you want to take on, what responsibilities you will have, and what you want to achieve.
Next, you must show how the KHS experience will enable you to pursue those goals. To do this, we suggest demonstrating that you have clearly researched the program and the opportunities it provides to recipients, such as guest speakers, hands-on projects, and the KHS community. Be specific about what you expect to learn and gain and how you will apply these learnings toward your goals. For instance, are there aspects of KHS’ leadership training that will be particularly useful to you? Are there any faculty whose work aligns with your own? How will you engage with the KHS community and how might this impact your success?
- Please tell us when you: a) made someone particularly proud of you, b) were most challenged, and c) fell short of expectations. (150 word limit combined)
This three-part question can be a bit tricky, largely because there are multiple options on how to answer each section. First, you could respond to all three in a single story in which you did not meet expectations, rose to a difficult challenge, and then made someone proud of you. Alternatively, you could tell three separate 50-word stories.
Whichever strategy you choose, take this opportunity to highlight something that the committee cannot see on your resume and that you are not addressing in your other responses. Ideally, you will want to highlight an aspect of your past that aligns with independence of thought, purposeful leadership, and/or a civic mindset.
Each aspect of this question gives you an opportunity to highlight important aspects of your profile, including your extracurricular or personal life. For example, you may choose to respond in a way that highlights how you have a) made an impact, b) solved an important problem or adapted to a difficult situation, and c) learned from a failure.
- Please tell us eight improbable facts (things that are unlikely but true) about you. (150 word limit combined)
Quite an unusual question, this list of eight improbable facts is a chance for you to show how well-rounded you are and share some information about your values, experiences, and other accomplishments. We suggest that you complete this question last, after reviewing your resume and other responses to identify any missed opportunities for information you can market to the KHS committee.
A helpful exercise to make the most of this question is considering what makes you YOU. This could include meaningful tipping points in your life, such as a childhood mission trip that ignited your passion for volunteer work, or even more lighthearted information like the origins of your nickname or favorite soccer team. The list is truly endless, but ensure you have a good variety of topics on your list and that you complement (rather than simply repeat) elements of your application that you’ve already discussed elsewhere.
2.2 The Main Knight Hennessy Essay
Connect the dots. How have the influences in your life shaped you? (600 word limit)
For this essay, you have a little more space to discuss key experiences in your life that have informed your current career path and motivations. While you have much more space to elaborate in this essay, you should ensure that your ideas are focused and clearly illustrate why you have chosen to pursue the goals mentioned earlier.
Thus, this essay is about retroactively connecting the dots and thinking about the future. What moments in your life did you feel most engaged or fulfilled? Have you overcome any challenges that marked your identity? What are your values? What moments from the past have shown you that your goals matter to people other than yourself? Why do you wish to have the impact that you wish to have?
Regardless of which topic you choose, make sure you can point to specific moments in your life that have influenced you to do what you want to do in your career. Once again, this essay can include professional examples, but it’s always a good idea to include extracurricular and extraprofessional stories as well so you highlight your true commitment to your values and motivations.
Thus, spend some serious time thinking about what has motivated you as you took each step in your career and consider where this path is leading you.
If you’re having trouble getting started, or aren’t sure you’ve really identified the right path forward, family members and close friends can be an excellent resource to help you zero in on the best topic.
Ultimately, this essay helps the Knight Hennessy Scholars application review committee understand who you are and how this aligns with your career goals.
3. Add more value to your application
Are you almost finished with your application, but are still worried your essay is not quite perfect enough to send?
At Ellin Lolis Consulting, our goal is to add more value to your application than you ever thought possible by giving you the tools and positioning you need to write outstanding essays that help you gain admission to an elite fellowship program like Knight Hennessy Scholars.
If you’re struggling to put your core values into words, or aren’t sure you’ve really nailed the brief for KHS, let our award-winning editors use their expert storytelling abilities to help you transform your essay from average to attention-grabbing.
After all, you don’t get into a prestigious program like KHS without standing out!
4. 2023 – 2024 Knight Hennessy Deadlines
The deadline for KHS’ 2023-2024 application cycle is October 11, 2023 at 1:00pm Pacific Time.
You can access the online application here.
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