UPDATE: This article was originally posted on August 20, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
With a mission to “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,” Stanford Graduate School of Business is at the top of many applicants’ list of dream schools.
However, with increasing competition over the small number of spots at this haven for innovative thinkers, securing a place at Stanford is more challenging than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Stanford GSB admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Stanford MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Stanford application your best shot.
1. Who is Stanford GSB looking for?
Source: @stanfordgsb on Instagram
“At Stanford, we strive to ensure that a diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, genders, political and religious beliefs, physical and learning differences, sexual orientations and identities is thriving on campus. Such diversity will inspire new angles of inquiry, new modes of analysis, new discoveries and new solutions … Our diversity ensures our strength as an intellectual community. In today’s world, diversity represents the key to excellence and achievement.” – Persis Drell, Provost, Stanford University
Every year, Stanford GSB’s admissions team selects around 400 students from over 6,000 applications for the honor of joining their prestigious MBA program. Though what “fits” at Stanford is constantly evolving, they do tend to admit slightly younger applicants (with an average of 5.0 years of work experience). Stanford also works hard to admit a highly diverse group of students.
Source: Stanford GSB’s website
Applicants offered admission also tend to have outstanding GMAT scores (the average for the Class of 2025 was 738) or exceptional GRE scores (the average for the Class of 2025 was 164Q and 164V).
Nonetheless, that does not mean that Stanford looks simply for good test-takers. Instead, they want a talented, principled group of leaders who will use business to positively impact the world.
According to Stanford’s Admissions team:
Nonetheless, that does not mean that Stanford looks simply for good test-takers. Instead, they want a talented, principled group of leaders who will use business to positively impact the world.
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 Stanford’s open-ended admissions essay questions.
2. How should I answer the Stanford essay questions?
Writing any admissions essay is a tough task, however, Stanford raises the bar when it comes to presenting a highly challenging yet open-ended prompt.
According to Stanford, here’s what they want to see in your admissions essays.
Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to turn this rather open-ended task into a standout essay!
2.1. Essay A
Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?
For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?
Like most excellent admissions essays, this essay begins with in-depth brainstorming.
Questions like “What matters most to you” are not questions we commonly ask ourselves on a daily basis, so the answer might not be readily apparent to you.
During this brainstorming period, you should focus on 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?
Regardless of which topic you choose, make sure it is genuine and that you can point to specific moments in your life during which you have acted on this value. This is not a purely philosophical essay in which you examine a core value. Instead, it is a picture of your motivations, intentions, and lessons as you have navigated your life’s many ups and downs. As I always tell clients, if you argue that what matters most to you is sustainability but you can’t provide a single example of acting to make your company or community more sustainable, perhaps you should go back to the drawing board or consider how to tweak your examples to tell a clearer, more compelling story.
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.
After you choose your theme, you must go about supporting it. This does not mean you should simply copy/paste examples from other essays. This simply won’t work for Stanford.
Instead, carefully consider times when you clearly acted upon the core value you’ve presented. For example, if you state that being an independent thinker is what matters most, describe a time in your life when you went against the grain — and it paid off.
In writing your examples, be sure not to lose your theme, as this essay must be a coherent exploration of how your life has centered around what matters most to you.
TOP TIP: Striking upon a core value that GSB has never heard of before is almost impossible. The admissions committee has read thousands upon thousands of essays. Instead of standing out by choosing a unique (but perhaps under-supported) theme, choose the theme that genuinely demonstrates what you’re all about.
Lastly, be sure to make sure the essay includes you and your personality. The key to this is what we call voice. To help you demonstrate your voice, we suggest you keep the following tips in mind:
- While writing, imagine you were explaining what matters most to you to a good friend or family member. How would you explain it to them? Which words would you use?
- Explain the feelings and emotions you experienced during the events you are describing.
- Think about the tone you want to write in and how it reflects how you feel or felt about the experience you describe.
- Use sensory descriptors like how specific environments, events, people, or objects looked, smelled, tasted, felt, or sounded.
- It’s okay to use informal language (e.g. contractions, slang, exclamations, etc.) in this essay to reinforce your voice! While this is a formal essay, these elements are often a welcome addition.
2.2. Essay B
Essay B: Why Stanford?
Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs.
This question is essentially a goals essay, a common type of essay required of applicants at many elite business schools.
In this essay, you have a big task. In around 350 words, you need to discuss:
- Any context from your past experience that helps underline your motivation for your goals
- Your specific-post MBA goals
- Why you believe an MBA is necessary to reach these goals
- How a Stanford MBA will help you reach these goals
Each of these elements must be included and must build off of each other.
We suggest beginning your essay with a hook or experience from your past that demonstrates your motivation or past experience with your target industry. For example, if you are looking to go into developing green technologies, you could write about your country’s current green energy capacity; your first experience with sustainability as a teenager; a past work project focused on applying technology effectively; or your experience with sustainable business practices. As long as the story underlines why you care about your goals, it can work as an effective introduction to your essay.
Second of all, many candidates think they do not need to specifically state their goals, or that it’s better to leave “their options open.” If you are applying to elite business schools, however, you must have and present absolutely clarity about your goals.
Second, you should clearly demonstrate why you need an MBA.
An MBA is not a catch-all degree that serves a purpose for all career paths. As such, you need to demonstrate that the goals you have set for yourself require the additional training an MBA can provide.
Be thoughtful about this particular section. If you don’t need to improve in any meaningful way, you might be presenting the argument the admissions committee needs for why you can’t actually benefit from an MBA.
Furthermore, if you show fluffy or unsupported reasons you need to hone your skills, you’ll also likely see your application tossed aside in favor of an applicant who was able to clearly demonstrate how they plan to leverage their time at business school.
Third, show how Stanford can specifically help you grow in the areas you’ve identified. Mentioning that you want to go to Stanford because of its ranking or sunny California location will not cut it here.
Instead, show that you understand the flexibility of Stanford’s curriculum and have done significant, thoughtful research into how the opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom can help you grow. You should also definitely mention how you can contribute to the community.
Unlike other goals essays, however, you should also keep the theme you’ve presented in your first essay in mind. If you write a goals essay that is completely at odds with what you’ve shown is most important to you in life in your first essay, this inconsistency will likely end your Stanford application journey. However, it is okay if they are not explicitly related.
Finally, if you are applying for the Stanford MSx program, you are given an additional 50 words to also discuss your interest in this particular program.
2.3. Optional Essays
In addition to the two main essays, Stanford also has four optional short essays. These essays give you additional space to show off different elements of your profile and highlight areas you might not have been able to include in your What Matters Most and Why Stanford essays.
2.3.1 Optional Impact Essays
Question: Think about a time in the last few years when you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others?
If you would like to discuss your contributions more fully, this section is the place to do so. Perhaps you would like to expand upon a bullet item from your resume and tell us more about the “how” or “why” behind the “what.” Or maybe you have had an impact in a way that doesn’t fit neatly in another part of the application. You are welcome to share up to three examples (up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example).
Though these responses are technically optional, we highly suggest using this space to highlight professional or extracurricular achievements that you may not have been able to address in your What Matters Most essay. In particular, try to show a variety of achievements that complement your stories in other parts of your application and work to include stories with clear outcomes.
2.3.2 Additional Context Essay
Additional Context: We know that each person is more than a list of facts or pre-defined categories. With this question, we provide you with an optional opportunity to elaborate on how your background or life experiences have helped shape your recent actions or choices. (1,200 characters)
Stanford GSB values applicants who can contribute to its greater community and the educational experience for all. This question tests how prepared, willing, and capable you are to draw on what you’ve experienced thus far in life to contribute to a project, class discussion, or community or interpersonal challenge. For that reason, it’s important to keep in mind that they are not asking you to show a time when you offered input — instead, they want to see when something about your personal or professional background proved to be the key to winning the day.
For example, one of our clients, Fabrizio, had a brother who had been unemployed for a long period of time, and he personally witnessed how demoralizing the lack of support he received during this period was. Then, when tasked with working on a workforce transition project at his consulting firm, he made sure to design initiatives that took into consideration how layoffs affect real people. In your essay, similarly look for a time when your previous experience or core values inspired you to take action.
Keep in mind you must limit yourself to 1,200 characters including spaces.
2.3.3 Additional Information Essay
Additional Information: We are deliberate in the questions we ask. We believe that we get to know you well through all of the elements of your application. Complete this section only if you have critical information you could not convey elsewhere on your application (e.g., extenuating circumstances affecting academic or work performance). This section should not be used as an additional essay. (1,200 characters
Stanford, like most top business schools, gives you space to explain any gaps or weaknesses in your profile. This should not be a place to discuss why Stanford should admit you, who you know from Stanford, or who you know from Stanford. It most certainly should not be a continuation of your Why Stanford essay.
Furthermore, just because there is no stated word limit does not mean you should write more than is absolutely necessary here. In my opinion, if you’re writing more than 200 words you might want to revisit your essay to ensure every part is needed.
If you’d like to learn more about what topics justify an optional essay – and how to write these essays – check out our post on the topic here.
3. Essay Length (Essays A and B)
Your answers for both essays A and B combined may not exceed 1,000 words.
Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate these words between the essays in the way that is most effective for you. In our experience, the recommended 650/350 word length suggestions works very well.
Looking for Stanford GSB MBA essay examples? Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.
4. Worried you won’t get into your dream school?
Our expert consultants will work with you to develop a strategy tailored to your goals, ensuring every part of yourYou’ve built an impressive career and worked hard to get to this point, but now you’re facing the daunting task of pulling together a compelling MBA application. The pressure to choose which stories best sell your profile, write essays that reflect your achievements, prepare for interviews, and manage multiple deadlines can feel overwhelming. Are you doing enough to be noticed by admissions committees at top business schools?
At Ellin Lolis Consulting, we understand the stakes. With a 98.9% success rate, we’ve helped countless applicants just like you secure spots at their dream schools. application—from essays to interviews—tells a cohesive, compelling story that gets you in.
No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine. Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.
5. Deadlines
Here are the 2024-2025 deadlines. You can access the online application here.
Stanford Round 1 Deadlines
Application Deadline: September 10, 2024
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: December 5, 2024
Stanford Round 2 Deadlines
Application Deadline: January 8, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: April 3, 2025
Stanford Round 3 Deadlines
Application Deadline: April 8, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: May 29, 2025
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
