UPDATE: This article was originally posted on September 19, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
Located in sunny southern California, the UCLA Anderson of Management stands out not only for its flexible curriculum and wide array of specializations, but also for its relentless drive to prepare its students to think outside the box and harness the power of innovation in creating the future of business.
However, with more and more students wanting to pursue careers in technology and take advantage of the school’s location in Silicon Beach, getting admitted to Anderson is more challenging than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your UCLA admissions essays to stand out.
1. Who is UCLA Anderson looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @uclaanderson on Instagram)
“When you collaborate to win, you share success. This ethic is at the very core of our character.” UCLA Anderson Admissions
Every year, Anderson’s admissions team sorts through thousands of applications to find the perfect admits for its class of 296 students. With a strong emphasis on innovation and collaboration, there is no “standard” student at Anderson, yet the average student admitted to the Class of 2025 had 5.7 years of work experience and a 709 GMAT score (down from 711 last year).
Nonetheless, Anderson looks beyond the numbers. Famous for its 3 pillars (share success, think fearlessly, and drive change), Anderson looks for applicants who will deliver value in the community as well as the classroom.
Furthermore, Anderson states that it looks for candidates who demonstrate academic horsepower (through strong GPAs and test scores), a track record of contributing to the community, employability, and focus.
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 Anderson’s open-ended admissions essay question.
2. How should I answer the UCLA essay questions?
2.1. Short Application Questions
Why are you pursuing an MBA? (150 words)
This question is new this year, and we love it! Unlike previous years, UCLA now provides a space to give candidates the opportunity— if only briefly—to give a bit more context about their goals.
While you may be tempted to repeat arguments about what you plan to learn while at Anderson or your goals themselves, we do not suggest you use this space for that. Instead, we recommend you use this space to discuss one or two STAR-formatted stories that help the reader understand the motivation behind your goals and, thus, why you need an MBA.
This means avoiding general descriptions of the impact you’ve had at your company and focusing on one or two experiences that pack a serious punch when it comes to generating a clear impact (the R of your STAR story). Anderson’s application is short and sweet, which means that you won’t show off the best you have to offer unless you make sure every word counts.
So, when brainstorming your stories, first, make sure you choose a story that has a clear result that helps the reader understand why you care about your goals and the impact you want to make. We suggest prioritizing professional experiences that demonstrate your expertise in your industry or relevant personal experiences that underline your area of impact.
Of course, as your last step, consider what you think the adcom needs to learn about you and choose your winning story.
With this in mind, it’s time to start drafting. As mentioned above, following the STAR method is essential here. You want to make sure that when showing the Situation, you adequately express the conflict/challenge so your later actions sufficiently demonstrate how you overcame it.
If you have space, you might want to write a sentence or two about how the experience connects to UCLA Anderson’s culture.
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Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals. (150 words)
Here you have such a short amount of space that it’s critical you present a clear, focused answer. Considering the short word count, your greatest challenge is going to be providing a complete picture of your future ambitions as concisely as possible.
For this answer, given the length, make sure to be direct. Include what you plan to do career-wise after your MBA, both short- and long-term, including both job title and industry.
Statements like: “I want to be an executive” will not be specific enough for this task.
You don’t need to mention specific companies you want to work for unless you’re going sponsored, and then it’s good information to include. If you have space, you can also include why you are interested in pursuing these goals (but be sure to not repeat content or stories from your short answer above).
At Anderson, our mission is to prepare transformative leaders by developing students to think innovatively, problem-solve, and adapt to others – all with a driven and purposeful mindset. How do you plan to achieve your goals and develop into a transformative leader during your time at UCLA Anderson? (250 words)
With more space in this essay than in previous years, candidates now have more room to express their top arguments for attending Anderson.
When touching on how UCLA can help you reach your goals, first consider your professional ambitions and how the UCLA MBA is set up to help you prepare for these goals. This should not be a “laundry list” of 10+ classes you found on the UCLA site, nor a section in which you repeat clichés about the school.
Instead, you should thoughtfully consider how you must grow personally and professionally to reach your stated short-term and long-term goals and what elements of UCLA Anderson (classes, faculty, clubs, etc.) will help you reach them. If you have interacted with members of the UCLA community, you may also want to mention them here (don’t just name-drop – mention how they shaped your view of the school).
Additionally, you might want to include aspects of the community you want to get involved in that relate to your extracurricular interests or personal growth ambitions.
Lastly, include a few sentences about how you plan to be a transformative leader during and after the program. Consider your choices above in light of UCLA Anderson’s guiding principles since demonstrating that your values align with the school’s culture is essential to proving you fit in at Anderson.
2.2. Optional Essay Tips
Optional Essay: No preference is given in the evaluation process to those who choose to respond to this optional essay, so please use your best judgment: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)
This is not a place for you to retell your life story or sum up your interest in UCLA or need for an MBA. The Anderson Admissions Committee made that crystal clear by updating the wording of their optional essay question this year, stating that not writing the optional essay will in no way damage your application.
As such, it’s especially important to make sure you focus only on weak spots and also discuss what steps you have taken or took to rectify the weaknesses.
If you wish to provide additional information about academic or personal circumstances not included in your Optional Essay or elsewhere in this application, please do so here. (1000 characters)
If you have written an optional essay for other schools that includes information about your academic performance, remove it from the optional essay you plan to submit and include the information here.
Additionally, if you have any relevant information you’d like to share that doesn’t fit into the previous prompt, you may add it here.
Many of our applicants end up leaving this question blank. You should use this box only if it is truly necessary.
Find additional tips and tricks to help you master the optional essay here.
2.3. Reapplicant Essay Tips
Source: UCLA Anderson website
Anderson has switched things up this year, offering a new style of reapplicant essay. Instead of giving you an open prompt in which to share updates, you’re asked to provide focused updates only on the relevant topics that apply to your unique case.
If you have updates for each of the boxes, make sure to include them.
We have written a separate post on the topic of reapplying to business school, including insider tips and tricks to help make sure your second shot at your dream school is successful!
3. Worried you won’t get into your dream school?
You’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. Our expert consultants will work with you to develop a strategy tailored to your goals, ensuring every part of your 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.
4. UCLA Deadlines
Here are the deadlines for the 2024-2025 season. You can access UCLA Anderson’s online application here.
UCLA Anderson Round 1 Deadlines
Application Deadline: October 1, 2024
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: December 13, 2024
UCLA Anderson Round 2 Deadlines
Application Deadline: January 6, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: March 27, 2025
UCLA Anderson Round 3 Deadlines
Application Deadline: April 7, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: May 16, 2025
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
