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 330 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 2024 had 6 years of work experience and a 711 GMAT score (down from 714 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. Essay 1 Tips

UCLA Anderson seeks to develop transformative leaders who think fearlessly, drive change, and share success. We believe the ability to persevere is an essential component of effective leadership. Please share an example from your personal or professional life where you demonstrated perseverance to accomplish a significant goal or milestone. (250 words maximum)

This year, UCLA Anderson has kept things simple and streamlined again. Considering how much room you have across the application to share information about yourself, it’s essential to choose the perfect story for this essay. After all, you’ll only have this one shot to demonstrate what you bring to the table. 

Before starting your essay, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with UCLA Anderson’s guiding principles since demonstrating that your values align with the school’s culture is essential to answering the question and proving you’d fit in at Anderson. 

After doing this research, we suggest you start thinking about your strongest achievements in your life and career. As UCLA makes clear, you can choose to write about a personal or professional experience in this essay. 

Regardless of which option you choose, the key to this question is “demonstrated perseverance to accomplish a significant goal or milestone.”

That means you want to choose one story with a clear impact and tell it in STAR format. 

This means avoiding general descriptions of the impact you’ve had at your company and focusing on a single experience that packs a serious punch when it comes to generating a clear impact (the R of your STAR story). Most importantly, consider what you want Anderson to learn about you. 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 means something to you. This can be overcoming a personal hardship, delivering a key project, or even helping someone you mentor reach a goal of theirs. 

Once you’ve made this list, filter it for examples where you had to show perseverance. In general, stories where you faced some sort of conflict or had to overcome some sort of specific challenge are going to work best here. In this essay, unlike many others, being affected by external factors, such as an economic downturn or being conscripted into military service, would work perfectly well as your conflict/challenge here. 

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 here, 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 perseverance. 

After you’ve told your story, if you have space, you might want to write a sentence or two about how the experience connects to UCLA Anderson’s culture, specifically mentioning one or more of the characteristics listed in the essay prompt. 

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join! 

 

 

2.2. Short Application Questions

Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals (600 characters, including spaces)

Here you have such a short amount of space that it’s critical you present a clear, focused answer. Considering the short character – not 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. 

How can UCLA Anderson help you achieve your career and/or personal goals? (1000 characters, including spaces) 

For this short space, quality over quantity is key. 

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 Ross community, you may also want to mention them here (don’t just name-drop – mention how they shaped your view of the school). 

Additionally, since the question mentions that you may include personal goals, 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. 

TOP TIP: The analysis above is exactly 1000 characters, so keep this in mind when choosing the 2-3 reasons you most identify with Anderson!

 

2.3. 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. 

Find additional tips and tricks to help you master the optional essay here. 

 

2.4. Reapplicant Essay Tips

Reapplicants are those who applied to the MBA program within the last two application years, so those who applied three or more years ago are considered new applicants.

Reapplicants may answer one or both of the essay questions above as options, and they must provide additional updates within text boxes given in the application for any new test scores, career developments, or other changes since their last application.

Here, make sure you clearly demonstrate how you have improved since your previous application. Also include any relevant updates on your goals and interaction 

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. Make sure you get into UCLA Anderson

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories. This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school. 

Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner. 

This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program. 

That’s the approach we took with our client Alexandre, who was admitted to UCLA Anderson with a scholarship. In his words, “ From day one, I could see that working with Ellin Lolis Consulting was the right choice for me. I come from a not so common background so having someone with who could give me detailed feedback on my essays was the key point that helped me differentiate myself from the rest. Getting accepted to UCLA Anderson School of Management with a $40,000 scholarship is a turning point in my career, and I am very happy to acknowledge Ellin’s huge part in that success.”

Not only can you take advantage of our editing expertise through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!

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 2023-2024 season. You can access UCLA Anderson’s online application here.