UPDATE: This article was originally posted on September 7, 2020. It has been updated with new information and tips below.
As one of a handful of STEM-designated MBA programs, Vanderbilt is at the top of the list for an increasing number of applicants who seek to pursue a career in the US.
With this increased interest, however, it is more difficult than ever to find a place at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Owen admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips to ensure you give your Owen application your best shot.
1. Who is Vanderbilt looking for?
Source: @vanderbiltowen on Instagram
“Our size and focus allows us to interact with students, alumni and recruiters as individuals so that we can better understand and help each achieve their goals. We are intensely and proudly competitive with the best. But we also shape leaders who understand that collaboration is essential in today’s connected economy. We develop business people who can lead and manage change, drawing not only on what they learn here about business but also what they learn about themselves.” Vanderbilt Owen Admissions
Every year, Vanderbilt’s admissions team has the difficult task of selecting a small number of outstanding professionals for its class of 147 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” Owen student, yet the average admitted student for the Class of 2024 had a median GMAT score of 700, 157V/156Q GRE score and 5.3 years of work experience.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Owen 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 test scores and university grades), Owen possesses numerous programs to support diversity, including initiatives for women, LGBTQI+ candidates, international candidates, and minority candidates.
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 Vanderbilt’s exceptionally short essay questions.
2. How should I answer Vanderbilt Owen essay questions?
Continuing with the trend in recent years to shorten admissions essays, Vanderbilt Owen has some of the shortest essays in the MBA world. With what they call “Statements,” you have 4 statements (each with a 75-word limit) to grab the Owen adcom’s attention.
Presenting your profile in a complete manner in such a small amount of space is a particularly difficult challenge, which is why we’ve provided our best tips and hints on crafting your essays below.
2.1. Statement 1 Tips
Describe your 2 concurrent post-MBA career plans. What skills have you developed that will help you achieve your career goals? (200 words)
With this short answer question, Vanderbilt essentially has asked you to write a very short version of a traditional MBA goals essay. The wording is a little confusing, but they want to see your short and medium-term goals here.
First 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 absolute clarity about your goals. As such, make sure you include a job title and industry in your description of your post-MBA aspiration.
TOP TIP: If you’re having trouble figuring out what your post-MBA goals are, we’ve prepared this post to help you decipher this essential part of the application process!
Before clearly stating your goal, you should dedicate a bit of space to discussing what motivates you to pursue these goals and the skills you have built that prepare you to succeed in reaching these goals. Here, you may choose to include a bit of background information or a STAR-format story that is relevant to your career choice. This will significantly help the adcom to understand your passion to pursue your chosen career path and also demonstrate that your goals are achievable with the transferable skills you currently possess.
One final point – though the essay only asks about short-term and medium-term goals, some candidates add a small mention of the long-term goals, as this is necessary to justify their need for an MBA.
Finally, if you have space to discuss how the Owen MBA might help you build upon your existing skills to reach your goals (think big picture/top-level arguments here), try to add this in!
Need more guidance?
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Vanderbilt Owen essay.
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2.2. Statement 2 Tips
Please highlight something about yourself that isn’t already captured in the application. (200 words)
When choosing your theme for this essay, we suggest focusing on one “thing” that defines you, as 150 words are likely not enough room to write meaningfully about multiple examples.
Furthermore, since the first short answer asks you about your professional life,, we would suggest choosing something from your personal life for this essay in order to show the admissions committee more about what makes you you. However, this doesn’t mean professional examples are off-limits!
Along these lines, try to think about choosing a theme/activity that provides the admissions committee with valuable insights into your personality and background.
For example, last year, a client wrote a short essay for Michigan Ross on the topic of “making a difference” that discussed his passion for his volunteer work providing electricity to remote communities in the Brazilian Amazon.
After speaking about how he got involved and exactly what the project works to accomplish, he discussed how a quote from a member of one of the communities thanked him for giving him the chance to safely make his way home from work at night.
This quote brought a level of personal engagement with the client’s theme that went far beyond, “I am passionate about volunteering,” and, instead, took his reader right there to the Amazon to feel his passion.
The possibilities here are endless, but your choice should be aligned with your overall application strategy. Think critically about what the Owen admissions committee is learning about you in other aspects of your application, and consider what you could cover here that would shed light on who you are and how you can add value to the Vanderbilt community. In essence, choose a story that adds new, relevant information about your profile.
We suggest you focus on strong storytelling here (a condensed version of the STAR methodology will work very well here) and end with the result you obtained or lesson you learned. If you can think of a way to connect this passion to your time at Owen, though this will be very difficult considering the word count, you may opt to add this.
2.3. Optional Essay 1 Tips
You may provide an additional statement to explain anything that you think is important for the Admissions Committee to know about you that is not already addressed elsewhere in your application. Many applicants use this statement to explain significant gaps in full-time employment, lack of recommendation from a current supervisor, or subpar academic performance. (200 words)
First of all, don’t be tempted by the extra word count (as compared to the short statements) you get for this question. This is not a place for you to retell your life story, sum up your interest in Owen, or describe your need for an MBA. Make sure you focus only on weak spots and also discuss what steps you have taken to rectify the weaknesses. This essay should be short, sweet, and included only if strictly necessary!
TOP TIP: Not sure if you need to write an optional essay? Check out our post on the topic here.
2.4. Video Essay Tips
In addition to written essays, Vanderbilt has also added a video component this year. Designed to help the admissions committee continue to get to know you better and see your personality shine on camera, the video is a critical component of a strong application.
As the admissions team states, “The video response questions are easy to answer. Just be yourself!”
Here are the practical requirements.
In general, you are already prepared to answer the types of questions you will receive.
For example, when testing the system, I received these questions:
- Tell us about one of your favorite TV shows. Why should we watch it?
- When you need to “refill your emotional battery,” what do you do?
- Tell us about someone in your life who has influenced you and why.
This does not mean you should prepare these three questions! These are just the types of questions you can expect to receive.
No matter what question you get during your video essay, remember to be yourself. There is no right or wrong answer here, the adcom just wants to see the person behind the application!
For example, a few years back, a client of ours received the question, “What is your favorite food? Could you eat this food every day?” She proceeded to give a hilarious but insightful answer about her love of eggs and cooking egg recipes. This really allowed us to see who she was, how she communicates, and hear something genuine – not what she thought she was supposed to say. And it worked! She was admitted with a great scholarship later on 😉
If you are particularly shy, you may want to practice recording yourself answering icebreaker questions to feel more comfortable on camera. There is a great list of questions here.
Finally, we highly recommend that you check out our general tips for recording successful video essays. These general tips will ensure that you truly shine!
Looking for Vanderbilt Owen MBA essay examples?
Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here.
3. Get Into Vanderbilt Owen
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.
Not only can you take advantage of our iterative feedback process 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. Vanderbilt Deadlines
Here are the deadlines for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle. You can access the online application here.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
