UCLA Anderson seeks candidates who reflect the school’s core values: to “share success, think fearlessly, and drive change.” That’s why crafting each UCLA Anderson essay is an introspective journey.
The school has moved away from its unusual single essay format and now asks applicants the opportunity to share information through three short prompts. Essay 3 is a revised version of the single essay required in the 2023–24 admissions cycle. New essays 1 and 2 provide an opportunity to detail why you are pursuing an MBA and short-term and long-term post-MBA goals.
The additional essays extend the total available word count, but it remains a challenge to be as direct and compelling as possible. You’ll have just 550 words across all three UCLA Anderson essay questions to tell your story.
As a Fortuna Admissions coach and former Executive Director of Admissions and Assistant Dean at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, I know how challenging it is to deliver a response that is concise, meaningful and distinctive. Below, I’ve rounded up some tips that can help.
How to Tackle the UCLA Anderson MBA Essays
Essay 1
Why are you pursuing an MBA? (150 words)
Essay 2
Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals. (150 words)
Essay 3
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)
Each UCLA Anderson essay aims to get at some of the same concepts of most MBA program essay questions: “Why an MBA?” “How will it enable you to achieve your career goals?” and “How will this specific MBA program support those goals.”
Your Fit and Purpose
As you begin to plan and draft your UCLA Anderson MBA essays, keep in mind that they essays are “meant to complement the information provided throughout your application to highlight how an MBA fits into your career goals and journey,” the school notes. “Strong essays are introspective, genuine, and succinct — while showcasing a clear vision for your future and the impact you plan to make on the Anderson community. Essentially, we want to learn more about who you are and why an MBA from UCLA Anderson is the right next step in your life.”
That’s a lot to cover in just 550 words!
In shaping your response to the UCLA Anderson essay questions, focus on highlighting those three core values: share success, think fearlessly, and drive change. Think about how you may reflect one or more of those qualities. For inspiration, their admissions website includes short videos of students discussing how those qualities play out in the Anderson community.
Craft Cohesive Responses
Although the first two essay questions seem straightforward, it’s important to remember that your application will be reviewed holistically. All three responses should fit together to form a compelling narrative of your career goals, why you want an MBA to pursue them, and how you will develop into a transformative leader in their MBA program.
“Thinking fearlessly, driving change, and sharing success” suggest humility and a team mindset. Think about how your past experiences have led you to decide that an MBA is your next step, and how it will lead you to the short- and long-term goals that you are pursuing.
As you consider the possibilities, it’s important to engage in self-reflection to surface potential stories to share that highlight your main points. Keep in mind that sincere and authentic answers are more likely to engage the readers who will review your application.
Stay On Message
Essays 1 and 2 provide limited space for your responses. You must stay on message to articulate your goals and succinctly explain why an MBA will help you achieve them. Again, keep in mind what you convey elsewhere in the application and what you can explain in more depth in Essay 3.
In the Essay 3 prompt, the school hints that they are interested not only in knowing how Anderson will help you achieve your career goals but also in what elements of that experience will help transform you into a leader who can drive change and innovation.
To answer this convincingly, spend some time familiarizing yourself with Anderson’s curricular and co-curricular opportunities to identify potentially transformative experiences. Avoid the temptation to write a laundry list of courses and activities that interest you, and focus on how and why those you cite will prepare you to achieve your goals.
Show Enthusiasm!
Within the limited word count, choose your words carefully to demonstrate enthusiasm in your writing. You want the reader to know that you are self-aware, have a clear vision of your professional goals and know exactly why the Anderson MBA will help you to achieve them.
Finally, be sure that your responses reflect genuine humility to complement your drive. Remember that “share success” is mentioned before “think fearlessly” and “drive change” in Anderson’s list of core qualities!
More Advice
UCLA Anderson accepts GRE, GMAT, GMAT Focus, or Executive Assessment (EA) scores. Note that the school also gives applicants the option of applying with no test score, provided the candidate can show evidence of quantitative and analytical skills through transcripts, professional certifications, etc. Aspiring applicants should only attempt the no-test option if they have very compelling evidence of those skills.
For additional tips, view our MBA Admissions Masterclass featuring application strategy for UCLA Anderson, Berkeley Haas, & Yale SOM.
More sessions from our MBA Admissions Masterclass series and other helpful videos on Fortuna’s YouTube channel.
Let’s Get You In
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Our free consultations are consistently rated as the best in the industry. To learn more about Fortuna and assess your chances of admission to Anderson and other top programs, request a your free session now.
Fortuna’s Peter Johnson is an expert MBA admissions coach and former Assistant Dean of the Full-time MBA at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.