Two years ago, UCLA introduced an essay that required creative expression. Last year, they made the question optional. This year, they dropped this much-discussed essay altogether. Were the segments over-produced? Did they give a technological advantage to some, but not others? Who can say? What we can say is that UCLA’s essay questions are now pretty sparse. Essay one is your best opportunity to standout – use it wisely.
REQUIRED ESSAYS:
Please be introspective and authentic in your responses. Content is more important than style of delivery. We value the opportunity to learn about your life experiences, aspirations, and goals.
1. What event or life experience has had the greatest influence in shaping your character and why? (750 words)
In offering you the opportunity to discuss an “event” that has shaped your character, UCLA Anderson seems to be leaving open the possibility that something external to you (a landmark political occurrence, for example) could have had “the greatest influence.” We suspect, however, that most candidates will choose to discuss a “life experience” that has affected them exclusively, because such experiences are more personal. Still, the opportunity exists to follow either path.
Whether you decide to focus on a personal life experience or an external event, you must ensure that your reader understands the “before” and “after” aspects of your story. This does not mean that you have to structure your essay in a chronological manner, but rather that you need to convey the sense that because of this event/experience, you underwent a meaningful change that had an enduring impact, ideally in terms of your philosophy on life and/or your behavior toward others. This result is your “after,” and you will need to sufficiently describe your “before” philosophy and/or behavior to ensure the contrast is clear for your reader.
We often advise applicants to tell their stories narratively and to launch directly into the action; this approach would work particularly well for this essay. Starting this essay with a formal introduction, wherein you sum up for the reader what he/she is about to be told in the rest of the text, will prevent you from being able to create momentum or suspense in your story. Consider the following example:
Bad: “The most influential experience in my life occurred when I defied expectations and was elected student president of my 50,000 person college.”
With this kind of opening, where is the mystery? Where do you go from there? By contrast, consider the following:
Good: “Rushing to class on a chilly fall morning, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a poster advertising the upcoming class elections.”
By launching into the “action” of your story and maintaining the mystery within it, you will grab and hold your reader’s attention, and the story of your shaping event will have maximum impact.
2. Describe your short-term and long-term career goals. What is your motivation for pursuing an MBA now and how will UCLA Anderson help you to achieve your goals? (750 words)
Because Personal Statements are similar from one application to the next, we have produced the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which helps applicants write this style of essay for any school. We offer this guide to candidates free of charge, via our online store. Please feel free to download your copy today.
Do not use up precious word count here detailing your professional career and accomplishments to date, but do include some general reference to your past work experience to frame why you need an MBA education to attain your stated goals. You must then clearly explain what UCLA Anderson offers in particular that will help you. As always, avoid telling the school what it already knows about itself, and instead strive to demonstrate links between specific offerings at the school and your aspirations. You will need to do your research to best identify direct ties between what Anderson offers and your professional goals, personal beliefs, study style, etc. The deeper your knowledge of the school, the easier pinpointing specific resources will be in the context of your future success, and thus, the more effective your essay will be. Take time to go beyond the school’s view book and Web site and contact students and alumni—and, ideally, visit the school and attend a class.
For a thorough exploration of Anderson’s academic program/merits, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, academic environment and more, please check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Anderson School of Management.
Read the full article: University of California Los Angeles (Anderson) Essay Analysis, 2011–2012