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UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has released its MBA application essays and deadlines for the Class of 2014. Haas made some big changes to its essays (lots of short ones!) this year.  Here are the school’s application deadlines and essays, followed by our comments in italics:

Berkeley (Haas) Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 12, 2011
Round 2: December 1, 2011
Round 3: January 18, 2012
Round 4: March 7, 2012

These deadlines are nearly identical to last year’s, with the exception of the Round 4 deadline, which comes nine days earlier than it did last year. Note that Haas has four admissions rounds. In a way this makes it easier on you as you plan your Haas application — it gives you the option of applying at an “off-peak” time, such as early December, when you’re between most other top schools’ Round 1 and Round 2 deadlines. Aiming for Round 1 and Round 2 is still your best bet, and  we recommend avoiding Haas’s last round if you can.

Also note that, even if you apply in Round 1, you won’t received a decision from Haas until mid-January, so you will have to submit your Round 2 applications before you hear back from Haas.

Berkeley (Haas) Application Essays

Before you dive into the essays, be sure to read the passage on the Haas admissions website. Last year this was used as a prompt for one of the school’s short-answer essays. Now, all of the essays are built off of this statement of the school’s principles.

1. What brings you the greatest joy? How does this make you distinctive? (250 words)
   This question is new this year, although we consider it a distant cousin of last year’s question, which asked, “What are you most passionate about? Why?” We like this version better, perhaps because the old one reminded us too much of Stanford’s first essay question. Also, the choice of words — “What brings you the greatest JOY?” — makes this unique among business school essays. The key here is to write about something that you really, really care about. A good litmus test is this: How knowledgeable are you about the subject? Many applicants will be tempted to go bold and say something like “Fighting global warming is what I’m most passionate about,” because they feel like that is  what one is supposed to say, but then can’t back it up with facts. Admissions officers will see right through this. 

   The latter half of this question — “How does this make you distinctive?” — is interesting because that is  almost the implied second half of every essay question that you will answer. We actually think that this may mislead some applicants because they’ll feel a need to choose a topic that based on “distinctiveness” rather than “joy.” We recommend at least starting with an emphasis on joy,  and then revisiting if it looks like you are falling flat in the distinctiveness department.

2. What is your most significant accomplishment? (250 words)
   This question carries over from last year, although Haas subtly rephrased it this year. Ideally the story you choose will demonstrate at least one or two of the key themes in your application. All things being equal, a story from your professional life will serve you best, but don’t feel that your significant accomplishment MUST be from the workplace.
3. Describe a time when you questioned an established practice or thought within an organization. How did your actions create positive change? (250 words)
   This question is new this year. We like this a lot better than last year’s question that asked you to give “an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership.” This new question is far more specific, and gets closer to what MBA admissions officers really want  to see in applicants: a willingness to go beyond the norm, go outside of their comfort zone, and improve on the status quo (and don’t miss the fact that “question the status quo” is one of the school’s four key principles). Note the second part and its emphasis on “positive change”… this also gets to the heart of the matter.  How did you make a positive impact on the community or organization around you?
4. Describe a time when you were a student of your own failure. What specific insight from this experience has shaped your development? (250 words)
   This question is also new this year. Continuing a trend, notice how Haas uses the second part to specifically call out what the admissions committee looks for in your response. As we always advise with “failure” questions, this is the real meat of the essay — illustrating what you learned and, ideally, describing a later time when you put that lesson to work. These essays are all very short, so that last part may not make the final cut, but be sure to give enough emphasis to what you learned.
   
5. Describe a time when you led by inspiring or motivating others toward a shared goal. (250 words)
   This is another new question that is descended from last year’s “an example of a situation in which you displayed leadership” question. Haas clearly wants to dissect applicants’ leadership abilities at a much more granular level than it has in the past. Here, what the admissions committee wants to see is an ability to get things done through others, rather than a tendency to be a great contributor but not necessarily a leader. Other, similar questions from other schools as you to “win others over to your way of thinking.” While that’s not exactly what Haas asks here, think about this question that way if you’re having a hard time coming up with a story from your past experiences.
6. a. What are your post-MBA short-term and long-term career goals? How have your professional experiences prepared you to achieve these goals? b. How will an MBA from Haas help you achieve these goals? (1000 words for 6a. and 6b.)
   This question is an evolution of a similar one from last year. Once again, we find it interesting how Haas specifically calls out what it wants to see in your response. This question is essentially the typical “Why an MBA? Why this school?” essay that most schools ask, although Haas makes an effort to explicitly call out parts a and b, which suggests that past applicants have not sufficiently answered both parts.  Ask yourself these questions: Where do you see yourself in a few years (and beyond that), and why do you need an MBA to get there? Specifically, why do you need a Haas MBA to get there? Really force yourself to answer that question, even if not all of your answer makes its way into your final essay response!