The Application Process

Hello, I have a question from a B school which goes "What are your mid and long-term goals after doing the MBA?"
Just this, it doesn't ask anything else.

Now my question is:
Should I model my essay by just mentioning the goals?
OR
Should I also mention how these goals originate, why I think this B school will be able to help me reach my goals, what are the specific courses in this B school that I think are relevant etc?

Any help will be much appreciated.

I think some of that answer depends on the other essays the school asks for. It is important to convey why you have those goals, why an MBA will help you get there, and why that school is the best fit for you. If you are able to convey all of those ideas in other essays, then you may not need to spend as much time on them in this one. (For example, if another essay question is, "Why is the (school name) MBA the best fit for you?" then you needn't touch on it as much in this one.)

That being said, that essay question is similar to most school's "personal statement" and it may be the best opportunity to include those very vital answers. Make sure the essence of your essay answers the question - I don't know what the word count on that essay is but a sample layout might be:

First paragraph - background
Second paragraph - midterm goals
Third paragraph - longterm goals
Fourth paragraph - why an MBA helps you get there

I imagine that fourth paragraph could be tied throughout the other three if needed. Hopefully this made sense.

Many thanks uprightcitizen....the other essays ask about personal & professional achievements, most powerful strength of candidate and what according to candidate is a quality a leader should have.
So I need to include something abt my background and the Why the MBA part as well.
The essay has to written in 400 words.

Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated.

I absolutely think that you include how your goals originated in the essay. I also think that you include why/how your current skill set will be instrumental in helping you achieve these goals. Obviously you think that you need more than our current skill set (which is why you need the MBA), but, it still makes sense to talk a little bit about why you believe (with a bit more training) you would be successful in this career.

Jessica@VeritasPrep wrote:I absolutely think that you include how your goals originated in the essay. I also think that you include why/how your current skill set will be instrumental in helping you achieve these goals. Obviously you think that you need more than our current skill set (which is why you need the MBA), but, it still makes sense to talk a little bit about why you believe (with a bit more training) you would be successful in this career.

Hello Jessica,
Thanks so much for your help.
I also read around in few websites and restructured my essay to include ALL the points you have mentioned.
I am kind of following the format that "uprightcitizen" mentioned. I am blending my background with how my goals originated.

Thanks once again for your help. Much appreciated.