My colleague Matt Symonds' recent Forbes article, What Matters Most to You and Why? The Stanford MBA Wants to Know, and So Should You, discusses the challenges and offers some advice on how to answer the notorious Stanford GSB essay question 'What matters to you most?' Many business schools ask similar questions.

This question is simple enough; though coming up with your answer can be a lot more difficult, and typically ties applicants in knots as they try to come up with an answer that they hope is clever, striking, or even profound.

Whether you're actually applying to the MBA program at Stanford, or wondering about the career path that is right for you, taking the time to answer this question can provide invaluable insight about your life purpose, values, and true authentic self. When you understand what matters most to you, it'll help solidify your self-awareness and give you a strong foundation. This will lead to success at business school but also success with relationships and career. It's a question that is worth considering in spite of the pain and agony!

The best essays are told in a compelling 'story-like' way that may involve emotion, humor, inspiration, wit, insight, honesty, and simply - being yourself. An admissions officer may be reading 20 applications today, 30 tomorrow, and hundreds more in the following weeks. So how can you make an impact, sound intelligent, be original, and engage your reader? This is no easy task but it's time to put on your thinking hat and reach inwards to tell the story that you are the best qualified to write.

To read about the advice our team at Fortuna has put together, read the full article (link above).

Best,