The Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) became the second top MBA program to release its essay questions this year, and the school follows a trend in application essays-"less is more." Stanford has dropped its third essay question this season and stuck with two standbys, which we can summarize as "What matters most to you?" and "Why us?" The GSB's choice to stick with the "Why us?" question is an interesting one, considering how selective the program is (the Princeton Review ranks it number one for Toughest to Get Into). Maybe one reason the school is so strong is that it still focuses on fit and does not take its desirability for granted (?).

Another big change in the Stanford application this year is that the number of recommendations required has dropped from three to two, leaving the candidate to make the vexing choice between a professional recommender or a peer for that second recommendation. Our guess is that most people will choose the far more straightforward professional recommendation option, because candidates who do so can be more confident that they have made the "right" choice of recommenders.

For our analysis and tips for this year's Stanford essays, check out these tips:
https://www.mbamission.com/blog/2014/05/ ... 2014-2015/
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