The UCLA Anderson School of Management essay questions for the 2017-18 application season remain unchanged from last year

First-time applicants are required to respond to one 750-word response; they can also submit a brief 250-words optional essay, but no preference is given to candidates who submit an optional essay. The re-applicants are required to address a separate question detailing improvements in their candidacies.

First-Time Applicants (Required Essay):
We believe that the best results are achieved when you share success, think fearlessly and drive change. With this in mind, what are your goals at UCLA Anderson and in your short-term and long-term career? (750 words maximum)

This essay is an opportunity to showcase your fit with the school. Often applicants make the mistake of approaching it like a regular goals essay. True, they are asked to provide information about their short term career plans and long term career plans as well as their plans to achieve them at Anderson, but they also have to demonstrate their 'fit' with the three core values of UCLA.

From Anderson Website:
"At UCLA Anderson, we are a community defined by three core qualities - we share success, think fearlessly and drive change- so the Admissions Committee is looking for these same qualities in prospective applicants. While there may be evidence of these qualities throughout your application, this essay question is an excellent opportunity to communicate how you fit into our Anderson community."

When brainstorming ideas for this essay, you will need to reflect on what you have done in the past (stories/ examples) to show that Anderson's values -'share success', 'think fearlessly', and 'drive change'- are your values, too. The first half of the essay should discuss how your pre- MBA career (stories from academic, professional and community area) demonstrate some alignment with these principles. You will need to highlight the ways your career objectives are aligned with the Anderson's defining principles of collaboration ('share success'), bold and analytical thinking ('think fearlessly') and innovation and thinking outside the box ('drive change')

The second half should explain how UCLA's principles and the environment they create will help you fulfill your career goals as well as interests. Please note that in addition to demonstrating how UCLA's various offerings and resources will help you realize your career goals, you also need to show how their offerings will provide you an opportunity to pursue your interests and hobbies. This will help round out your candidacy to the ad Com. Therefore, I would highly recommend that you do your homework of Anderson's offerings (curriculum, faculty, clubs, and organizations) attend information sessions, and connect with students and alumni to gain their insights about the program.

You may wrap up your essay by explaining how you plan to contribute to the Anderson community by immersing in its culture of sharing success, thinking fearlessly, and driving positive change.

Lastly, don't forget to go through the excellent guidelines that UCLA Anderson provided in their admissions blog last year.
https://mbablogs.anderson.ucla.edu/mba_a ... essay.html

Optional Essay:
The following essay is optional. No preference is given in the evaluation process to applicants who submit an optional essay. Please note that we only accept written essays. Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? Please use your best judgment. (250 words maximum)

As directed in the essay prompt, applicants should use this essay to address a weakness in your profile (low GPA, choice of recommender, employment gap etc.) Explain your situation in a clear and concise way without making excuses. You may not use this essay to provide additional information. Please note that the admission committee asks you to submit this essay only if you need to.

Re-applicant Essay:
Re-applicants who applied for the MBA program starting in 2016 or 2017 are required to complete the following essay:
Please describe your career progress since you last applied and ways in which you have enhanced your candidacy. Include updates on short-term and long-term career goals, as well as your continued interest in UCLA Anderson. (750 words maximum)

This is a straightforward reapplicant essay. Through this question, the Ad Com would like to know that your need of UCLA is as strong as it was last time. Hence you should demonstrate your continued interest in UCLA by explaining how you have enhanced your application since you applied last time. You may answer this by focusing on the areas you have improved upon since you applied last. Whether you have taken extra classes, boosted your GMAT score , received a promotion, led a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on a personal challenge, the key here is to demonstrate that you are now a better and a stronger candidate since your last application. Your conscious efforts to strengthen your profile and to work on your weak areas will prove how determined you are about your UCLA MBA.

The school also asks reapplicants to comment on ways they have refined their career goals, and to highlight the additional research they have done into the UCLA MBA program over the past one year. You may mention any meetings you have had with alumni/ professors/ad com, or any information session you have attended. Since you are allowed 750 words, you can provide a detailed account of enhancements in your resume and additional steps you have taken to learn more about the school and your 'fit' with the school's culture.

Lastly, and most importantly, you should use the feedback you received from the school on your previous application and focus specifically on those areas e.g. clarity of goals and improved essays with clarity of message.


This post first appeared in myEssayReview blog https://myessayreview.com/essay-question ... s-2017-18/
For questions, email me at [email protected].