Programme Information & Essays – One year MBA in Europe

INSEAD

Programme information

Essays

Job Essays:

INSEAD Job Essay 1: Briefly summarise your current (or most recent) job, including the nature of work, major responsibilities, and, where relevant, employees under your supervision, size of budget, clients/ products and results achieved.  (250 words maximum)

INSEAD Job Essay 2: Please give a full description of your career since graduating from university. If you were to remain with your present employer, what would be your next step in terms of position?  (250 words maximum

INSEAD Job Essay 3. If you are currently not working, what are you doing and what do you plan to do until you start the MBA programme?  (250 words maximum)

Personal Essays:

INSEAD Personal Essay 1: Give a candid description of yourself, stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors, which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary. (400 words approx.)

INSEAD Personal Essay 2: Describe what you believe to be your two most substantial accomplishments to date, explaining why you view them as such. (400 words approx.)

INSEAD Personal Essay 3: Describe a situation taken from school, business, civil or military life, where you did not meet your personal objectives, and discuss briefly the effect. (250 words approx.)

INSEAD Personal Essay 4: Discuss your short and long term career goals. What skills do you expect to gain from studying at INSEAD and how will they contribute to your professional career? (500 words approx.)

INSEAD Personal Essay 5: Please choose one of the following two essay topics:
a) Have you ever experienced culture shock? What did it mean to you? (250 words approx.)
or
b) What would you say to a foreigner moving to your home country? (250 words approx.)

INSEAD (Optional) Essay: Is there anything that you have not mentioned in the above essays that you would like the Admissions Committee to know? (200 words approx.)

INSEAD Reapplicants Essay: (Reapplicants only) In case of reapplication, please use this page. Your essay should state any new aspects of professional, international, academic, or personal development since your last application. We would also like you to explain your motivation for re-applying to INSEAD. This essay should not exceed 400 words

Cambridge Judge

Programme information

Essays

Cambridge Judge Essay 1: What did you learn from your most spectacular failure? (200 words)

Cambridge Judge Essay 2: What are your short and long term career objectives? What skills/characteristics do you already have that will help you to achieve them? What do you hope to gain from the degree and how do you feel it will help you achieve the career objectives you have? (500 words)

Cambridge Judge Essay 3: If you could change one thing about your current organisation, what would you make different? How would you overcome obstacles to this change, and what impact would this change have in the short-term and long-term?  (300 words)

Oxford Said

Programme information

Essays

Oxford Said Essay 1: What should Oxford expect from you? (Maximum 500 words)

Oxford Said Essay 2: How do you hope to see your career developing over the next 5 years?  How will the MBA and Oxford assist you in the development of these ambitions? (Maximum 500 words)

Oxford Said Essay 3: Please choose and answer one of the two essays below:

Sport is pure comeptition.  What does it teach us about companies, individuals, and markets? (Maximum 500 words)

OR

The business of business is business.  Is this true? (Maximum 500 words)

Oxford Said Reapplicant Essay: What improvements have you made in your candidacy since you last applied to the Oxford MBA?   (maximum 250 words)

Cranfield School of Management, UK

Essays

Cranfield Essay 1: Please outline your career objectives and how the MBA will help you to achieve them.

Cranfield Essay 2: What positions of responsibility have you held (not necessarily business related)? What have you gained from this experience?

Cranfield Essay 3: What single event or achievement has been most significant in your life? What were the results of this event or achievement?

Cranfield Essay 4: Describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced firsthand. Discuss how you thought about and managed the situation.

Cranfield Essay 5: Please give details of your hobbies, sporting activities and other outside interests, for example work in the community.

Cranfield Essay 6 (Optional): This is your opportunity to add any other information that you believe may influence our decision on your application.

Cranfield Essay 7( Scholarship) : Please use the following space to make a case for being awarded one of our scholarships. Please specify which scholarship you are applying for

Warwick

Essays

Warwick Essay 1: Please describe your main interests and leisure activities, and any other experience or involvement that has significantly influenced your career or personal development. (200 words)

Warwick Essay 2.  Please explain your principal reasons for wishing to join the Warwick MBA. Describe your career aspirations, the contribution you will make to the programme and, if you will be sponsored, the value you will add to your sponsoring organisation.  (200 words)

Warwick Essay 3. Choose from one of the following two topics: Either “In your opinion, what are the key issues facing your organisation over the next five years?” OR “Identify the major strengths and weaknesses of an organisation of your choice. If you were the CEO, what three things would you change?”  ( 1000 words)

Warwick Optional Essay: Please use this page for any additional information that was not captured within your application. If you feel you’ve already provided us with sufficient information about yourself, you need not add anything here. (500 words)

IESE, Spain

Essays

IESE Spain Essay 1: Describe your short-term and long-term career goals (post MBA).  (300 word limit)

IESE Spain Essay 2: Describe two substantial accomplishments and one failure in a professional or private endeavour. (600 word limit)

IESE Spain Essay 3: I wish that the application had asked me…  (200 word limit)

IESE Spain Scolarship Essay 1: In addition to the academic and professional activities already mentioned, describe any other activities in which you were or are currently involved. This includes university, college, community, athletic, political and cultural organizations, articles published, awards won, professional titles obtained, etc. (200 word limit)

IESE Spain Scholarship Essay 2: Describe the most difficult project (personal or professional) that you have faced recently (within last two years). (200 word limit)

IESE Spain Resume: Please upload your CV or resume. Include a description of your responsibilities, your career progress and achievements. Please limit your CV to 1 or 2 pages maximum, one page is preferable.

SDA Bocconi, Italy

Essays

SDA Bocconi Essay 1: Write down, in order of importance, all possible past or present community or cultural responsibilities. (approx. 1390 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 2: What interests and occupations do you pursue in your free time? (approx. 1390 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 3: What do you think you gained from your university studies? Conversely, what important things do you think your studies lacked? (approx. 1390 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 4: Explain the most significant goals you think you have achieved so far and the reasons for their importance in your personal growth. (approx. 1500 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 5: Describe your strong points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such. (approx. 1500 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 6: Describe your weak points, personal and professional, explaining why you see them as such. (approx. 1500 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 7: What are the reasons that lead you to apply to the MBA program at this point in your life? (approx. 2400 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 8: What do you hope to get from the MBA program? (approx. 2400 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 9: What other possibilities have you seriously considered, apart from the MBA program, for reaching your goals of personal and professional growth? (approx. 2400 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 10: Have you applied to other business schools in Italy or elsewhere? If yes, which ones and why? (approx. 2000 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 11: Where do you wish to pursue your profession after receiving the MBA diploma? Italy? My home country? Elsewhere? Why? (approx. 2300 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 12: What are your short-term professional goals (within the next four years)? (approx. 2300 chars)

SDA Bocconi Essay 13: What are your long-term professional goals? (approx. 2500 chars)

.

ESADE, Spain

Essays

Esade Essay 1: Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)

Esade Essay 2 : How will your background, values and non work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished). (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)

Esade Essay 3: What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about ESADE you think will help you reach your goals? (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)

Esade Essay 4:  Complete two of the following four questions or statements (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)

a) I am most proud of…

b) People may be surprised to learn that I…

c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?

d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?

Esade Essay 5:  Please provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (2000 characters maximum, 30 lines approximately)

Esade Resume: Attach your CV or Resume with detailed professional history (maximum 150Kb).

HEC, Paris

Programme Information

Essays

HEC Paris Essay 1: Why are you applying to the HEC MBA Program now? What is the professional objective that will guide your career choice after your MBA, and how will the HEC MBA contribute to the achievement of this objective? (500 words)

HEC Paris Essay 2: What do you consider your most significant life achievement? (250 words)

HEC Paris Essay 3: Leadership and ethics are inevitably intertwined in the business world. Describe a situation in which you have dealt with these issues and how they have influenced you. (250 words)

HEC Paris Essay 4: Imagine a life entirely different from the one you now lead, what would it be? (250 words)

HEC Paris Essay 5: Please choose from one of the following essays: (250 words)
A. What monument or site would you advise a first-time visitor to your country or city to discover, and why?
B. Certain books, movies or plays have had an international success that you believe to be undeserved. Choose an example and analyse it.
C. What figure do you most admire and why? You may choose from any field (arts, literature, politics, business, etc).

HEC Paris Essay 6: (Optional) Is there any additional information you would like to share with us? (900 words)

IMD, Switzerland

Essays

IMD “Position sought after graduation” essay: Please give us your short term career goal post MBA (up to 5 years). Describe how the IMD MBA will help you achieve this goal and how you will approach your job search. (2000 characters max)

The maximum length for each essay is 1230 characters including <space>. Essay 1 is double length.

IMD “Most important achievement” essay: What do you consider to be your single most important achievement and why? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 1: Two situations of importance to you: (Please describe two situations, business or otherwise, in which you were involved and which were of importance to you. Explain why you view them as such.)

IMD Essay 2:  Failure to reach objective: Please comment on a situation where you failed to reach an objective and what you learned from it.(1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 3: Leadership: Describe a situation where you had to demonstrate strong leadership skills. Explain how effective you were and what you learned. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 4: Describe yourself: How do you imagine your superior would describe your strengths and weaknesses to someone who does not know you? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 5:  International Exposure: Describe a situation where you successfully worked across cultures and/or nations. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 6: Differentiators: IMD receives numerous applications per year. Give us four bullet points that clearly differentiate you from this applicant pool. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 7:  Alternatives: If you are not admitted, what alternatives will you consider? (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 8:  Finance: Please explain how you intend to finance your studies at IMD. What would be your budget? Note: this has no influence on the admissions decision. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 9:  Disability / illness: Do you have a disability or illness that could affect your performance at IMD? If so, please explain. (1230 characters max)

IMD Essay 10: Additional Information (Optional question): Is there any additional information that is critical for the Admissions Committee to know which has not been covered elsewhere in this application? (1230 characters max)

Imperial College Business School, UK

Essays

Personal Statement (750 words)
Please describe:
1. Your reason for choosing the programme
2. Positions of responsibility you have held and how these have helped any subsequent endeavours                              3. Achievements in your life of which you are most proud and what you have learned from these