The UCLA Anderson School of Management requires candidates to provide three “short essays.” The first is about their need for an MBA, and the second focuses on their short- and long-term professional objectives. For the third, applicants are asked to discuss their expectations for their time in the Anderson MBA program, particularly with respect to their leadership development. In total, the three essays have a maximum word count of just 550 words, so candidates must be concise and direct in their responses. Some applicants might be tempted to use the optional essay to squeeze in more information about themselves, but anyone considering this option must be prudent about doing so, because Anderson very clearly states that the essay is specifically for “extenuating circumstances.” Our full analysis of all the school’s 2024–2025 prompts follows.
UCLA Anderson 2024-2025 Essay Tips
We look forward to learning about your perspectives and plans via your responses to the short essay prompts. Essays complement the answers you provide throughout the application to show us your whole profile. The best applications are introspective, genuine and succinct in directly answering our questions and showing clear plans for the future.
Strong essays describe the impact of your achievement and clarify its connection to your future MBA plans in the short- and long-term. We look forward to learning about the specific ways your achievement helped set you up for future success.
A) Short Essay Prompts: For the 2024-2025 application year, we have three short essay prompts that are required for first-time applicants:
1. Why are you pursuing an MBA? (150 words)
This is a very straightforward request for your motivation for wanting to attend business school. What do you need to learn, gain, or experience that you believe is necessary to get you from where you are now to where you want to be in the future? Consider all the benefits and opportunities that business school provides, such as the network, exposure to a wide range of diverse individuals and environments, extracurricular opportunities and events, mentorship possibilities, access to distinguished faculty members, and hands-on learning experiences. Do not discuss your professional aspirations in this essay; you will address that part of your profile in your second essay.
An MBA is a major investment in a variety of ways and on multiple levels, and the Anderson admissions committee wants to know that you are enthusiastic about the entire experience and feel that the commitment of resources is both necessary and worthwhile. Succinctly explain how earning your MBA will be additive to your life, personally as well as professionally.
2. Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals. (150 words)
This is another very straightforward question that does not require a lot of embellishment. Be as specific as you can to show the admissions committee that you have a clear plan and focus. If you know the exact role you want to target, along with the industry and/or function and perhaps even specific organizations you would like to join, simply present this information. If you do not, be as detailed as you can in 150 words in describing the overall path you want to take, perhaps the kind of work you would like to do and/or the problem you want to help solve. Showing intention and focus is key. The school is not looking for any one “right” answer here, but you want to make sure that your stated goals make sense given your background (which the admissions committee will be able to extrapolate from your resume) and that the transition from your short-term aspiration to your longer-term goal is both understandable and realistic.
These first two essays cover some of the traditional elements of a standard personal statement, so we encourage you to download a free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which offers in-depth guidance on how to frame and discuss these elements of your candidacy, along with multiple illustrative examples.
3. At Anderson, our mission is to prepare transformative leaders by developing students to think innovatively, problem-solve, and adapt to others – all with a driven and purposeful mindset. How do you plan to achieve your goals and develop into a transformative leader during your time at UCLA Anderson? (250 words)
At its core, this essay prompt is very much a “why our school?” type of question. The admissions committee wants to know what resources and opportunities at Anderson you will rely on to gain the skills, exposure, and/or knowledge you feel you need to become the leader you hope to be in your career. In this (brief) essay, you need to show that you are very familiar with what the Anderson MBA experience offers and which aspects of it resonate with you personally. This of course means that you must do your research on the program beyond the school’s basic marketing materials and speak directly with students and alumni to get personal insight into the offerings you feel are most important for you. You cannot simply offer the admissions committee a list of courses or events or the like—you must show how you will take advantage of the resources you highlight and explain why they are key to your development. Anderson wants to see that you are prepared to be an equal player in your advancement and are eager to do so.
If you can tie your answer to any of the three examples the admissions committee calls out in the prompt—“think[ing] innovatively, problem-solv[ing], and adapt[ing] to others”—that could be a plus, but this is not necessary, and do not force an answer that is not true to you and your intended career path.
Again, we suggest downloading your free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide, which offers advice on how to approach and respond to the “why our school?” element of many programs’ essay prompts.
Optional Essay: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)
Anderson’s optional essay is your opportunity—if needed—to address any lingering questions that an admissions officer might have about your candidacy, such as a poor grade or overall GPA, a low GMAT or GRE score, or a gap in your work experience. Do not simply try to fill this space because you fear that not doing so would somehow count against you (it will not). The admissions committee states very clearly on its application requirements page, “No preference is given in the evaluation process to those who choose to respond to this optional essay, so please use your best judgment.” This means that no matter how tempted you might be, this is not the place to reuse a strong essay you wrote for a different school or to offer an anecdote or two that you were unable to include in your required essay. However, if you truly feel that you must emphasize or explain something that would legitimately render your application incomplete if omitted, write a very brief piece on this key aspect of your profile. But before you do, we suggest downloading your free copy of the mbaMission Optional Essays Guide, in which we offer detailed advice on deciding whether to take advantage of the optional essay and how best to do so (with multiple sample essays), if needed.
Reapplicant Essay(s): Reapplicants are those who submitted a completed MBA application within the previous two years (that is, who applied for the MBA program starting in 2023 or 2024) and received a final decision. Reapplicants are required to answer the first two Short Essay Prompts. It is suggested, but not required, to also answer the third Short Essay Prompt, as well as the Optional Essay.
Rather than simply providing an update on their candidacy and reasserting their interest in Anderson’s MBA program, reapplicants must respond to the school’s first two short-answer questions for first-time applicants. This seems to underscore the importance of the required essay questions and the admissions committee’s interest in learning about these aspects of their candidates’ profiles. Although the school notes that providing responses to the third question and the optional prompt are not required, we would strongly suggest doing so to demonstrate the level of your investment and interest in an Anderson MBA. That said, you must of course respond thoughtfully and compellingly to these additional prompts—you will not gain points simply for submitting something; the substance still needs to be there.
To learn more about UCLA Anderson’s academic program, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, standout faculty members, and other key features, download a complimentary copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Anderson School of Management.
The Next Step—Mastering Your UCLA Anderson Interview: Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. We therefore offer our free Interview Guides to spur you along! Download your free copy of the UCLA Anderson Interview Guides today.
