strength and weakness mba essay sample

Strengths & Weaknesses MBA Essay Examples

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Strengths & Weaknesses Essay Samples

Many MBA applications include a strengths and weaknesses essay prompt, either directly or indirectly.

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In the meantime, see examples of strengths and weaknesses essays from our successful admits below.

My diverse upbringing and career choices have provided me with a broad skill set that I intend to further cultivate in business school. My analytical and interpersonal skills have been integral to my success, and I aim to further enhance these skills while also honing my leadership abilities at Kenan-Flagler.

Analytical skills are instrumental in my role as a planner at Fossil Inc where I combine historical sales metrics with current trends to forecast sales opportunities and maximize sales potential nation-wide. Working on a tight budget, I scrutinize sales and inventory reports to make the most accurate allocation and purchasing decisions. My precision in forecasting has led my team to achieve the most productive product assortment of any Fossil merchandise category. Most recently, I architected the Holiday 2010 Sunwear assortment purchase for North American stores by determining which silhouettes sold best in different geographies and which price points were the most effective in certain regions. For instance, large round shaped frames are not as productive in many west coast and Hawaii stores as these shapes do not fit Asian faces as well. Also, customers are less price-sensitive in Las Vegas and New York, as most of the customer base is tourists who are willing to pay higher prices. Because of my precise analysis of purchasing trends, I created a highly accurate assortment purchase and led my team to achieve same-store comparative sales of +6% in October, a result that had not been reached in over 14 months.

Interpersonal skills have also driven my career success to date. When working with the international planning department, I was quickly recognized for these skills and was selected to serve as an ambassador to our international counterparts when they visited the corporate headquarters, directing them to meetings and organizing break-out sessions with the individual planning groups. Due in part to my strong interpersonal abilities, I was moved to the domestic planning team where I have relished the challenge of more corporate and executive exposure. I quickly became the contact person within the stores planning department for the entire Sunwear business, partnering with our wholesale teams to discuss best practices and sales drivers.

While I have also been recognized for my leadership skills, leadership is a strength I intend to leverage in the future as I progress up the management ranks. Recently at Fossil, I assumed an ad-hoc leadership role on my team and was selected to be the new store coordinator based on my performance. Organizing meetings, communicating critical milestones and ensuring flawless execution of product delivery, I have led the store planning team in the opening of 18 new global sites in 2010 and will lay the framework to open an additional 50 sites in 2011. At Kenan-Flagler, I plan to continue my leadership development by assuming the role of team leader on a STAR team, where I will gain unmatched real world and leadership experience and skills. I also intend to leverage the “continuous learning cycle” method and the leadership development program at Kenan-Flagler to evolve into a recognized leader in my newly launched career.

?Leadership ability is one of my greatest strengths. The most vivid example of this ability was my role spearheading the move of our $3 billion Wealth Management business from Matstone to GTR amid the chaotic financial system meltdown and the collapse of our firm in 2008. My attention to detail, organization, and capacity to adapt quickly resulted in significant progress, but it was my ability to effectively delegate responsibilities and empower team members that enabled us to be successful. As a leader, my open-minded, results-driven style made me more productive and respected and I used feedback from my team to make effective changes in my management style. My versatility and self-awareness elicited a positive response from my team members, which was reflected in their attitudes and in the quality of their work. The end result: today we operate as one of the largest and most successful teams at GTR.

Another area of strength is my communication skills, which are essential to building and fostering relationships in the financial services industry. The dynamic interrelationships of markets and the growing complexity of financial products regularly exceed clients’ levels of sophistication and it is my job to interpret and explain these investments in a language they can easily understand. During Matstone’s bankruptcy, I interacted in person and over the phone with our panicked clients to comfort and reassure them we were actively seeking the most accurate information and consistently looking out for their best interests.

An additional strength is my ability to think analytically across a wide spectrum of interrelated disciplines, from trading to developing investment solutions, to estate planning and operations. In Wealth Management, decision-making occurs in real-time and requires the ability to proactively synthesize large amounts of information and react accordingly. I earned the CFA designation in 2008 to further develop my analytical skills and it is this critical thinking ability that has drawn clients to seek my advice and perspective, adding value to our team and to GTR. I look forward to leveraging my creative and teambuilding skills while capitalizing on the diverse curriculum offered at Kenan-Flagler. The STAR program, for example, will provide me with an entrée into the consulting field and the opportunity to work collaboratively with students and global business leaders, turning real world business challenges into profitable business solutions. As a varsity “athlete” at Kenan-Flagler, I am also eager to utilize these skills as an active participant in case competitions, leading my team to a first place finish over Duke University in the “Battle of the Blues.”

Philanthropy is also an integral part of my life and I intend to leverage my extensive non-profit leadership experience while continuing my commitment to community service at Kenan-Flagler. As a leader of the Kenan-Flagler Habitat for Humanity Project, an organization for which I have done extensive work, I can contribute to an MBA culture that exemplifies a positive impact on society and supports leadership development on campus and in the UNC-Chapel Hill community.

I define myself as a person with strong values, intelligence, passion and perseverance, who is committed to making a difference in her country and her region. These qualities were instilled in me at an early age by my family and my environment.

My father’s death when I was one year old changed my life significantly. To cover her grief, my mother put her focus on my education during my pre-school years. Through her commitment I entered school directly into the second grade and since then, I have succeeded in doing many things earlier in life. Although, at times I was put in situations I was not really prepared for, including entering university as a precocious age of 15 years old, on the whole, I have matured faster than people my age, built a strong character to overcome challenges, and become self-confident. These qualities have helped me achieve success both personally and professionally: I was a top performer in my marketing career in three international companies; I lived and thrived in three different foreign countries; and most recently, I started my own venture.

My mother also instilled in me a strong moral character. That strength, coupled with my problem solving skills, makes me a good leader; I have led teams successfully in diverse situations with different leadership styles, from an intellectual style based on data-driven decision-making and strong analytical thinking, to a more participative style, requesting ideas and fostering teamwork. I am aware of my weaknesses too: I am impatient, it is difficult for me to deal with ambiguity, and sometimes I react quickly and emotionally. To overcome these weaknesses, I keep a log of the situations that trigger them so I will be more careful in the future. I also seek out coaching from people who are strong in these areas, and read relevant self-help materials.

Starting my own venture helped me further develop perseverance and overcome my impatience. Launching my company was very difficult because I lacked a network in Chile, knowledge of the country, and experience starting a business. However, with perseverance and creativity I learned how to make an impact and provide a compelling offer to local companies, I also learned how to absorb negative answers and deal with adversity. After the success of my first project, people learned about my good service and my business is now well positioned.

Perhaps the most important aspects of my upbringing in Canada was seeing the difficulties poor people face first-hand. I am aware of the advantages I have received, and I am passionate and committed to improve the quality of life of all North Americans.

One of John’ greatest strengths is his personal drive. Even though he has a full workload, often requiring weekend work, he requested authority to hire and manage an intern this year too. Though it added to his work-load, John felt that an internship program would give us an opportunity to develop talented young people for future positions, while providing local students with the experience they need in today’s competitive job market. John has also taken this opportunity to build on his own management and delegation skills. However, drive alone does not translate into high performance. John is extremely intelligent; he grasps and synthesizes complex concepts quickly. I can think of numerous instances where I explained a complicated accounting concept to John, and he quickly demonstrated a firm understanding and incorporated it into a financial model. Also, John stands out among his peers for his work ethic. We can always count on him to take on extra projects with immediate deadlines. It is never necessary to ask John to stay late or put in extra time as he takes the initiate to put in whatever it takes. Moreover, he completes these extra projects by the deadlines every time, while continuing to complete his standard duties in a timely manner as well. Finally, John is committed to giving back. He places a high priority on contributing his time to help Oregon State students. Additionally, he coaches the varsity girls’ volleyball team at a local high school.

The Library Foundation’s (TLF) motto reads that “the love of learning is the guide of life.” I have always lived my life to this effect, majoring in History and studying and travelling abroad whenever possible. Desiring to give back and inspire others to follow their own love of learning, I became involved in TLF, initially through fundraising and later through a program called The Upper School Awards, whose proceeds go towards scholarships for local, underprivileged students. I volunteered to co-chair the awards committee and read through each application. I was honored to present these awards to the recipients in a ceremony at the TLF headquarters.

Following this effort, I further collaborated with a TLF Board member to spearhead a Fundraising Committee, not only to continue raising money for the Upper School Awards, but also to fundraise for member events and speaker series, and eventually launch a small endowment. We created a proposal and presented to the Board, discussing the reasons why we felt this committee would be fruitful to TLF, our monetary goals for the year and specifics as to how we planned to raise money through donations and special events. The Board ultimately voted in favor of the Committee and members of the association recognized my dedication to the organization and its cause; as a result, I was elected to become the youngest Executive Committee Member on TLF’s Board.

Through this experience I learned that I am adaptable. When asked to co-chair the High School Awards committee, while I did not have direct experience in education, I used my analytical skills and love of learning to select three well-qualified individuals for scholarships. I also learned that I am skilled at communicating effectively not only in the corporate world, but in the non-profit world as well. For instance, I determined it would be worthwhile to invest our limited funds to generate a small return. While other board members had suggested this to no avail in the past, I performed my own due diligence and clearly communicated my findings in layman’s terms to the Board, which ultimately signed off.

Through this experience I also learned that I could be impatient when others are resistant to change, as was the case when I suggested investing our funds. Ultimately, I was successful in this pursuit. However, next time I will approach impatience as an opportunity to find a useful solution, rather than a hindrance in accomplishing a goal. Additionally, I learned that I have difficulty accepting that a non-corporate environment could have a different pace, and there weren’t necessarily the same kinds of experts to which I was accustomed. I am learning to adjust my expectations and in turn take advantage of learning about concepts in non-profits with which I am unfamiliar.

I hope to continue following my love of learning by pursuing an MBA at Tuck. In doing so I am confident I will bring the same enthusiasm for teamwork, adaptability and effective communication as I did to TLF.

I am a leader, and I would like to emphasize a few characteristics I have found to be especially important in terms of my leadership skills. In my opinion, the biggest challenge of leadership is taking responsibility rather than assigning it. I’ve always taken responsibility. For me, personal example is not a slogan, but a regular practice. I believe that a real leader is someone with full integrity and high moral standards and all my life I have striven to keep the highest standards in my personal and professional lives.

I am a very open minded person. While I believe in myself, I am also highly self-critical. My gift, as a journalist, has been to interact with a lot of people who are smarter and more experienced than me. I believe I am a quick learner and for me, criticism is a means of self-improvement. I must admit that I make many mistakes, but I try not to repeat them and to understand what went wrong in order to improve in the future.

I’m a man of action and not a man of words. I know that this statement sounds funny coming from a journalist, but I truly believe first in action. The Jewish leadership includes two items: responsibility and action. A Jewish leader is judged on his deeds, rather than his words.

I tend to make difficult decisions on my own, rather than reaching out for help. This is an advantage when the process requires speed and decisiveness, but I believe that I need to be more open to discussion and that is something I have been focused on improving. I am a very curious individual; over the years I’ve gained an extremely large base of knowledge, but I acknowledge that I lack international exposure as someone who has never been away from my home for more than 4 months. I’m also aware that I don’t have the broad base of knowledge required of a 21st century global manager. I believe studying at HBS could help to address these weaknesses.

Lastly, I am an ambitious and determined individual. My efforts are to keep those characteristics in balance so they will be strengths and not weaknesses. A thorough understanding of personality brings me to the conclusion that balance is the key differentiating factor between strengths and weaknesses. Most characteristics are neutral in nature and the way that you use them determines whether they become a weakness or a strength.

Since an early age, balance has played a critical role in my personal growth. I define balance as embracing new activities and perspectives that challenge me, broaden my worldview, and ultimately allow me to enrich my work environments and communities. Consciously maintaining a balance in all elements of my life has trained me to be versatile and has helped me develop numerous strengths. My team leadership and adaptability skills have grown most under this philosophy.

My life-long passion for team sports culminated in a leadership role as a member of Colgate’s Division I lacrosse team. Although I was not the most physically gifted athlete, I compensated for my lack of innate skill with a dedicated work ethic, uncompromising team loyalty, and strong performance under pressure. A consummate student, my experiences during the first years on the team taught me that the most effective leadership style requires a mix of leading by example and leading by instruction. Recognizing that I was developing these attributes, our coach selected me as captain my senior year. In turn, I leveraged this strength to help lead the team to the Patriot League regular season title.

Subsequently, I have applied the team leadership skills developed on the field to my career, where I have led several teams. Most recently, I partnered with the Global Head of a new sales team at AllianceBernstein to execute the strategic direction of the company. In this role, I have collaborated with multiple levels of stakeholders to determine that we should shift the firm’s sales strategy from one focused on equity products to one oriented towards alternative investments.

Although I have been successful in my post-collegiate career, my career alone does not define me. I am deeply involved in several non-work activities, adapting to each activity’s demands in order to meaningfully contribute. In particular, I embrace and thrive in a diversity of environments. To maintain ties to nature, I annually climb fourteen-thousand foot mountains in my native state, Colorado. To maintain ties to team sports, I captain a club lacrosse team and race for a cycling team in New York. To maintain ties to the arts community, I supportively patronize emerging artists and am a young member of the MET. My most meaningful non-career activity, however, has been my work with two philanthropic organizations in New York: the Fresh Air Fund and Year-Up. Each group supports at-risk urban youth from New York’s five boroughs. My involvement has been balanced between ground level support, tutoring Fresh Air Fund students and mentoring Year-Up participants, and fundraising support, ensuring the organizations have resources to achieve their goals.

While my adaptability and team leadership skills will allow me to immediately contribute to the MBA program, I believe my perspective on seeking balance is the strength that will enable me to truly enrich the McCombs community. I plan to share my experiences and skills with fellow students while leveraging the full resources of the school to gain not merely a degree, but a broadening educational experience.

Living in Malaysia was a defining moment in my life. I attended an international school where I developed an appreciation for diversity as I interacted with people from countless countries and societies. My experiences living and traveling abroad also shaped many life choices I made going forward. I chose to attend Tufts University because of its diverse population, international relations coursework, and extensive study abroad opportunities.

These international experiences have been beneficial thus far in my career, namely in working with global teams at Fossil. These skills will also be an asset to the McCombs community, enabling me to effectively work with diverse classmates on team assignments and club activities. My understanding of other cultures will help me relate to my international peers, serving as a link, when needed, between international and domestic students. While at McCombs, I plan to be an active member of the International MBA Student Association and Graduate Marketing Network. I believe that the purpose and team building on which these associations are built are fundamental components to both a well-rounded MBA experience and an extensive global perspective.

Living abroad also instilled a desire to give back to my community. My family participated in a number of company-organized community outreach events in Malaysia, inspiring me to serve my community since. After college, I decided to focus my efforts on two organizations where I feel I make a substantial impact: Vickery Meadow Learning Center, an ESL center in an impoverished neighborhood, and Attitudes and Attire, a women’s outreach program. My work with both organizations involves helping diverse people turn their lives around, whether it is through teaching English or offering job interview advice. These are highly rewarding experiences as evidenced by my long-standing tenure at each. I strive to hold a leadership role in the Net Impact Student Club, and leverage my business knowledge to help solve social issues in the Austin community. I also plan on making an impact on the Net Impact Club and McCombs community by proposing new local organizations, namely ESL centers, so that my peers can experience their inspiring nature and create personal relationships with the greater Austin community.

I also believe that my retail industry experience will add richness to classroom discussions, and my knowledge of trend identification, strategic data analysis and sales forecasting will be valuable for case studies. Furthermore, because of the entrepreneurial spirit at Fossil, I have sharpened my persuasion skills, as I often propose visual statements or other initiatives to the executive team.

Both my diverse upbringing and retail industry background will bring a fresh perspective to the McCombs classroom and community. Moreover, my involvement in the McCombs community will not end at graduation; I plan on being a dynamic member of my local McCombs alumni chapter. Exposure to diversity and investment in the community are key initiatives in my life, and I intend to make a significant impact at McCombs, both as a student and an alumna.

?One way I’ll enrich the McCombs community during my two years in the program will be by sharing my passion for community service. Giving back is incredibly important to me for a number of reasons, most prevalently because there were times in my youth when my family was on the receiving end of charitable giving. That experience left me with a deep and unwavering commitment to the people and organizations that help families through hard times. I’ll be eager to share this passion by challenging my fellow students to use their unique skills and knowledge to improve the lives of less fortunate people. At McCombs I’ll look to bring my experience as a Life Circuit board member to the Board Fellows program and will work with Net Impact to organize a student trek aimed at meeting and evaluating successful nonprofits in an effort to share best practices and strategy with local nonprofits.

Another way I’ll enrich the McCombs community is by bringing a unique, creative perspective, both inside and outside the classroom. Since graduating with a degree in creative writing, I’ve continually found ways to apply the creative processes I refined in college to problems and opportunities in business. When the Life Circuit faced the inherent challenge of maintaining long-term communication with the homeless youths on the street, I developed an outreach program that relied on social networks, public library computers and a small but spirited troop of volunteers. When LOCO converted to a new data management system, I developed alternative uses for the program that significantly improved my team’s data mining efficiency. At McCombs, I’ll continue to deliver creative solutions and ideas, specifically in terms of innovative approaches to economic development and social capital management.

I’ll also enrich the McCombs community by sharing my passion for health and wellness. Living an active lifestyle became an important part of my life a few years ago when I set out to compete in an Ironman Triathlon, which is a 140.6 mile race composed of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full 26.2 mile marathon. I had never been much of a runner or biker, let alone an endurance athlete, so the experience was a transformative process. My goal was to go from “everyman” to “Ironman”, and after roughly eight months and over 700 hours of training, I was able to do just that. Going through that transformation motivated me to help others live healthy lifestyles. Now I’m passionate about creating inroads to wellness for novices like me and I write about these efforts on my blog. We all live busy lives and often experience fitness in waves of motivation. However, I have a core belief that when it comes to wellness, a small effort goes a long way and we are all much closer to a healthy life than we realize. Through student clubs, forums, and launching events such as fitness themed fundraisers for nonprofits, I’ll spread this philosophy and passion at McCombs, where I expect to find many students eagerly trying to maintain balance between work, school and personal health.

My first major project as the new store coordinator was arguably one of the largest milestones in Fossil Inc.’s history. A local Fossil Clothing concept store was undergoing a major transformation. The re-opening of this store marked the first full-fledged “lifestyle brand” site, and all corporate staff members, both domestic and global, were eyeing the implementation of this project closely. With the annual proforma rising by 200% and an unparalleled amount of money being spent on the state of the art light fixtures, wall displays, and check-out counter, this site was a very expensive testing ground and astonishing results were anticipated. The execution of this new store opening had to be airtight, and I was determined to deliver tremendous results. When I was presented with the responsibility of launching the new lifestyle brand location, I immediately took action. In order to effectively communicate critical information to my team, I needed to understand the vital tasks involved in a successful store opening. I began attending team meetings with the various departments involved in the new store process, compiled each team’s key objectives and timelines, and kept all team members updated on project progress via email and meetings. In order to balance my new leadership role and my everyday job duties, I knew serious process changes had to be made or I would find myself living at the office.

To ensure the successful execution of this project in the most efficient manner, I established new communication strategies. I created an unprecedented template that displayed the most critical projects pending completion from each team. Amended weekly and distributed to all departments, this template helped all teams involved plan and coordinate tasks better with other teams. I also arranged for the store manager to visit the corporate office, so that my team could field any merchandise questions and explain the financial objectives that needed to be met.

Two weeks prior to the store opening, I received word that the Board of Directors wished to view the space in its completed form the day before the official re-opening. To fill any inventory gaps, I enlisted the support of our wholesale and ecommerce partners. The evening before the Board visit, there were still some key items pending delivery, so I arranged a hand-carry of merchandise from the warehouse to the store and helped with last minute aesthetic touch-ups.

The presentation of the new lifestyle brand location to the Board was a huge success for all teams involved, not to mention critical in my leadership development. I needed to make a solid impression on my colleagues in order for them to fully trust my leadership and organizational skills in my new role. After the project reached completion, I was applauded by my peers for my embodiment of two of Fossil’s Core Values: “Be Resourceful,” and “Be Relentless.”

In reflecting on this experience, I initially found myself struggling with time management, working late hours and inefficiently juggling the two responsibilities. Thus I learned the power of communication in leadership and developed new communication documents and a hands-on approach to correspond with the field team. I not only streamlined my communication to all teams, but was also applauded for my entrepreneurial and resourceful abilities.

Moreover, my experience during this project taught me the ability to think strategically under pressure and take the necessary measures to react to challenges with confidence and positivity. In doing so, I demonstrated my relentless attitude and secured the confidence of my colleagues from my quick, yet calculated response to providing a seamless early viewing of the store to our Board. The store remodel was a huge accomplishment for both the Fossil brand and me. The store has far exceeded financial expectations, and since then, I have played a large role in the successful execution of 18 global Fossil sites in 2010 and will lay the critical framework to open another 50 sites in 2011. ?

My team at Knoxland manages LOCO’s international trade operations. In early 2010, I led a project that became a defining leadership experience in that it challenged my quantitative and analytical abilities, as well as my ability to inspire innovation while managing a group of my peers.

After a long-term review of an ongoing operational problem, I presented a plan to management aimed at reducing LOCO’s risk exposure and operational costs. I asserted I could lead a small cross-functional team to analyze trade flow at boutique brokers and ultimately reduce trade risk and costs by developing customized data management solutions to meet the unique needs of broker-dealers in small and emerging markets.

Once management consented, I began the work of executing the plan. I outlined the project with colleagues from different business units, emphasizing the value it would create for our client. I gained the support of foreign broker representatives by highlighting the benefits they’d see through an improved system. And eventually, once all parties were on-board, I led the cross-functional team to orchestrate the technology review and data customization process.

The plan relied on extensive collaboration between operations specialists and IT teams from firms around the world. As project manager I managed deadlines, set goals, mediated conflicts and guided overall strategy. But the more rewarding aspects of the project centered on training my team to address problems creatively.

Each boutique broker presented a different set of technological and operational limitations. By helping my team develop unorthodox and nonstandard solutions, we overcame each broker’s unique set of challenges. I did this by empowering my team to allocate resources and time towards exploring ideas and alternative approaches to longstanding processes.

When the project was complete, LOCO’s risk exposure and operational costs were reduced and an array of longstanding problems resolved. I was pleased to have created added value for our client and proud to have left a lasting footprint on the methods my colleagues now employ when approaching operational problems and solutions.

The experience gave me a great deal of valuable insight into my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. I reaffirmed that effective communication is a key leadership skill and one that demands constant attention. Had I not successfully persuaded managers across a number of departments that the project would strengthen our client relationship, I wouldn’t have had the cross-functional support needed to carry out the project. By highlighting how the project’s success could regularly be quantified and how it would serve the ongoing mission of our division, I was able to get the project off the ground.

Another personal take-away from the experience is that I thrive in a team setting, in part, because I lead by building consensus and advocating collaboration. During each stage of the project, from the initial planning through the final stages, I made it a point to gather feedback from each member in the group in terms of how they felt we should move forward. This was especially helpful since the team was cross-functional and few of us had detailed insight into the challenges each department would face, but it was also helpful because when it came time to execute the plan, each member had a strong sense of ownership in our approach. One personal weakness that surfaced during the project was my inexperience managing direct reports. I learned I tend to rely on collaborative, consensus-building leadership because I have room to grow as a “directive” leader. While I expect leadership via collaboration to be a constant and vital aspect to any MBA program, to be a successful CEO I’ll need to be proficient leading a team of subordinates in a non-restrictive, non-authoritarian manner. I want my direct reports to thrive, personally and professionally. As a result, part of my MBA experience will be about exploring opportunities to develop my personal “directive” leadership style, such as holding leadership positions in various clubs, soliciting feedback from students and faculty, and through specific leadership classes such as Leading People and Organizations and Creating and Managing Human Capital.

It was June of 2005. I had just completed three long years of flight training and was on my way to my first operational squadron. I couldn’t wait to get there, start learning how to tactically employ the F-18, and go on my first deployment. After all, the war on terror was raging and that is why I had signed up three years earlier. But when I arrived, I found out there would be one more detour. I was immediately sent for three weeks to the Naval Legal Justice School where I received a crash course on the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), the laws that regulate behavior in the Armed Forces. After the training, my first job in the squadron would be Legal Officer. A Legal Officer handles administrative paperwork, investigates alleged violations, gathers evidence, and advises the Commanding Officer (CO) on how to best deal with sailors who have found themselves at odds with the law — specifically, what punishments could and could not be legally rendered. I initially thought the job would be no big deal — a few weeks of training and then an hour or two a day dealing with legal matters. I could not have been more wrong.

To begin with, I quickly realized that law school is three years, and not three weeks, for a very good reason. There was simply more to learn than you possibly could in three weeks. Plus, up to that point in my career, I had only been in flight school where my sole responsibility was learning to fly. Now, one month into my first operational tour, not only was I overwhelmed by the new tactics I was expected to learn and execute in the airplane, but I also had a completely different set of skills to master.

Second, it became readily apparent that being the Legal Officer entailed a lot more face time with the CO than most brand new officers were comfortable with, including me. Because violating an accused sailor’s rights can cost a CO his job, he took a great interest in mine. In fact, every time he asked me a question, he wanted the answer yesterday. I also learned that the CO had spent twenty years in the Navy waiting for his chance to be in charge, so he didn’t like being told that he couldn’t do something. While he was very knowledgeable on the inner workings of the Navy, he was unfamiliar with the rules of the UCMJ. So, as the newest member of the squadron, I had the precarious task of advising the boss on what he could do and, on occasion, telling him what he couldn’t.

My initial thought was the squadron made a mistake; someone of my rank and experience should not be given this much responsibility. After I let the overwhelmed feeling sink in, I had to step back and evaluate the situation. What weaknesses were preventing me from doing an outstanding job? I realized I had to get organized, both with my time and study management. Like it or not, I now had two very important jobs to learn. Second, I had to be more assertive when speaking to authority. I had the knack for analyzing a situation and developing a strategy; I just needed to develop my communication skills so that I could effectively convey those options to the CO without negatively affecting my career. By putting these realizations into action, I became more comfortable in my role and over time I even began to enjoy the job. About a month before I was relieved by a new Legal Officer, the CO approached me at a squadron social function. He put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eye and said, “Wanted you to know that you’ve done a great job,” the ultimate compliment for a new officer.

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from Kellogg, Booth and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Just two of the many superstars on the SBC team: Meet Beth who held the position of Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full Time MBA program selecting candidates for the 2-year, 1-year, MMM and JD MBA programs.

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• Feb 2, 2023

From Flaw to Strength: 5 Weaknesses For Your MBA Application

Updated: Feb 1

Some business schools explicitly ask for weaknesses in their written applications. For example, the INSEAD MBA application includes a strengths and weaknesses essay:

“Give a candid description of yourself (who are you as a person), 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 in 500 words.”

While answering a question like this, you need to reflect on your work experience to identify a weakness that is, first off, undeniably a weakness, and second improvable. Think of something that is a trait or a skill that needs improvement. Humbly accept it and show how you’re working on improving it. Then pair it with a fierce strength of yours, especially something you’ve been applauded for at work, to balance it out and make a strong impression on AdCom.

But for those schools that don’t have a personal strengths and weaknesses essay, it’s also a question you should be ready to answer in your 1:1 interview , a mandatory part of most business school applications. These interviews are usually conducted by the AdCom or a second-year student and statistically you have a 50% chance of making it through to the school.

In these MBA interviews, a weakness question could come up in many ways, but according to our client feedback the two most common weakness interview questions are:

“Tell us about your biggest weakness”

“Tell us about a time you failed”

Don’t even think about brushing them off with a rubbish answer, such as “I’m a perfectionist”, thinking they won’t be able to see through you. Forget it. They definitely will. So, how do you identify a weakness for your essays and interviews? Let’s read further.

How to identify (a good) weakness

Admitting a weakness might look like it could harm your candidature. And yes, it could if you don’t approach the question in the right way, which is to find a genuine weakness and explain how you are working to improve it. This shows maturity, self-awareness and the ability to address an area for improvement. After all, if you were perfect already, you wouldn't need an MBA!

Instead of focusing on fundamental personality flaws, we suggest highlighting a skill that you are working to improve. To do this, make a list of the technical and non-technical skills that are required to succeed in your industry. Then, identify the skills you already possess and the ones you need to develop. Finally, select a skill that an MBA program could help you improve.

For example, if you find it difficult to share your innovative ideas with a room full of strangers, explain how this has affected you at work. Then talk about the actionable steps you have taken to improve this weakness. This could include taking on a hobby such as public speaking or acting. This approach demonstrates that you are action-oriented, have a growth-oriented mindset, are introspective and have the maturity to articulate your weaknesses. It also shows that you are not afraid of being vulnerable , a trait that is essential for success in an MBA program and in life.

Pro tip: One of the first steps we take with clients is to ask them to complete a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test. Using this, you can identify weaknesses typical of your personality type. You can take a free personality test at 16personalities.com.

Take an MBTI personality test to find the weaknesses typical of your personality type

Now that you understand how to choose a weakness and discuss it in your interview, check out five examples of personal weaknesses that you may want to use in your essays or interview.

5 personal weaknesses examples for MBA applications

1. I tend to overlook details

“My biggest weakness is that I am not naturally detail-oriented, and tend to focus more on the big picture. As a project manager in my current job, I once lost a significant deal due to overlooking crucial details in the contract. Since then, I’ve been working on improving my attention to detail. For instance, I now take detailed notes during meetings and review them afterwards to ensure I didn't miss anything important. I also make a point of double-checking my work before submitting it, and have been delegating some of my tasks to a colleague known for their attention to detail. I’ll continue to improve on this during my MBA by systematically checking coursework for myself and my study team."

2. I tend to be overly self-critical

“Being highly self-conscious, I sometimes struggle with self-criticism. I often find myself judging my thoughts and ideas, which leads me to doubt my skills and abilities. Because of this, I sometimes get stuck in a continuous procrastinating cycle. Fairly recently, I missed out on an important project at work because I was afraid to open up and share my ideas with my teammates. To improve on this weakness, I’ve been trying to be more mindful of my thoughts and practice self-compassion. I try to remind myself that it's normal to make mistakes and that everyone has unique strengths and weaknesses. I also try to reframe my negative thoughts and turn them into positives. Practicing meditation and mindfulness techniques has also helped me focus on the present and not get caught up in negative thoughts. Recently, I was able to present my ideas one at a time to a prospective client without getting too caught up in my head, by taking these small steps. He was so impressed by my presentation that he signed a new contract. This is the biggest client account I have onboarded in my current role.”

3. I struggle to multi-task

“I can struggle to manage different tasks at the same time. This especially became challenging when I took over as an Operations Specialist, where I led the implementation teams for 10 different tier-2 cities across India. With so much happening on various fronts, I sometimes failed to meet the deadline or could not resolve supply chain issues with different city teams. My manager gave me feedback to use a platform like 'Notion' to manage project timelines better. She also advised breaking tasks into smaller goals and set a to-do list for each day. I have also started to delegate wherever possible so that my team becomes more efficient and self-dependent. Since implementing these suggestions, I’ve certainly improved my ability to multi-task and have received great feedback.”

4. I lose interest during execution

“I’m the Ideas person in my team. When we’re marketing a new product in our agency, I’m the one who devises an innovative marketing strategy and creates effective action plans. I love making chart boards and step-by-step plans and using data visualization tech like Tableau. However, when it comes to executing our strategies, my mind often moves onto the next project before the last one is complete. In my post-MBA role of Marketing Manager at a startup, I’ll lead the in-house marketing team where I’ll need to oversee the execution of our strategies while also devising new strategies. During my MBA, I plan to take the Operations elective with professor XYZ to help manage this.”

5. I can be reluctant to speak up

“Being an introvert, I can be reserved in meetings and after-work networking gatherings. While working with new teams, it takes me time to warm up to my teammates and openly share my ideas. However, I have recently acknowledged this weakness and am working on becoming more comfortable in social settings. I go out of my way to attend networking events regularly, where I challenge myself to initiate conversations with new people. I have also joined the Toastmasters public speaking club to help me improve my confidence. I am determined to continue to put in the effort to become more outgoing and confident in social settings, as I know it will help me achieve my professional goals."

We hope these 5 examples of weaknesses help you understand how to constructively share your weakness with AdCom during your interview. If you need help preparing for your business school interview, why not book a 20-min chat with any of our consultants and explore how our team can help you prepare for your MBA interviews.

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Sample MBA Essay - What is your greatest weakness

About the Author 

I am Atul Jose - the Founding Consultant at F1GMAT.

Over the past 15 years, I have helped MBA applicants gain admissions to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, Haas, Yale, NYU Stern, Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, IE, IESE, HEC Paris, McCombs, Tepper, and schools in the top 30 global MBA ranking. 

I offer end-to-end Admissions Consulting and editing services – Career Planning, Application Essay Editing & Review, Recommendation Letter Editing, Interview Prep, assistance in finding funds and Scholarship Essay & Cover letter editing. See my Full Bio .

Contact me for support in school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative advice, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing and guiding supervisors with recommendation letter guideline documents . 

I am also the Author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, covering 16+ top MBA programs with 240+ Sample Essays that I have updated every year since 2013 (11+ years. Phew!!)

I am an Admissions consultant who writes and edits Essays every year . And it is not easy to write good essays. 

I understand your pain. Let us strategize.

Winning MBA Essay Guide  = Harvard + Stanford + Wharton + Columbia + Booth + MIT + Kellogg + Darden + Yale + NYU Stern + Haas + Ross + Duke Fuqua + INSEAD + LBS + Tuck  Essay Tips and 245+ Sample Essays + Leadership Narratives + Editing Techniques + Storytelling Tips + Video Essay Scripts + Curriculum Analysis of each MBA program for the Why MBA Question

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"What I like the most about Atul's Editing is his willingness to listen and consider my words before suggesting alternatives. Most consultants give recommendations with no room for debate. The crazy hours he puts into making the essay perfect is another quality that makes F1GMAT different. I went back and forth with him for nine versions of the Stanford Essay. I didn't pay anything extra for the additional edits. Highly recommend the review service. Ask for the three school bundle service" - Stanford and MIT Accepted (Stanford MBA)

"The extensive evaluation of my profile, along with intense debate on the possible career paths, made discussions with Atul an enlightening experience. He knows what he is saying and uses data to support the case. The Q&A for the impact table is another part of the service that opened my eyes to a couple of career paths. But the most useful service is the editing. After writing and self-editing the Wharton MBA essay, I couldn't shorten the length. Atul cut the words without losing the storytelling qualities of my essay." - Wharton MBA

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"Atul is a brilliant strategist and editor. He recognized my weakness and communicated them in an honest way without ever putting me down. The balance of practicality and encouragement helped me set the right expectations and focus all my efforts on European schools as my post-MBA goal had much better recall when we quoted opportunities in the UK and Germany." - LBS MBA

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Why Work with Atul Jose - The Founding Consultant of F1GMAT?

I wrote a 1200-page Winning MBA Essay Guide just to avoid writing about myself.

My writing & editing (if you have read F1GMAT's blogs and F1GMAT Premium), and Sample Essays (F1GMAT's Essay Guides) should speak for itself.

But be patient. Let me give it a try.

I was an engineer in the Technology industry.

I hated it - the culture and the isolation from real people.

It felt like I was working for an invisible power that gave me cookie crumbs for doing digital labor.

MBA and MBA applications became an escape from the drudgery.

Like most of you who are pivoting to accelerate your career or switch industries, I also applied to an MBA and got admit to an MBA focused on Entrepreneurship.

I chose to start F1GMAT instead.  

This was way back in 2008.

I tried the publication route, hosting schools on F1GMAT and writing 'positive' pieces about their greatness. Again I felt like an imposter and in 2013 once I couldn't schmooze marketing managers anymore, I began to help MBA applicants.

I also began to write like a madman.

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It is strange what you become when you do one thing with passion for over a decade.

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It was like feeling deeply connected to another person and living the world through their eyes.

That is the fun part of writing Essay Guides and Editing Client Essays for me - to see the world from your perspective.

Great Lines = Admit?

Just writing great lines and editing essays into perfect prose doesn't translate to wins in competitive M7 and T15 MBA Admissions.

You should be deeply aware of your Personal Brand and what schools value.

What is your Personal Brand?

Personal branding is not the politician-style manicured version of yourself but stories from your life that give a structure to your journey.

I can't put a word to it. It is like casting choices in popular movies. There are certain roles only one actor can play.

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MBA Application is 40% branding and 60% writing.

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Sample MBA Essays - M7 and T15

20 Great MBA Application Essay Samples (With Links)

With elite business schools like Harvard and Stanford boasting acceptance rates as low as 10% and 6% respectively, every aspect of your application counts. While GPA and GMAT scores matter, your essay can be a game-changer. Recognizing its weight, we’ve gathered top-notch MBA essay samples, endorsed by admission committees from premier institutions. Dive in and let’s craft that standout application!

What is an MBA Application Essay?

What admission committee look for in an mba essay.

If you want to learn more, here is the complete guide on how admission committees process MBA applications.

20 Great MBA Applications Essays Samples

Now you have known that what makes a great MBA admission essay, the next step is to write one for yourself. Before writing, check out this list of expert-vetted MBA application essays that secured admissions to top-rated business schools in the world. Admission consultants have shared these samples and they can be helpful if you read and analyze them carefully. If you’re completely unsure about how to get started, there are also custom essay writing services that can help you structure your essay with the help of professional editors.

Sample 1: Leadership-focused MBA application essay

This sample is particularly focused on leadership traits. If your essay is about explaining your leadership quality experience, this sample is right up your alley. The best thing about the essay is that it is written in a simple, engaging, and humorous style. It defines a great experience in a very conversational style.

Sample 2: Self-focused MBA application essay 

If you are asked to write about your strengths, weaknesses, aims, and goals in your application essay, this sample will help you. The applicant who wrote this got accepted to the INSEAD business school. It doesn’t merely describe her strengths and weaknesses, but it presents a complete picture of herself as a person. It highlighted the events and incidents that shaped her personality.

Sample 3: Life-hardships-focused MBA application essay

If you want to explain your life’s hardships and the events that turned you into an ambitious person, this sample is for you. In this application essay, the candidate has defined three phases of his life and how he survived through each adversity. He beautifully explained why the MBA program is important to his future.

Sample 4: Continuous growth and learning-focused MBA application essay

Sample 5: best mba application essay for low scorers.

Have a low GPA? What would you write about academics in an MBA essay to convince the admission committee? Do not overthink! MBA essay is not all about high achievements and sterling background. It is also an opportunity to atone for your past mistakes. This MBA essay was written by a student who obtained very low academic grades, yet got admitted to her desired business school. Her turning point? A powerful application essay.

Sample 6: A guitarist’s application essay for the MBA program

Sample 7: an engineer’s essay for mba application, sample 8: harvard business school mba essay, sample 9: wharton business school mba essay, sample 10: columbia business school mba essay, sample 11: stanford graduate school of business mba essay, sample 12: university of california business school mba essay.

This sample was taken from a pool of successful MBA application essays submitted to the University of California business school. Read it carefully and analyze its structure, words, and substance before you compose your own fantastic MBA essay.

Sample 13: University of OXFORD business school MBA essay

Sample 14: london business school mba essay, sample 15: a goal-oriented mba application essay.

Sometimes the MBA admission portal may demand an essay specifically focused on your future goals. In such a case, you must be very sure about yourself and must convey your goals and future directions based on your experiences and planning. Check out this sample to get an idea of how a successful candidate writes about personal goals.

Sample 16: Executive MBA essay

Sample 17: mba video essay, sample 18: short-answer-based mba application essay.

Some business schools require candidates to respond to short questions to get insights into their personalities and suitability for the MBA program. More or less, most of the questions revolve around the same theme. The key to success is to grasp the intention of the admission committee behind the questions and to stick to your identity . These successful answers submitted to the Tepper School of Business will help you in formulating your answers.

Sample 19: MIT Sloan School of Management

Sample 20:  michigan ross school of business mba program, what should be included in the mba application essay, what makes a great mba application essay.

Do you want more tips? Here is a complete guide to writing a compelling MBA application essay.

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How to Write a Powerful MBA Essay—With Examples

The MBA essay is critical to your business school application. Read our guide to writing the perfect MBA essay, with successful admit examples.

Posted June 14, 2024

Featuring Erik R.

Forming an MBA Application Strategy + Ask Me Anything w/ HBS '24 Coach

Starting thursday, june 20.

10:00 PM UTC · 45 minutes

Table of Contents

What is the mba essay.

The MBA admissions essay.

Those words alone are enough to make most MBA candidates run screaming. Writing in general is hard enough. Writing about why you want an MBA? Your short-term goals and career aspirations? What matters to you most, and why? Forget it.

Of course, you still have to write these essays.

The MBA essay is perhaps the most important part of the business school application. Every other part of the application — your GPA, your test scores, your letters of recommendation — is quantified, cut and dried, or out of your control. The essay is your chance to show up as a fully realized MBA candidate, with hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. Admissions committees are not simply assessing your candidacy as a future leader — they're looking to admit human beings. That's where the MBA applicant essays come in.

That being the case, rather than being intimidated by it, treat the MBA essay writing process like the opportunity that it is — the chance for you to highlight your unique, iridescent self; the only moment in the MBA admissions process (prior to the interview) when you can speak directly to admissions officers; the time when you'll show them who you really are. It's not easy to write something that will do that, of course, but with the tips and tricks in this guide, and some help from one of Leland's vetted, world-class admissions coaches, we know you can do it. Give the essay the time, attention, and respect it deserves, and you'll be on your way to an offer of admission at your dream school.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

Ultimate MBA Essay Guide

See the MBA essay prompts, top tips from experts, and real examples from admits with this comprehensive guide.

How Long Will My MBA Essay Take?

First things first: let's talk about timing.

The MBA application is a behemoth; between exams, resumes, gathering your official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the applications themselves, there's a lot to juggle. That being the case, we suggest you give yourself ample time to draft, write, and revise your essays. The last thing you want is to be rushed to the finish line.

So, give yourself at least three months to write your MBA admission essays. That should allow you enough time to draft, write, and edit. For more information on timing your entire business school application, click here for  A Comprehensive MBA Application Timeline--With Chart .

Now, on to the critical question:

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What Makes a Great MBA Essay?

At the highest level, the answer is the one that is truest to you. The whole point of an MBA application essay is to shine through as an authentic, vibrant human being, so the best essays are the ones that cut through the clutter, and allow you to do that.

Which begs the question — how do you cut through the clutter and shine through as a vibrant human being? Here are four critical tips to follow as you begin thinking about your essays.

1. Answer the Question

This one sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many applicants launch into their story, get carried away, and forget to answer the question. Follow the prompt, and answer the question the admissions committee has asked you. Those prompts can actually be very useful when writing MBA essays — it's a great deal harder to write when you have no guidance or guardrails. With these essays, you have a very specific question you need to answer. So answer it!

2. Be Specific

Another mistake some MBA applicants make is to stay at a high level in their essays, keeping their writing abstract and therefore inaccessible to the admissions committee. If at any point, an admissions officer could replace your name with the name of another applicant, then your essay isn't getting deep enough. It's not enough, for instance, to say that you suffered adversity in high school, or that you really, really want a Wharton MBA. You need to explain, in detail, the adversity you faced, and give concrete and unique reasons why you think Wharton is the right program for you. The best essays offer hyper-specific examples and anecdotes, with details and anecdotes that no other candidate could bring to the table. To get those anecdotes, we recommend using the STAR template, as explained below:

• Situation : What was the situation you were facing? Where were you? How old were you? If you were in a professional role during this anecdote, what was the role, and how long had you been in it? If you were volunteering, at what organization? How long had you been volunteering there? Why did you start? Offer all the relevant information that the admissions readers will need to understand your story.
• Task : What was the task at hand? What went wrong? In your professional role, what was the challenge you faced? In that volunteering experience, what were the hurdles you had to overcome? You can't have a good story without conflict or tension, so after you set up the anecdote, explain what that conflict or tension was (and remember, be specific!).
• Action : What was the action you took to resolve the problem? What did you have to do to fix that issue at work? How did you clear that hurdle in your volunteer experience? Again, be specific about how you came through on the other side of that conflict/tension — and while you're doing it, highlight your leadership capabilities as much as possible! Remember that top MBA programs are looking for future leaders who can assess a situation and decisively take action. (We'll say a bit more about this below, in the Personal Statement section.
• Result : What was the result of your action? If you were facing a growth problem at work, were you able to increase sales? If so, by what percentage? If you were advocating for diversity and inclusion at your local charity, what new programs did you implement to help with that effort, and what was the enrollment like in those new programs? Detail what happened in your anecdote with as much specificity as possible — and quantify, quantify, quantify!

If you want to learn more about how to master the STAR Method, read our article How to Nail “Tell Me About a Time…” Interview Questions .

3. Get Vulnerable

Most MBA admissions essay prompts are written with the goal of getting to know as much about you as possible in the shortest number of words. To do that, you're going to have to share real things from your life — to get personal, intimate, and vulnerable. Do not shy away from this. If you're starting to get emotional during the reflection, drafting, and writing process, good — that means you're on the right track. Keep going.

Pro tip: If it’s making you cry, it will make them cry.

Another good rule of thumb is to put something real and true on the table. Admissions officers have to read thousands of applications from thoroughly qualified individuals, some of whom might come from similar roles to yours, with letters of recommendation from equally impressive supervisors. In order to cut through that noise, you'll have to share something honest.

If you're doing it right, this can feel risky. At some point, you’ll likely think to yourself: “Can I say that?” The answer is: “Yes.” Of course, there is a line, you don’t want to be crass or offensive but always err on the side of being open and authentic.

The very worst thing you can do is be overly cautious and write something you think will please the admissions committee. These poor people have to read thousands of essays. If yours is just like everyone else’s, they’ll fall asleep. Don’t let that happen. Wake them up by putting yourself —your true, bright, vibrant, quirky self—on the page.

4. Don't Exaggerate

Finally, do not exaggerate, over-inflate, or lie. This goes without saying, but admissions committees are looking for honest candidates. The surest way to get rejected is to lie about something. (Business schools do a background check on you before you're properly admitted, so they will find out.) Don't be the person who over-inflates on their essays and then has their offer letter rescinded.

The Types of MBA Essays

All right — since we've covered high-level approaches to the MBA essays, it's time to dig into the various types.

There are three general categories of MBA essays you'll see across the board.

1. Personal Statement

These questions ask you to offer up something sincere about yourself. They'll often touch on such things as your values and your character. In these, you'll want to be as authentic as possible, while also highlighting attributes like leadership, intellectual vitality, and teamwork that business schools are looking for.

Here are a few examples of previous personal statement essays:

• As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (HBS)
• What matters most to you, and why? (Stanford GSB)

2. Why an MBA/Why This School

In these, schools first want to hear about how an MBA will fit into your career, both short and long term. Top MBA programs are looking for candidates who will: first of all, be gainfully employed upon graduating, second of all, have an illustrious career that will make their institution look good and encourage future generations of applicants to apply, and third, be consistent and generous donors. That being the case, they want to know about your career trajectory, and how an MBA will fit into it.

Pro tip: Here, you want to be ambitious and inspiring in laying out your future career, but not naïve. Walk the line between shooting for the stars and sounding dreamlike and uninformed.

In this set of questions, you'll also encounter questions geared at figuring out why you would want to attend a specific school. MBA programs want to know that you're serious about attending their school — yield, or the percentage of admitted candidates who accept their offers of admission, is an important metric for them — but they also want to envision how you'll contribute to their admitted class. What will you uniquely bring to the table, the things that you'll do that the other candidates wouldn’t be able to offer?

We've heard former deans of business schools say that, in choosing a class, they're curating a world-class dinner party, and that each person invited to the dinner party has to bring something different. What will you bring to the dinner party?

Another Pro tip: To demonstrate that you've done your research, and to help the admissions committee envision you in their program, indicate which classes you might take when earning your MBA and why, which professors you might hope to study with, and in which clubs you might participate.

Here are a few examples of "why MBA / why this school" essays we've seen before:

• How is a Columbia MBA going to help you? (Columbia)
• What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Wharton)
• Why Stanford? Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. (Stanford GSB)

3. Behavioral/Other

Finally, most other essays will be behavioral in the sense that they’ll ask you about experiences, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and achievements. There's a wide variety of topics here, but all the guidelines from above apply, with the final note to always prioritize authenticity (as mentioned in the Personal Statement section) and leadership ability (remember, business schools are choosing future leaders).

Here are a few examples of behavioral/other essays from the past:

• Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (Yale SOM)
• Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (Columbia)
• Think about times you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others? (Stanford GSB)

Top MBA Program Essay Prompts (Updated 2022)

To help you get started, we've compiled the required prompts from a few top MBA programs below:

1. Harvard Business School (HBS)

As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (900 words)

For more information, visit A Guide to the HBS Essay .

2. Stanford Graduate School of Business

What matters to you most, and why? (650 words)

Why Stanford? (400 words)

Read What Matters Most When Writing the GSB Essays.

How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)

Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

For Wharton-specific advice, visit A Guide to the Wharton Essays .

4. Columbia Business School

Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)

Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a new co-curricular program designed to ensure that every CBS student develops the skills to become an ethical and inclusive leader. Through PPIL, students attend programming focused on five essential diversity, equity, and inclusion skills: Creating an Inclusive Environment, Mitigating Bias, Communicating Across Identities, Addressing Systemic Inequity, and Managing Difficult Conversations. Tell us about a time you were challenged around one of these five skills. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome. (250 words)

Essay 3: We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership--academically, culturally, and professionally. How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

If you’re looking for more tips on the CBS essays, read our Guide to the Columbia Business School Essays .

5. Chicago Booth

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)

An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of your career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are… (250-word minimum)

*Pro tip: Some essay questions such as these will say “no maximum.” While it’s certainly a good thing that you’re allowed to write more, keep in mind to never write too much. Our rule of thumb for things like this is to never go over 200 words past the “minimum” count.

Read more at A Guide to the Booth Essays .

6. Northwestern Kellogg

Intentionality is a key aspect of what makes our graduates successful Kellogg leaders. Help us understand your journey by articulating your motivations for pursuing an MBA, the specific goals you aim to achieve, and why you believe now is the right moment. Moreover, share why you feel Kellogg is best suited to serve as a catalyst for your career aspirations and what you will contribute to our community of lifelong learners during your time here. (450 words)

Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style. (450 words)

For more on Kellogg’s essays, read How to Nail Your Kellogg MBA Application Essays .

7. MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity, respect, and passion.

Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation)

Applicants are also required to upload a 1 minute (60 seconds) video as part of their application. In your video, you should introduce yourself to your future classmates, tell us about your past experiences, and touch on why MIT Sloan is the best place for you to pursue your degree.

For top-notch advice on the MIT Sloan essays, read our articles Expert Guide to the MIT Sloan Short Answer Question and MIT Sloan Video Statement: Overview, Advice, & Common Mistakes .

How to Start Writing Your MBA Essay

So you've read about the types of essays, and seen some of the prompts from top MBA programs. Now it's time to actually start diving into the essay.

The very first thing to do, before putting pen to paper, is to look inward .

Why do you want an MBA? What role will this degree play in your professional growth? How do you imagine it will shape your life? What do you want out of your career? What is the most important thing in the world to you?

Yes, these are life’s deep-end questions, but you’ll need to tackle them in these essays, so before you start all of your writing, take the time to think through them. Go for a run, swim some laps, bake a cake—however you get into the flow — and start a dialogue with yourself. Put down your work, turn your phone off, and give your mind permission to go to the places it usually avoids. That’s a good place to start. That’s where the answers are.

Pro tip: The first sentence is the hardest one to write. When you're starting out, it can be intimidating and anxiety-producing. The trick is to simply put anything down — and don't look back. Keep putting one sentence after the other. You can edit later: let whatever comes to you out onto the page. If you’re struggling with self-critique, dim your computer screen until you can’t even see the words you’re typing. Then keep going.

Additional Tips & Tricks

Once you've started your essay, it's a matter of persistence: keep writing, then keep drafting and editing until you have something you're really proud of.

To help you write a successful MBA essay, here are a few more tips and tricks:

Take Breaks

When you hit the wall — and you will hit the wall — stop and take a breather. This is your brain telling you it needs to do something else. Walk your dog. Take a lap around your room. Eat some cheese. Your body needs sleep every night to function; your mind is the same way. That next leap of inspiration will come exactly at the moment when you’re least expecting it.

Read it Out Loud

When you finally have a draft, print it and read it out loud to yourself. Your ear will catch things your eyes miss. Reading out loud is the best way to pick up on spelling errors, clunky transitions, and paragraphs that still need ironing out. It’s also a good way to envision how the admissions committee will experience your essay.

Don’t be precious with your essay. Send it to anyone willing to read it. Solicit as much feedback as you can. If you don’t like what people have to say, you don’t have to incorporate it, but you need an impartial third party to give notes on what they’re seeing, thinking, and feeling. (You’re too close to things to do it for yourself.) This is where a Leland coach comes very much in handy!

Complete Everything Early

This is more of a timing consideration, but you do not want to trip at the finish line because your internet went down the night before the deadline, or your credit card was denied when paying your application fee (it's happened before). Don't let that be you!

Here is another article to get you started, written by an expert essay coach: 7 MBA Essay Tips to Make You Stand Out in 2022 .

Example MBA Essays

Finally, here are two essays to help inspire you. The first, a personal statement essay, was submitted by an admit to Berkeley Haas' Executive MBA program; the second, a career goals / why MBA essay, was submitted by an admit to Chicago Booth's deferred MBA program.

Haas Admit:

A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects, including family, culture, personal interests, and surrounding environments. Please share a facet of your identity or story that is essential to who you are. (300 words) My upbringing in India, filled with countless myths and legends, had a profound influence on me. The most formative tale was about a sage who prays for years to the goddess of knowledge, but in vain. In the end, the goddess didn’t appear for the sage because he was turning his prayer beads the wrong way! As a child, this story upset me: the sage worked so hard and had the right intentions. As an adult, though, I’ve come to realize that the goddess of knowledge was right: you can’t succeed unless you do things the right way.

Seven years ago, two friends and I started a company, XXXX: a digital health platform that would allow patients to store medical records online and consult doctors remotely. We had early success—we brought on 2,000 patients at XXXX, a gynecology clinic in XXXX—but ultimately we didn’t have the resources to properly scale, and had to shut the company down. Among the many lessons I learned, the most valuable was that ideas and hard work are common; businesses succeed or fail based on execution—on doing things the right way. Two years ago, I relearned this lesson in the most painful way possible: when my marriage ended. My wife and I loved each other, but we weren’t there for each other when it mattered most. Our feelings weren’t enough—we had to back them up with the right actions.

It’s disheartening when you have good intentions but still fall short. When this happens, though, you have to keep trying—because eventually you will do things the right way. I carry the story of the sage with me always, not as a harsh lesson, but as a motivating goal: one that keeps me striving towards doing things the right way.

Booth Admit:

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

I want to start a geothermal company that will help lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy—by targeting existing oil wells as sites for geothermal plants. Oil fields are close to electric grids and have high nearby subsurface temperatures, making them ideal sites for geothermal plants. By building geothermal infrastructure nearby, my company will produce cleaner, cheaper energy, making it more profitable for operators to switch from oil to geothermal. As oil companies decommission their wells, I’ll negotiate for their land rights, so I can use their existing wells for new geothermal vents. I want my company to prove the case for economically viable, carbon-neutral energy production.

After getting an MBA, I want to start a geothermal company which will help me lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. I plan to target developed oil fields in Texas, where, in many places, producing wells are flowing enough hot fluid to generate clean energy. Using this geothermal heat, the carbon footprint of oil and gas extraction will decrease as fewer fossil fuels are utilized to power surrounding infrastructure. As the wells approach their economic life, I will negotiate the lease from various operators, saving them millions in plug and abandonment costs, and retrofit the wells for direct geothermal energy production via closed-loop binary fluid systems, bringing emissions to zero. To accomplish this goal, I need to shore up my knowledge of energy economics and entrepreneurial finance, develop a strong sense of leadership, and build a network of like-minded individuals that will help me lead the transition and I believe I can get those things at Chicago Booth.

My immediate career goal is to develop my first co-production site in Shelby County, Texas at the Blanton well site, which produces abnormally heated fluid from the flanks of an active salt dome. Before investing in capital expenditures, developing a strong sense of energy economics and broader markets is necessary to verify financial feasibility. The University of Chicago, through the Graduate-Student-At-Large: Business program, is already allowing me to accomplish this goal with my enrollment in “Microeconomics” with Professor Andrew McClellan. His instruction helped me understand the impact taxes and subsidies have on market equilibrium, an important aspect of renewable energy as green energy tax incentives continue to change on a yearly basis. As my company continues to grow, having a strong finance and accounting foundation is imperative to building and sustaining a healthy company. Electives such as “Accounting for Entrepreneurship: From Start-Up through IPO” will provide the skills I need to be successful by following the life-cycle of a business that originates as a start-up and covers topics such as building an initial accounting infrastructure. I understand that the execution of the business is as important as developing the idea and proof of concept, and Booth is the best place for me to develop financial fluency.

Leading the energy transition will require a strong sense of leadership. Not only will I need to lead those I get to work with over my career, but to lead the energy transition, and reverse the impact fossil fuels have had thus far, I must have the emotional intelligence to inspire others to join me in my journey. The “Interpersonal Dynamics” course at Booth will allow me to develop my communication skills and better understand the emotions and perceptions of my colleagues. These skills, synthesized with leadership development acquired in “Leadership Practicum” will prepare me to act as a relational leader, who understands the needs of others. As a relational leader, I hope to foster an environment which promotes happiness and maximizes efficiency, not only to make our efforts in changing the world more successful, but to excite other people to join our cause.

To find the greatest chance of success in leading the energy transition, I will need a network of like-minded individuals who can provide a diversity of thought. Chicago Booth provides the opportunity to develop that network through different community experiences. The Energy Club’s “Energy Forward” conference, which designates time to topics in oil and gas and renewable energy will allow me to hear from industry leaders, build meaningful relationships with peers, and contribute my sector experience to the public forum as I learn from those around me. Opportunities through the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group such as “SeedCon” will help me connect with successful entrepreneurs and early-stage investors whose ideas and funding might change the course of my venture’s trajectory. Even in the GSALB program, I have had the opportunity to connect with other students in various sectors, including the energy industry. I hope to continue to strengthen those connections and continue building new ones with matriculation into the full time program.

Connect with an Expert for all your MBA Essay Questions

We know that a lot goes into the process of MBA essay writing. Research, planning, and execution all are major stages that take a lot of time. If you’re looking to fast-track your essay writing process while still blowing away the admission committee, try looking at some of our all-star MBA admissions consultants . We have a wide array of experts ready to give you as much help with MBA essays as you need, just check out some of our top-rated coaches below!

FAQs for Writing Your MBA Essay

What is the most important aspect of an MBA essay that admissions committees are looking for?

• The most crucial aspect of an MBA essay is authenticity. Admissions committees want to see the real you, so be honest and genuine in your responses. Highlight your unique experiences, values, and aspirations to stand out.

How long should my MBA essay be?

• The length of your MBA essay will depend on the specific prompts and guidelines provided by each school. Generally, essays range from 500 to 1,000 words. Always adhere to the word limit specified in the prompt. In the event that there’s no limit, we recommend floating within 200-300 words of whatever posted word count there is.

Can I use the same essay for multiple MBA applications?

• You can use similar content, but it’s essential to edit each essay to be about the specific school and prompt. Schools are looking for personalized responses that demonstrate your understanding of their program and how it aligns with your goals.

How do I figure out what to write about?

• Select experiences that showcase your leadership, problem-solving skills, and personal growth. Focus on stories that highlight your unique qualities and align with the values and culture of the MBA program you're applying to.

What should I avoid doing in my essay?

• Avoid clichés, generic statements, and exaggerations. Be specific and detailed in your responses. Also, steer clear of overly technical jargon that might be hard for the admissions committee to understand unless it’s directly relevant to your story.

Who can I ask for feedback on my essay?

• Seeking feedback from trusted friends, family, or mentors can be very helpful. In addition, consider working with one of our admissions coaches who can provide professional insights and help refine your essay to make it more compelling.

What should I do if I don’t have a traditional business background?

• If you don’t have a traditional business background, focus on transferable skills and experiences that highlight your leadership, analytical abilities, and teamwork. Demonstrate how your unique perspective will contribute to the MBA program and your future career.

How do I handle multiple essay prompts for the same school?

• Approach each prompt separately and ensure that each essay provides new insights about you. Avoid repeating the same information across essays. Instead, use each essay to highlight different aspects of your experiences, skills, and aspirations.

Here are several other articles that you may find helpful as you put together your MBA application:

• The Most Frequently Asked Questions on MBA Applications
• How to Answer the "Why an MBA?" Essay Question
• My Top Piece of Advice for MBA Applicants
• How I Nailed My MBA Interview and Gained Admission to Top 10 Business Schools
• 4 Expert Tips on Paying for Business School

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7 tips for writing a winning mba application essay.

Nervous about your MBA admissions essay? You’re not alone! Many applicants wonder how to put their best foot forward in a business school entrance essay.

In this article, I’ll tell you what admissions committees look for in application essays and offer MBA essay tips on how to make yours stand out. We’ll also take a look at the different kinds of business school essays and a few examples of MBA essay prompts.

Why Do Business Schools Ask for Essays? What Do They Look For?

Business schools ask for essays for several reasons, all of which help admissions committees determine whether you have the skills and traits to succeed in an MBA program.

First, MBA admissions committees want to see how you write. Communication skills—including concision, clarity, style, and fluency in English—will be essential to your success in business school. One way of discerning your level of writing ability is to require an original writing sample. In an MBA essay, you have to get your point across straightforwardly, elegantly, and concisely; being able to do this is a key element of succeeding in business school and the world of business in general.

Also, MBA admissions committees want to get a sense of who you are on a more personal level. MBA application essays tell admissions officials about you not only through what you say, but in how you say it. Are you self-aware, for example, and can you reflect on past challenges or mistakes in a thoughtful way? Do you demonstrate insight into who you are and your goals? How you answer questions about yourself, your career, and your journey can help MBA admissions officials discern your level of critical thinking and personal insight.

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You can have countless accomplishments, but to succeed in business school, you’ll also need to fit in with the campus climate, work well with your peers, and contribute to campus diversity in a meaningful way. The MBA essay is a place for you to talk about the background or experiences you have that are unique to you and that you believe could differentiate you from your colleagues and/or provide a fresh perspective to campus.

Finally, essays are a way for you to showcase the qualities that most MBA programs say they are looking for in applicants, such as leadership skills, community involvement, problem-solving skills, communication skills, clear goals, and a strong sense of ethics. Some of these traits might not be readily apparent from a resume alone, and an MBA essay can be a place for you to elaborate on how you’ve cultivated them in yourself.

MBA Entrance Essay Sample Prompts

Most MBA entrance essays ask you about one of several things. Many of them are variations on similar questions: the open-ended question, the leadership question, the personal growth question, questions on short- and long-term academic and career goals, and the diversity question. For each one, I’ll give an example of a real MBA essay prompt from 2016 or 2017.

#1: Open-Ended

The open-ended MBA application essay question is just that: open. It allows you to tell your own story, giving you quite a bit of freedom but also little to no guidance. For that reason, many applicants find it to be the most challenging MBA essay prompt.

Harvard Business School has only one essay for its MBA application, and it’s the quintessential open-ended MBA essay question. This is the prompt for 2017-2018 applicants.

As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?

Note that, as in other open-ended MBA admission essay prompts, this question asks you to decide what you’ll write about. Successful Harvard applicants and HBS admissions counselors have advised applicants to use the prompt as a chance to demonstrate their past use of an especially desired trait, such as problem-solving skills. For example, many successful applicants use the prompt to describe a scenario in which they faced and overcame a challenge, especially as a leader or alongside a team.

Notably, Harvard also doesn’t list a word limit, so you can decide the appropriate length for your essay. However, most admissions counselors will advise you to keep it concise and straightforward.

#2: Leadership

Another common MBA essay prompt asks you to demonstrate your experience and skills as a leader. Leadership qualities are listed by nearly all MBA admissions counselors as fundamental to a career in business and, thus, to a successful business school application.

Let’s look at a sample leadership MBA essay prompt from Kellogg.

Leadership and teamwork are integral parts of the Kellogg experience. Describe a recent and meaningful time you were a leader. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 words)

In a response to this kind of prompt, you should be as specific as possible. Name the company you were working for or specifically describe the project you were heading. Who was on your team? What were your objectives? Did you meet them? How could you have done so more effectively?

While you shouldn’t be overly self-deprecating, don’t be afraid to address the challenges you met and how you overcame them (or would overcome them now, with more experience and knowledge). Remember that one important aspect of leadership is accountability, so if there were problems, don’t solely blame your team for them. Instead, reflect on how you successfully worked with your team to solve the problems, and/or on how you could have done so more effectively or efficiently.

#3: Personal Growth

The personal growth MBA admission essay prompt will ask you how you’ve changed in the past and how you want to grow in the future. Here’s one example from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 words)

Don’t be afraid to get a bit personal with these kinds of prompts . They’re meant to gauge something about your personality and who you are, rather than only what you’ve done.

Many successful MBA admission essays that respond to these kinds of questions follow a past/present/future format. Ask yourself what traits you’ve gathered over the years that have benefited you personally and professionally, how you’ve improved, and what you’ve learned. What experiences have shaped you? Be as specific as possible.

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Then, take stock of yourself now: your career, your education, and where you see yourself in the future. What do you need in order to get there?

Finally, most essay MBA prompts in this vein (like Kellogg’s) will ask you how they can help you move towards that personal or professional goal. Be as specific as you can, focusing on the particular strengths of the prospective MBA program and how they match up with what you want to improve about yourself as a person, colleague, and leader.

#4: Your Plan

Some MBA application essay prompts will ask you about your career goals and how attendance at a particular business school will help you to achieve them. Let’s look at one from the USC Marshall School of Business.

Essay #1 (Required) – What is your specific, immediate short-term career goal upon completion of your MBA? Please include an intended position, function, and industry in your response. (word limit: 100)

As you can see, questions like these often request brief responses. So get straight to the point, and give details. Name a specific job you’d like to hold, what you’d like to do there, and even particular companies if you can.

Questions like this one will require some research. Research alumni from your prospective business school who’ve ended up in positions comparable to ones you’d like to hold in the future, particular companies and positions that match up with your personal and professional goals, and specific coursework or industry experiences offered by your prospective business school that would help you get there.

#5: Diversity, Culture, and Community

Finally, some MBA essay prompts will ask you how your unique background and experiences would contribute to the overall diversity and collegial atmosphere of a school’s campus climate and community. Here’s one example from USC.

Essay #2 (Required) – At Marshall, we take pride in the fact that our students work collaboratively, both inside and outside the classroom, to create a culture, a community, and an environment that truly defines what we call the Trojan Family. Please describe the contributions you expect to make to your classmates during your time at USC. How will they benefit from your presence in the program? (word limit: 500)

You can respond to questions like this, depending on the wording of the original prompt, by discussing your cultural background, identity, and/or personal experiences that have given you particular insight into a given community or that have lent you a unique perspective that could be valuable to your colleagues as you collaborate.

You can also discuss past community service projects or issues you’re passionate about and how you plan to carry those experiences and passions into your work at your prospective MBA program.

7 MBA Essay Tips

Writing MBA essays takes a particular skill set. Let’s go over the top seven MBA essay tips for making your application essay shine.

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#1: Write Early and Often

Even though MBA entrance essays are brief, they take a lot of polishing. Writing MBA essays takes time.

Don’t expect to write yours at the last minute or knock out a quality essay in a day. Most students need several drafts to make sure they’re getting their points across as elegantly and clearly as possible.

Start your essay well before the application deadline, when you don’t yet feel any pressure. For several weeks, don’t try to write at all. Instead, before crafting your essay for MBA admission, take notes on your past, present, and future. What have you learned? What unique experiences have you had? What have been the most meaningful projects you’ve undertaken? Ask friends, family, and mentors to tell you what they value most about you or what they see as your greatest personal and professional assets.

Only once you’ve gathered this material should you begin your first draft of your MBA application essay. Start with an outline for each one that includes the story you want to tell and the main points you want to get across.

Once you have a clear outline, you can start drafting. Taking the writing process seriously from start to finish will give you a much better product in the end than trying to write something hastily right before the deadline.

#2: Show, Don’t Tell

MBA admissions committees want to be able to tell that you have the qualities that are necessary to succeed in business school, such as leadership skills and integrity.

Your MBA admissions essay can be a great place to showcase those qualities. However, remember to show, not tell. Saying “I have strong leadership skills” doesn’t tell an admissions committee much. Through an anecdote about, say, meeting a difficult deadline or overcoming an obstacle, a reader should be able to tell that you have the qualities of a strong leader without your having to say so explicitly.

#3: Research Your Goals

When describing your future goals, be as specific as possible. Business schools know that your goals may change in the future, but stating specific goals now will show that you’ve done your research and have an idea of what you want and how an MBA program can help you get there.

Before writing your essay for MBA admission, research the ins and outs of the industry you want to enter, the position you’d like to have, companies you might like to work for, and coursework and internships or fieldwork that could aid you on your way to those goals.

#4: Keep It Concise

Never, ever go over a stated word count limit when you’re writing your essay for MBA admission. It might be tempting, but business schools want to see that you can get your point across concisely and straightforwardly.This rule goes for MBA essay prompts that don’t have specific word counts, too: sometimes, less is more.

One of the biggest mistakes applicants make in writing an essay for MBA admission is to use too much flowery language to come across as more professional. If you do this, it can be distracting and cause the admissions committee to miss the main points you’re making.

Bottom line, trim anything extraneous from your essay —that is, anything that doesn’t actively support the main point(s) you’re trying to get across.

#5: Show Self-Awareness

It might feel tempting to use the MBA admission essay as a space to list all of your accomplishments (and since your resume is already part of your application, this is unnecessary), but MBA admissions committees would rather see that you have insight into both your strengths and weaknesses. No one is perfect, and in your essay for MBA admission, you shouldn’t try to come across as if you’ve never made a mistake or faced a challenge that you’ve had to learn from.

Also, in business school and the business world at large, bouncing back from failures, being flexible, and problem solving are all essential skills. All of them require a thick skin and awareness of what you could do better.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t showcase your achievements, but if you’re asked about personal growth or an obstacle you’ve overcome, be clear about what you could have done more effectively in the past (at a job or in your education, for example) and the steps you’ve taken or will take to sidestep that mistake in the future.

#6: Share Your Personal Journey

Many applicants would prefer to focus only on their professional backgrounds and goals in their MBA essays, but you shouldn’t be afraid to get personal in your essay. You don’t need to tell your whole life story, but especially in response to questions that ask about your growth over time, you should showcase your personality and give the admissions committee an idea of your personal background and experiences.

#7: Ask for Edits

It might seem obvious, but many applicants don’t do it: proofread your work! When writing MBA essays, revision is key. Turning in an MBA essay with typos and other errors will come off as thoughtless and unprofessional.

You should also get a second (and, perhaps, a third and fourth) pair of eyes on your essay to make sure it’s coming across as you want it to. Going through several rounds of drafts is a necessary part of the writing process to ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward in your MBA entrance essay.

What’s Next?

Worried about how your GMAT score matches up to other applicants’? Find out more in our list of average GMAT scores by school.

Concerned about your chances of getting into an MBA program? Our guide to business school acceptance rates will help.

Ready to apply to business school? Check out our top eight tips for applying to MBA programs here.

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Author: Laura Dorwart

Laura Dorwart is a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego. She has taught and tutored hundreds of students in standardized testing, literature, and writing. View all posts by Laura Dorwart

How to Discuss Failures and Weaknesses In Your MBA Essay

May 27, 2024

• Take advantage of failure
• Use STAR to demonstrate your strengths!
• Strengths and weaknesses complement each other
• Check out past examples!
• Nobody is perfect!
• Utilize personal failures, too
• Talk about failure – even when you don’t have to!
• Get expert help

UPDATE: This article was originally posted on July 18, 2022. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

For your MBA admissions essay, you want to ensure you shine to stand out amongst thousands of other applicants. Does that mean you should avoid talking about negative experiences, failures, and weaknesses? Not at all. In fact, you should use past failures to your advantage to show how you have grown!

Utilizing failure in the appropriate places can even help you stand out from the crowd and land you a spot at your top bschool. To do so effectively, we have compiled our top tips for handling stories of failure and weaknesses below!

Tip #1: Take Advantage of Failure

The admissions committee for your top MBA program is looking for future leaders who seek to make a difference in their field. They want candidates who have experience making difficult, real-life decisions.  

Experienced professionals have most often made their share of mistakes. This doesn’t mean that admissions committees are looking for people who have never failed. Instead, they seek candidates who have grown from their past errors.

This perspective is particularly useful for writing MBA admissions essays. It allows you to frame a negative event positively by showing the admissions committee what you’ve learned from it.

Tip #2: Use STAR to Demonstrate Your Strengths!

The best way to talk about failures and weaknesses – and, more importantly, the lessons you learned from these experiences – in your MBA admissions essay is by utilizing stories . When using storytelling to discuss failures and weaknesses in your MBA essay, there are a few essentials to include. 

To effectively discuss a failure, the following elements must be clear: 

1) The problem: Why did the failure happen in the first place? Why did you act as you did in that situation from your perspective?

2) How you recognized the problem: How did you notice it was a problem? What further consequences did this problem have? 

3) How you overcome the problem: What did you do to solve this problem? What do you wish you would have done differently?

4) The lesson you learned from the experience: What was your takeaway from this story? How would you apply this lesson in the future?

It is important to include all of these elements to tell an effective story about failure or weakness. For example, take a look at how our client Paul concisely discussed a weakness in his Ross essay: 

“ I was humbled when I failed to implement a product’s preparation process at a retail store during a consulting project, leading to sales loss risks – besides client dissatisfaction. Later, the store’s manager eliminated parts of the process, completely redesigning it. His idea initially seemed like unfounded nonsense, as necessary data wasn’t being collected. However, the manager insisted on its success, so I tested his idea in two other stores: it was indeed agiler while maintaining effectiveness. I learned that listening to others is essential, even when our opinions diverge. The manager’s idea was subsequently shared with 300+ stores.”

As you can see, all of these elements must be present to tell an effective and compelling story about failure. If one or more of these is unclear or missing altogether, you may not be able to make an effective case.

Tip #3: Strengths and Weaknesses Complement Each Other

Sharing stories about your weaknesses or past failures can also highlight your strengths to the admissions committee. Here, weaknesses and strengths work together harmoniously.

In other words, discussing a negative habit, trait, or experience does not have to result in a negative perception. Instead, you can use these weaknesses, along with the lessons you’ve gleaned from them, to clearly demonstrate your strengths .

In this regard, you could present your tendency for being stubborn – which could be a problem in some situations – as a strength when it comes to knowing what you want. The decision not to go into the family business – which may have been seen as a failure from the family’s perspective – may have helped you find a job that revealed your true passion and opportunities for impact.

In this example, our client Lucas used his multicultural background characterized by culture clash to show how this led to both his greatest strengths and the need to overcome a weakness in his essay for INSEAD:

“The child of South Korean immigrants, I was born in France and raised in Argentina. Growing up between clashing cultures yielded important personal adaptability skills. These skills have shown me how I can serve a higher purpose, helping people and businesses through responsive empathy and a pragmatic approach. Nevertheless, my parent’s Korean heritage also reinforced a strong respect for hierarchy. I have, therefore, always avoided openly discussing their decisions or suggesting new ideas, focusing instead on delivering requests. However, effective consultants don’t just follow orders, they take the initiative to think like a leader. I thus began challenging myself to think critically to assess objectives.” 

This excerpt from Lucas’ essay clearly shows how traits he gained from his cultural background contributed both positively and negatively to his character. This way, he can use this theme to discuss both of these elements. 

Tip #4: Check Out Past Examples!

Some schools are explicitly looking for candidates to show how they have grown from failures or are improving on their weaknesses. This is because top MBA programs are looking for students with what is called a growth mindset . Take INSEAD, for example, whose motivational essay questions request you do both:

 “Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors that have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary.” (approximately 500 words)

“Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. (approximately 400 words)”

INSEAD knows that you must reflect on failure to continue growing, and outright demands this skill from their candidates. 

Ross is another good example. They ask candidates to answer one of three prompts from two sets. One of the prompts reads: 

“I was humbled when…” (100 words or fewer)”

Like INSEAD, Ross wants to know how you reacted at a time things did not go exactly as you planned. Learning from a past failure would be a good choice for this prompt. Not sure if you’ve struck the right balance when writing about your failures and weaknesses?

If you are looking for help, don’t hesitate to check out our MBA Resource Center ! There, you can find dozens of past successful essays and detailed brainstorming worksheets to help you plan out a winning essay. 

Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join!

Tip #5: Nobody is Perfect!

If you try to make a case to the admissions committee that claims you have a flawless record, this is unlikely to be successful. In other words, to allege perfection is likely to get your application set aside. This is because the adcom is looking for a pattern of success based on abilities of self-reflection, open-mindedness, and capacity for improvement.  

After all, universities – including top programs like Harvard , MIT , or Yale – are institutions of learning . All schools implicitly value growth, improving on one’s weaknesses, and intellectual appetite. High-profile MBA programs are specifically looking for these qualities in their candidates. 

If you claim that you are perfect, you indicate that there is nothing left to learn. This is definitely not the impression you want to give the adcom. By including failures and weaknesses, you can show the adcom that, even in success, there is still a way to get even better – and become even more successful. 

Remember, you are not trying to tell the adcom that you are perfect . Instead, you are trying to tell them how you use imperfection to your advantage to lead you to success.

Tip #6: Utilize personal failures, too

Not every failure or weakness you discuss has to come from your professional background. Personal stories about failure can be very effective, too . Similarly, not every failure has to be a huge one – some can be tiny mistakes that you wish you had done differently.

Personal weaknesses may range from disappointing a good friend to a tendency for tardiness. They could include not making time for someone in need, deciding not to take over the family business, or the fact that you have trouble negotiating compromise. 

Last year, our client Audrey wrote about a personal failure while leading her sailing team in a regional competition. In her answer, Audrey explains that her team consisted of her and her five teammates, all expert sailors. However, an inability to work together, despite careful planning, led to them losing their first race of the regatta:

“I learned that to have a successful team, it is not sufficient to focus only on high-performing individuals. Instead, it is necessary to create a unified mentality, aimed together at the same goal. If given a second chance, I would begin our planning by emphasizing how we were all skilled sailors but that we needed to form a united team. Some of us might disagree with aspects of the strategy, but we must derive a single plan and stick to it, knowing that focusing our efforts is the best overall option.”

Here, Audrey learned an important lesson about leadership, an important quality in MBA candidates . As you can see, strong professional lessons can also be derived from personal stories.

Failures and weaknesses can also include much larger personal challenges. You may even find that themes like coming to terms with your identity or overcoming loss are powerful – and authentic – solutions. This may be another way to creatively elaborate a change in industry or direction in your professional past. 

Tip #7: Talk About Failure – Even When You Don’t Have To!

Although schools like INSEAD and Ross explicitly ask their candidates to discuss past failures or their weaknesses, choosing to do so for another school is never a bad idea. Depending on the prompt, you can decide to discuss your failures and weaknesses for other schools as well. 

This will help demonstrate to other schools that you have a growth mentality, can reflect on your past failures, and see the need to improve on your weaknesses. Keep in mind that the admin board is looking for these traits – even if they are not explicitly asking you to talk about them!

For his LBS essay, for example, our client Dennis decided to tell the admissions board how working with the case-study format during a university exchange led to lower grades but ultimately helped him refine his communication skills. 

Whatever you choose, make sure the content you are sharing is relevant and adds value to your application. 

Make Sure Your MBA Essays Get You In

The extracurricular activities you decide to discuss in your MBA essay are completely up to you. They will depend on your personal context, your unique interests, and your motivation to contribute to your MBA community. 

Of course, discussing these in the right amount of detail or ensuring that you remain authentic to yourself is not always straightforward. Even the best writers struggle with these issues sometimes. 

At Ellin Lolis Consulting, we are here to help ensure that you make the most of your MBA admissions essays and how you can engage with your MBA community beyond the classroom.

So click here and put our expertise to work for your application!

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Addressing Strengths and Weakness Essays

In the pursuit of higher education and professional development, self-reflection becomes an invaluable tool for personal growth. As an applicant to esteemed institutions such as McCombs School of Business, Haas, INSEAD, and McDonough, the opportunity to candidly assess one’s strengths and weaknesses offers a gateway to understanding oneself more deeply. Through this introspective process, individuals not only showcase their self-awareness but also demonstrate their capacity for growth and improvement. In addressing the questions posed by these institutions, applicants have the chance to present themselves authentically, weaving together narratives that reflect their unique experiences, values, and aspirations. In this article, we will be addressing Strengths and Weakness Essays for MBA.

At the McCombs School of Business, we are proud to have an active and diverse student community. What do you consider to be your personal strengths and how have you leveraged them in the past to enrich your work and non-work communities?- McCombs

“We are a community designed for curiosity and lifelong pursuit of personal and intellectual growth. This is not a place for those who feel they have learned all they need to learn.” – Haas

“Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors that have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary.” – INSEAD

“Describe the achievement of which you are most proud and explain why. In addition, describe a situation where you failed. How did these experiences impact your relationships with others? Comment on what you learned. ”- INSEAD

NOTE : For those aspiring to join the ranks of INSEAD MBA students, it Is recommended to check our article “ Best INSEAD MBA Interview Questions & Interview Tips ” which presents a valuable resource. Packed with firsthand insights and expert advice, this guide equips candidates with the knowledge and strategies needed to excel in their interviews. By following thee tips and recommendations provided, applicants can confidently navigate the admissions process and present themselves as strong contenders for admission to INSEAD’s prestigious program.

Addressing Weakness Question

A weakness essay is the Admissions Committee’s biggest tool for identifying whether the applicant has the capability to self-reflect on one’s own actions and unintended character traits they suffer. The schools want to learn what actions has the applicant taken, with sufficient awareness and effort to correct the eccentricity so that it does not impact the applicant’s ecosystem.

The key to addressing the question is to go beyond vague, unimaginative weaknesses such as “lack of business knowledge”, “impatience”, “ workaholism ” and so on. Such weaknesses can be inferred as “lack of self-awareness”, “personality disorder”, and “one-dimensional personality”. 

Good examples of weaknesses are subtle eccentricities that, if molded with will and positive reinforcement can help the applicant become a better manager at what he/she currently does.

For example, suppose an applicant is aware of how in his haste to complete a project and deliver an outcome, he has obliviously, on occasion, overlooked certain necessary checks and approvals. He would acknowledge how his oversight impacted his stakeholders and the outcome, leading him to introspect and course correct his approach by being extra cautious about aligning all pieces of the project to achieve the desired outcome. The applicant should also add vivid details about the scale of the impact (first negative and eventually positive) to bring credibility to the story. An example of an evolving person, working on one’s flaws deepens Adcom’s trust in the applicant’s capabilities.

Addressing the Strengths Question

The strengths question provides you an additional opportunity to share your experiences which will help the committee get a better understanding of you. Do you comprehend your personality with maturity? These provide you the chance to establish trust by being straightforward. Adcom will be more ready to believe your favorable statements if you are honest.

The traits you highlight must complement those identified by your recommenders and described in your application’s narrative . If you do your homework and properly research each business school, you be aware of the school’s distinctive unique culture and values (INSEAD’s communication and global outlook, Haas’s innovation, Sloan’s technology, innovation, and business). While leadership, collaboration, analytic prowess, and communication abilities are valued by all business schools, your narrative will blend your true self with the “must have” qualities needed for respective business schools.

“Describe a time when you have led a team in a professional environment to implement a new idea or process. What leadership characteristics did you utilize? What could you have done to be more effective? And most importantly, what skills will you be able to bring to the teams you lead at McDonough?” – Georgetown

For schools like McDonough that just want one example, find a story or work project that will clearly highlight all of your skills and weaknesses. It is quite challenging to be creative when discussing traits that you presumably share in common with most individuals. Remember that in this essay, your originality will come from the specific combination of qualities you describe and the examples you choose to show this combination of strengths.

NOTE : In the pursuit of higher education and professional development, self-reflection becomes an invaluable tool for personal growth. When addressing personal strengths and weaknesses in application essays for institutions like INSEAD, it’s crucial to convey these aspects through compelling narratives. Exploring the essays from from our article “ SUCCESSFUL INSEAD MBA ESSAYS SAMPLES ” provides invaluable insights and inspiration for crafting authentic narratives that resonate with admissions committees.

Conclusion: Addressing Strengths and Weakness Essays

In conclusion, the process of addressing strengths and weaknesses in admissions essays serves as a powerful exercise in self-discovery and authenticity. By transcending superficial responses and delving into nuanced aspects of character, applicants demonstrate their capacity for introspection and growth. Through the artful synthesis of personal narratives and institutional values, applicants not only convey their suitability for academic programs but also contribute to the rich tapestry of diverse perspectives within the academic community. As individuals embark on this journey of self-reflection and expression, they pave the way for meaningful connections and transformative experiences in the realm of higher education and beyond.

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Strengths and Weaknesses Unveiled: Navigating Your MBA Application Journey

MBA & Beyond Team

21/08/2023 | 10:21 pm

Welcome to our guide on addressing “Strengths and Weaknesses” in your MBA application. As you embark on this crucial journey towards your business school aspirations, it’s essential to master the art of presenting your strengths confidently while candidly addressing your areas for growth. In this article, we’ll delve into strategies and insights to help you navigate this aspect of your application process effectively. Let’s unlock the potential of your candidacy together.

Writing an application includes your GMAT scores or GPA; it tells who you are as a person. Your Strengths and Weaknesses in an MBA application serve as indicators of your credibility and accountability in unfamiliar and challenging situations, a common and signature element of the business field.

LIVE Q&A WITH ALUMS OF TOP B-SCHOOL

Condensing all the essential dimensions into a few paragraphs and showcasing the “best” in you for the cause may appear daunting and exhausting.

But fret not!

This article will cover all the pertinent details to include and avoid when addressing your strengths and weaknesses essay in detail during the drafting of your B-school application.

Our bullet spells will help you succeed with flying colors. 😉

So, here’s your key tip for crafting a high-quality strengths and weaknesses essay for your MBA application.

HERE ARE FEW TIPS TO ACE YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS ESSAY FOR YOUR MBA APPLICATION

What are your strengths for an mba.

The question mentioned above is considered one of the most anticipated ones that nearly every MBA applicant needs to address, either within an essay or as a query for your recommenders.

“What are your strengths for an MBA?” may appear as a generic question, but the scope of knowing your “strengths for MBA application” and aligning them with the values that your target b-school holds can be a total game-changer!. World-class B-schools seek leaders, visionaries, and individuals capable of challenging established norms in the business world. It is crucial to demonstrate to the admissions committee that you embody these qualities by highlighting your strengths in your MBA application.

IDENTIFY THE POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF YOUR PROFILE

Strengths for MBA are easy; most of the top B-schools are looking for candidates with leadership qualities. 

College administrations are aware that most candidates won’t have many significant accomplishments in terms of strengths for MBA early in their career. However, they seek qualities such as innovative vision, creativity, teamwork, and thoughtful curiosity in applicants.

Want to pursue an MBA but not sure if your profile fits?

Talk to our Profile Experts to know your chances for a top MBA Program.

Alongside implementing other general tips outlined in the article, ensuring that your strengths and weaknesses for MBA application complement each other effectively in your b-school essays is a strategic and wise move.

• Precision in your writing of Strengths and weaknesses essay 

Be precise while introducing yourself or providing valuable details such as your GMAT/GRE Scores in your strengths and weakness essays. 

Precision doesn’t entail portraying oneself as a ‘perfect candidate’; the objective should be to selectively highlight pertinent aspects, depicting oneself as a ‘credible candidate’ who pays attention to even minute details when conveying strengths and weaknesses for MBA applications.

RATE MY CHANCE FOR TOP B-SCHOOLS

• Creativity is the key to master strengths and weaknesses for MBA applications.

Well, it’s no secret that every B-school receives thousands of application letters every day so, what makes your letter unique among others? 

Beyond professional certificates and test scores, the method of expressing your strengths and weaknesses for MBA applications plays a pivotal role in your selection.

Why would they accept your candidature? Everyone talks about their leadership experiences, accomplishments, social impact, etc. What will make you stand out?

To tackle such questions, position yourself as the protagonist when detailing your strengths for MBA. Make yourself the focal point. Mould your actions and experiences into a narrative that showcases your involvement in managing difficult situations while addressing your strengths and weaknesses essay. Add a touch of personality to infuse depth and flavor into your essay.

• Be Professional in your Strengths for MBA essay.

Remember that you are creating an application for a professionally-oriented B-school. Therefore, emphasizing strengths in your professional experience should be your primary focus.

It’s vital to underscore strengths for MBA that highlight your personality, but that’s the second step to consider. Initially, you must link your strengths for MBA to your professional life, future goals, and aspirations.

WEAKNESS FOR MBA APPLICATION

When prompted to explore their weaknesses for MBA applications, candidates should ponder two fundamental questions before starting:

What should I avoid mentioning about my weakness for MBA interviews?

What is the college administration looking for in my strengths and weaknesses essays?

Answering these two questions clearly and earnestly will help you craft a thoughtful and compelling response that will enhance your strength and weakness for MBA application.

MAXIMIZE CHANCES FOR TOP B-SCHOOLS SCHOLARSHIPS

First, avoid mentioning weakness for MBA applications outside your academic or professional life as they aren’t relevant to your future career.

Crafting a weakness that logically aligns with your strengths is a strategic approach. It not only underscores your self-awareness but also showcases your leadership trait of recognizing areas for improvement. This method can be particularly valuable when addressing weaknesses for the MBA application and interview. The essence lies in establishing a connection between specific drawbacks and particular strengths in your weakness for the MBA application.

The college administration is seeking applicants with positive character traits such as self-awareness and self-assessment—someone who can interpret their shortcomings and improvise to develop them into potential growth areas. 

WHY IS WEAKNESS A STRENGTH?

To answer this above question, here are some tips to address your “ weakness for MBA application .”

• Personalize your weaknesses for MBA application:

Each candidate possesses their own set of shortcomings and weaknesses. Offering appropriate context for them in your strength and weakness essay enables the reader to comprehend the specific circumstances and envisage how you would handle similar situations as a student if admitted.

Leadership experience and potential are highly valued at business schools but may not be universally attainable. Instead, consider weaknesses for MBA as opportunities for growth and present them effectively in your strength and weakness essays.

APPLY WITH TOP B-SCHOOL EXPERTS

• Be Honest 

“The most crucial takeaway is to be honest.” Presenting specific flaws and addressing them sincerely in your weakness for MBA application essays will give you an advantage by allowing you to discuss the impact they’ve had on shaping who you are today. Every candidate has their own flaws, but not everyone will use them as an opportunity to reveal their true selves in their strengths and weaknesses for MBA application essays.

• Avoid counting too many weaknesses for MBA admission essays.    

Avoid delving into excessive weaknesses; one or two examples will suffice. Instead, concentrate on sharing a genuine weakness in your MBA application. You can emphasize a specific area of knowledge, skill, or type of experience that you wish you had acquired based on your previous work. Furthermore, be sure to elaborate on your plans for skill development in your strengths and weaknesses essays. This approach will convey to the college admissions committee that you are actively addressing your areas of improvement, demonstrating your commitment to personal growth while acknowledging that nobody is flawless.

• Focus on yourself in your strengths and weaknesses essays

Instead of attributing blame to colleagues and the work environment, it is crucial to present proof of your capacity to identify the skills needed. Discuss the strategies employed in addressing these challenges in your strengths and weaknesses essays. Demonstrating self-awareness and self-assessment is essential to depict yourself as an applicant who acknowledges areas for improvement.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES EXAMPLES

Leadership qualities, intellectual appetite, self-introspection, and personal accountability are some prime qualities every B-school is looking for. 

Feel free to narrate a success story! Sharing a success story is a fantastic method to highlight your decision-making and communication skills adeptly. Nevertheless, it is equally crucial to illustrate how you have actively enhanced these skills and your recognition of the necessity to incorporate additional skills into your skill set.

BEST-FIT B SCHOOLS FOR YOUR PROFILE

While discussing your strengths, always remember to follow a Problem, action, result approach!

• Mention the situation and your role
• Mention your action and how you utilize your skills to deal with the problem.
• Describe the result and how the situation turned out in favor of your company.
• Lessons you learned and how these skills will help you prosper in your future.

Lacking adequate knowledge in a specific domain can be a valid weakness. For instance, in your previous role as a Marketing Manager, limited exposure to the technical aspect of the business could be identified as an area for improvement. Subsequently, you can elaborate on your plans to enhance these skills.

The top B-school programs seek individuals with leadership qualities, visionary thinking, and an entrepreneurial spirit capable of challenging and shaping the future. It is crucial to convey to the admissions board that you embody these traits. With competition intensifying each day, securing a spot at the top business schools has become an increasingly challenging endeavor. Merely having good grades, certificates, and educational history is no longer sufficient for MBA applicants; they must possess additional qualities to gain admission.

While reviewing application essays, the admission committee seeks credible individuals poised for future impact. Hence, it is your responsibility to articulate your personal and professional narrative in a manner that engages the reader. You may think this means that you need to show them a history of spotless professional records, a flawless transcript, and a journey filled with success?

KNOW YOUR ADMISSION CHANCE

Of course not! If your story lacks failures or weaknesses, it may come across as lacking authenticity, and the admissions committee might perceive it as if you haven’t fully contemplated their application questions.

Every individual has experienced failure at some point, and such setbacks can serve as a dual advantage for your application. They not only showcase the capacity for self-introspection, a rare leadership trait, but also provide an opportunity to outline your action plan for future endeavors.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES FOR AN MBA INTERVIEW TO THE ADCOMS?

The first and foremost step is to be perfectly honest, don’t try to outplay the interviewer by marking your strengths as your weaknesses.

Ensure that any strength you highlight incorporates qualities that B-schools specifically value. Avoid presenting yourself as perfect, as it implies there’s nothing left to learn, and this impression may not be well-received by the Adcoms.

Self-introspection is valuable, but it doesn’t necessitate tearing yourself down. Limit your weaknesses to one or two at most. Simply stating your weaknesses is not sufficient; provide a logical foundation linked to your future goals. Question why you believe a particular aspect needs change and consider how this transformation can contribute to your personal growth.

If you’re still seeking further guidance on how to prepare your strengths and weaknesses for an MBA interview, join us for a call! Our 45-minute in-depth consultation will assist you in overcoming any challenges encountered during interview preparation. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my MBA application strong?

Rather than making your strengths and weaknesses for MBA application exhaustive detail-wise, try to make it more genuine by focusing on strengths for MBA relevant to your future goals and how admission to your dream school will help achieve them.

Precision, creativity, honesty, and professionalism are the major aspects of drafting a near-perfect strengths and weaknesses essay for an MBA application.  

How can you justify your strengths?

Ensure that your certificates, academic background, and prior work experience seamlessly align with the highlighted strengths for MBA. The college administration recognizes that noteworthy achievements at a young age are uncommon, making them particularly interested in individuals with vision, creativity, and strong leadership skills.

What should I write about my weaknesses in MBA?

Crafting weaknesses for MBA essays can be challenging, but to prevent misinterpretation, focus on offering logical weaknesses tied to your profession. However, refrain from listing too many in your MBA application essays; limit them to two or at most three. Additionally, keep in mind that the capacity for self-criticism and introspection is a valuable leadership trait, and it’s relatively rare among B-school applicants.

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Writing about your strengths and weaknesses in MBA Admission Essays

This essay is about your awareness of yourself as a person. The admission officers are keen on finding out, how much you know about your own skills. Your strengths and weaknesses determine where you stand in this competitive world. The thing that matters more to the admissions committee is your consciousness for your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on where you see your strengths and weaknesses in relation to your current positions of responsibility and to your goals/ambitions. Assess your skills, and you will identify your strengths and weaknesses. This is an exercise worth doing before writing your essay. Make a list of your skills, dividing them into three probable categories; Personal Traits:  These spotlight your unique qualities of how dependable, flexible, friendly, hard working, expressive, formal, and punctual and a good team player you are.

Knowledge-Based Skills:  This can be your computer skills, languages, degrees, certifications, training and technical ability acquired from education and experience.

Transferable Skills:  These are your portable skills that you take from job to job such as communication and people skills, analytical and critical thinking abilities and problem-solving and planning skills.

Once you prepare the list, choose few of those strengths that match the requirements of the admission people. Here is an opportunity for you to differentiate your candidature from the pool of applicants. You need to write about the qualities or traits in you that you have not covered in any other essays. You can highlight any of your qualities such as leadership, initiative, teamwork, creativity, innovation, courage and volunteerism , that you think makes you a strong applicant for a top ranking MBA program. Other applicants might also have similar strong attributes, but your anecdote needs to be convincing enough to compel the admission committee to distinguish you among the massive crowd of applicants. Though you do not have space for rambling stories one or two succinct anecdotes would help the cause.  Just mentioning the strengths will not suffice. You have to present examples of how you have demonstrated those strength. Make sure you can give specific examples to demonstrate why you say that as your strength. Further during interview, when confronted with this question, remember the admission officers are looking for a fit. They are forming a picture of you based on your answers. Put your energy into your strength statement. Before writing about your assets, judge yourself if you actually consider it as your most powerful strength. Further discussions with friends, peers and family members will help you in finalizing a trait and anecdote. You can focus on any quality that is much blown up in you, let it be personal or professional. If you proudly admit about a specific talent in you, then it is quite obvious that you have demonstrated this skill of yours in certain situations, or how do you support your answer? Discuss the situations where you have employed your asset to deal with the circumstances and also share what knowledge or experience you gained from it. It is also advisable to share how you developed the quality in you. What are your motivational factors or what has influenced you to transform this quality of yours as your most powerful strength. For this essay, SAR (Situation, Action and Result) will be a good approach.;

• Describe what the situation was and what your role was.
• Delineate what action you took and how did you utilize your skills to deal with the situation.
• Discuss the result from your action.
• Mention how it benefited you and your organization.
• Discuss how this skill will help you to prosper in your career.

Discussing these points will surely serve the purpose and will definitely show your uniqueness to the admissions committee. Hence take this question as an opportunity and furnish the information, expose the surface which admissions committee wants to see. Weakness: Try not to talk about too many weaknesses - one or two will be sufficient. You can mention that you do not have a particular domain knowledge/skill/type of experience. Example: In your previous role as a Technical Manager, you did not get much exposure to marketing and branding aspect of business. Therefore, you lag the required skills to market your products. Then you need to discuss how you are planning to develop these skills. You should give evidence of your ability to determine the skills required. Remember to present a genuine weakness, so that you can talk about the strategies you are using to deal with the same. This will let the admission officers know that although you are not perfect, you are working on your shortcomings.

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MBA Essays: How To Write About Weakness

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You, like everyone else, doesn’t like to write about (or think about) your flaws, especially when you are striving to present a desirable portrait of yourself. But if that’s what the application asks for, then just as with the criticism question, that is what you must provide. In fact, by answering the weakness question thoughtfully, you’ll be adding to your desirability, not detracting from it.

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Be honest. Don’t try and make up a flaw that’s really a positive attribute in a shallow, transparent attempt to look good. Skip the “I’m a sucker for detail” flaw – being detail-oriented is a good thing. The same thing goes for “I work too hard” – a strong work ethic is good. As long as OCD isn’t involved, don’t pretend otherwise.
• Remain personally focused and take responsibility. Don’t discuss the blemishes of other people as a way to minimize yours or transfer responsibility AKA blame.
• Write about traits that are relevant to management. For example, a weakness for chocolate is…a weakness indeed, but it’s not directly relevant to business school or your career.
• Finally, discuss how you’ve addressed your weakness. The only way to turn talking about your weaknesses into a strength is to talk about the steps you’ve taken to address the defect. If your quant skills are weak, have you enrolled in courses that will boost them (statistics, accounting, etc.). If you had difficulties delegating when you first became a manager, discuss how you learned to delegate more effectively and tell about a more recent managerial experience where your led an effective, efficient team.
• Try to choose a weakness from a few years ago and from an arena of your life not discussed in other essays. Doing so allows you to reveal another side of you and also gives you more opportunity to show growth.

All human beings have weaknesses. The ones who succeed are aware of them and work to minimize them. Use this essay to show that you belong to this group of winners.

By Linda Abraham, CEO and founder of Accepted.com and co-author of the soon-to released book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Linda has been helping MBA applicants gain acceptance to top MBA programs since 1994.

Our Series On Perfecting Your MBA Essays:

• Part I: Smart Note Taking for Smart MBA Essays
• Part II: Essay Advice: If You’re Reapplying…
• Part III: Three Essential Keys to the Goals Essay
• Part IV: Why Do You Want an MBA Now?
• Part V: Leadership Essays: Tell, Show, Explain
• Part VI: The Optional Essay: Use It or Lose It
• Part VII: Essays: Responding to Criticism
• Part VIII: How To Approach the Short MBA Essays

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.

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How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?”

• Joel Schwartzberg

Advice and examples to help you craft an authentic answer to this common interview question.

Don’t take common interview questions lightly just because they’re predictable. Underpreparing for them can make the difference between moving ahead and moving on. One question that often comes up: What are your strengths and weaknesses? In this article, the author outlines clear steps for how to describe your strengths and weaknesses along with sample language to use as a guide.

Some questions come up again and again in job interviews . At the top of the list: “ Tell me about yourself ,” “ Why do you want to work here? ” and “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”

• JS Joel Schwartzberg oversees executive communications for a major national nonprofit, is a professional presentation coach, and is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team . You can find him on LinkedIn and X. TheJoelTruth

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5 tips for stating PI strengths/weaknesses

Why does the evaluator ask this Question?

• To find out how well you understand yourself. The panel wants to assess you on your clarity of thought and there can be no better way to do so than checking whether you understand your strengths and weaknesses or not!
• To find out how your strengths are related to your past experiences and to future expectations. This demonstrates an ability to apply strengths in real life situations.
• Every person has some weak points. The evaluators would like to know whether you understand what your weaknesses are and how you plan to remove these weaknesses.

How to decide on your strengths/weaknesses?

• You should be able to justify your strengths and weaknesses by stating past experiences with examples. The width and depth of examples will define the sanctity of what you say.
• Examiners usually ask you instance where you demonstrated a particular strength or where a weakness landed you in problem.
• You should be able to justify how your strengths and weaknesses are going to help in achieving your future expectations. For example, if you are opting for a role in finance, good analytical skills would be an advantage. If you are opting for a career in HR, team skills and values become important. For a person interested in marketing, 'getting along well with people', 'persuasive skills' etc. become important.
• Interviewers would ask you questions on how your strengths and weaknesses can help in achieving your future expectations. For example, if you are someone with high levels of initiative, then you can project it as a trait which will facilitate your leadership roles in professional set ups.

Examples of Strengths

• Willingness to learn – which is critical for any learning program.
• Strong application orientation- which measures your ability to apply theory into practice and becomes imperative for a management program.
• High levels of initiative- which mark your ability to take first steps in the right direction.
• Temperament suitable for team work- which benchmarks your ability to collaborate with team members.
• Capacity for hard work- which is a basic requirement for contributing to a cause.

Examples of Weaknesses

• Impulsive- someone high on energy runs the danger of being restless and impulsive, at which point it starts affecting performance adversely.
• Over meticulous- while having an eye for detail is a positive trait, it starts operating as a hurdle when you get too fastidious about things.
• Set very high goals- which assumes the proportions of being unrealistically ambitious.
• Too curious- which is a disturbing trait as it leads to redundant intervention.

Avoid the following

• Do not state a strength merely because of its political correctness.
• Do not over commit under situational pressure.
• Do not state a weakness of character, like lack of integrity or fairness.
• Do not keep on unfolding with every goad the panel exercises to evoke a reaction from you. For example stating too many weaknesses  as the panel continuously pushes you into a situation where it keeps triggering you, may not go well!
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ISB Latest Essays for 2025 Intake: Tips for Excellence and Samples

Question banks.

• Situations that shaped your journey : Identify and describe pivotal moments in your life.
• Lessons learned about strengths and weaknesses : Reflect on what these situations taught you about yourself.
• Impact on your personal and professional journey : Explain how these lessons have influenced your development.
• Reflect on significant events or experiences in your life that have had a profound impact on you. These could be personal challenges, professional milestones, or transformative experiences.
• Choose a few situations that collectively offer a comprehensive view of your personal and professional growth. Ensure they are diverse enough to highlight different aspects of your character.
• Briefly describe each situation, focusing on what happened, your role, and the context. Keep this part concise to ensure you have enough space for analysis.
• Convey the emotional and psychological aspects of these experiences. This will help the admissions committee understand the depth of your introspection.
• For each situation, reflect on the strengths you exhibited. These could include leadership, resilience, empathy, problem-solving, etc.
• Honestly assess any weaknesses or areas for improvement that these situations revealed. This shows self-awareness and a willingness to grow.
• Explain how these situations have shaped your character, values, and outlook on life. Highlight any changes in your behavior, mindset, or goals.
• Discuss how the lessons learned have influenced your professional journey. This could include changes in your career path, improvements in your work ethic, or new skills you have developed.
• Your essay should read as a cohesive narrative rather than a disjointed list of experiences. Use transitions to link different parts of your essay smoothly.
• While it’s important to highlight your achievements, be careful not to come across as boastful. Similarly, while discussing weaknesses, focus on how you have addressed or are addressing them.
• The first crucial step in crafting your essay is to fully understand the essay prompt. Focus on identifying keywords such as “intellectual experiences,” “approach to learning,” and “motivation for an MBA.” Your goal here is to demonstrate how specific experiences have shaped your mindset and career aspirations.
• Reflect deeply on what the prompt is asking, ensuring you grasp the nuances and expectations embedded within the question. This understanding will guide the content and direction of your essay, ensuring you address the core requirements effectively.
• Begin by brainstorming a comprehensive list of significant intellectual experiences, such as influential courses, impactful projects, enlightening readings, and meaningful discussions.
• As you compile this list, look for recurring themes or patterns that highlight your approach to learning and your professional aspirations. This reflective process is critical as it helps you identify the experiences that have genuinely influenced your intellectual development and align with your decision to pursue an MBA.
• From your brainstormed list, carefully select the experiences that are most relevant to your decision to pursue an MBA.
• Focus on those that had a profound impact on your intellectual growth and learning style. These should be experiences that not only resonate personally but also clearly illustrate your academic and professional journey. By choosing the most impactful and relevant experiences, you will be able to construct a compelling narrative that convincingly links your past learning to your future goals.
• To ensure your essay has a clear and logical structure, create a detailed outline. Start with an introduction that briefly introduces your intellectual journey and its significance to you. In the body paragraphs, delve into each key experience. For the first experience, describe the context, what you learned, and how it influenced your approach to learning.
• Do the same for the second experience, highlighting its lessons and impact on your perspective.
• In a subsequent paragraph, connect these experiences to explain how they collectively led you to the decision to pursue an MBA. Conclude your essay by summarizing your intellectual growth and reiterating your motivation for the MBA, linking it to your future career goals.
• With your outline in place, focus on crafting a narrative that is engaging and memorable. Use anecdotes to bring your experiences to life and make your essay more relatable.
• Be specific, providing concrete details to illustrate your experiences and insights. Show deep introspection by reflecting on how these experiences shaped your intellectual approach. This narrative approach not only makes your essay more engaging but also demonstrates your ability to think critically and reflect on your learning journey.
• Incorporate a section that explicitly relates your intellectual journey to the Indian School of Business (ISB). Highlight how ISB’s curriculum and community align with your learning style and career aspirations. Mention specific programs, courses, or aspects of ISB that resonate with you.
• Additionally, outline how you plan to contribute to ISB’s community based on your intellectual experiences. This connection between your past experiences and ISB’s offerings will reinforce your fit for the program and your genuine interest in becoming a part of its community.
• Context:  Set the scene (course, project, etc.).
• Challenge:  Explain the intellectual challenge you faced.
• Learning:  Detail what you learned and how it shaped your approach to learning.
• Context:  Where and how it occurred.
• Challenge:  The intellectual hurdles.
• Learning:  What you took away and its impact on you.
• Synthesis:  Combine the learnings from the experiences.
• Decision:  Link these to your decision to pursue an MBA.
• Recap:  Briefly recap your key points.
• Future Goals:  Link your past experiences with your future aspirations.
• Example: “In the short term, I aim to transition from core operations to strategy consulting to get 360-degree exposure to business intricacies across functions.”
• Example: “With a background in engineering and three years of experience in product management, I have developed strong analytical and problem-solving skills. However, I lack holistic business knowledge and strategic management experience.”
• Example: “I seek to specialize in Strategy, taking relevant courses like Competitive Strategy, Operations Strategy to gain essential knowledge for success in consulting.”
• Leverage Alumni Insights : Reach out to ISB alumni and current students to gain insights into how the PGP has helped them achieve their career goals. This will provide concrete examples to support your essay.
• Example: “The Leadership Development Program at ISB will enhance my managerial capabilities, while courses like ‘Corporate Strategy’ and ‘Business Analytics’ will provide me with a robust strategic foundation.”
• Example: “My experience in launching new tech products aligns well with ISB’s focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.”
• Example: “With a vision to lead strategic initiatives in a global corporation, I seek to leverage ISB’s PGP to bridge the gap between my technical expertise and strategic acumen.”
• Example: “My engineering background and product management experience have honed my analytical skills. However, to transition into a strategic consulting role, I need to deepen my understanding of business strategy and leadership. ISB’s PGP, with its comprehensive curriculum and focus on leadership development, is ideally suited to equip me with these skills. The opportunity to learn from distinguished faculty members like Prof. XYZ and to participate in the Consulting Club will be invaluable in achieving my career aspirations.”
• Example: “In essence, the ISB PGP will be instrumental in transforming me into a strategic leader capable of making impactful decisions. I am excited about the possibility of contributing to and learning from the vibrant ISB community.”
• Be Authentic : Authenticity is key. Use your unique voice and personal experiences to stand out. Avoid clichés and generic responses.
• Reflect Deeply : Take time to introspect and understand the core messages you want to convey. Your essays should reflect a well-thought-out narrative.
• Structure and Clarity : Ensure your essays are well-structured with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Clarity of thought and expression is essential.
• Use Anecdotes : Personal stories and specific examples make your essays more engaging and relatable. Highlight situations that genuinely impacted you.
• Align with ISB’s Values : Demonstrate how your experiences and goals align with ISB’s values and how the PGP will help you achieve your aspirations.
• Edit and Revise : Write multiple drafts and seek feedback from mentors or peers. Proofread meticulously to avoid any grammatical or typographical errors.

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How to talk about weaknesses in MBA essays and interviews

“I have my flaws. I sing in the shower, sometimes I volunteer too much, occasionally, I’ll hit somebody with my car.” – Michael Scott, Regional Manager, Scranton Branch, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

In two delightfully short sentences, Michael Scott from The Office , with his trademark humor, summed up the contradictions and complexities involved in confronting that most confounding of all corporate questions – tell us about your weaknesses.

Talking about weaknesses in your MBA essay and interview is like walking a tightrope. Talk too less and you end up looking arrogant, like Michael Scott. Talk too much and you start sounding like an agony aunt column in an adolescent magazine, also like Michael Scott.

Is there a sweet spot somewhere in between that is just right and that isn’t Michael Scott?

Yes, there is, and we are here to tell you how to hit it.

Why do you need to talk about your weaknesses anyway?

Most MBA essays have a section that requires you to talk about your strengths and weaknesses. Alternatively, there might be a section where you are asked to describe a situation where you failed or talk about a time when you received criticism for your work and how you handled it.

The same set of questions could be posed to you in an interview as well.

Strengths are easy to talk about. You know what you’re good at and you can talk about it endlessly. Talking about weaknesses is the tricky part.

The admissions committee judges your answers to evaluate two things – how self-aware you are, and how well you bounce back from failure. The point to really understand here is that you are applying to a school. A business school, yes, but a school nonetheless. A school is a place where you go to learn things. And you only learn things you do not know yet, or which you aren’t very good at yet.

To put it simply, the admissions committee wants to hear about your weaknesses so that you enter school and learn to improve upon them.

It follows that what the admissions committee wants to see in your essay or hear from you in the interview are two things – an awareness of what your weaknesses are, and a capacity or a will to improve upon them provided the right guidance and environment.

Knowing this is the key to crafting a great response to the adcom’s questions.

So how do you put this knowledge into actionable items?

Below is a 7-point checklist on what to do and what not to do when talking about your weaknesses in MBA essays and interviews.

• Don’t take it personally
• Be original
• Don’t hide your weaknesses
• Don’t try to turn a positive into a negative
• Don’t dwell on your weaknesses too much
• Avoid freudian slips, red flags, alarm bells
• Take it easy

Let’s try to understand what each one means.

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How to Talk About Weaknesses in MBA Essays and Interviews

1. don’t take it personally.

Your MBA essay is not your personal diary and your interviewer is not your therapist. While it’s a good habit to keep a diary and try therapy for self-improvement , your MBA essay/interview is not the right place for these.

When the adcom asks you to talk about your weaknesses, what they have in mind are your weaknesses or failures in a professional setting. They aren’t very interested in your character flaws or your life struggles unless they have a direct bearing on your professional performance.

So what you are expected to describe here are situations at your workplace, or examples from your academics where you struggled.  

2. Be Original

This one’s a little obvious but it bears repeating. Only talk about weaknesses that you really have. Do not try to mention a weakness simply because it sounds cool, or because you heard someone else talk about it and get through.

Remember how in school, when we were asked our hobbies, half the class would say listening to music and playing cricket?

And then there would be one wiseguy ( it was almost always a guy for some reason) who, refusing to be dragged down to the level of average Joes and plain Janes possessing mundane hobbies, would come up with a hobby no one had ever heard of, simply to sound cool. Like lepidopterology.

Don’t be that guy in your MBA essay.

It is perfectly fine to have perfectly ordinary hobbies like listening to music and playing cricket. It is also perfectly fine to have outrageously unheard of hobbies like lepidopterology. Just make sure that whatever you say, you mean it. If you talk about a certain weakness, you need to make sure that it is something you’ve lived through.

Oh, and a lepidopterologist, by the way, is a butterfly collector.

Read more on the best extracurricular activity for college admissions .

3. Don’t Hide Your Weaknesses

Remember how Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones advised wearing your weaknesses like armor so no one could use them against you?

He had a point.

Everyone has weaknesses. If you try to hide yours, the admissions committee will see right through it.

Instead, be honest and talk about your weaknesses openly. You can even use them as an opportunity to show how you’ve grown and changed over the years.

For example, let’s say you have a weakness in math. You can talk about how you used to struggle with math in school and how you had to work hard to improve your skills. You can talk about how you’re now much better at math and how you’ve even been able to help other people improve their own math skills.

This shows that you’re honest about your weaknesses and that you’ve taken steps to improve upon them.  

4. Don’t Try To Turn a Positive Into a Negative

This is a classic mistake, related closely to the previous point that a lot of candidates make. It involves describing as a weakness something that is not usually considered a flaw.

For instance, when you mention things like being a perfectionist, or being too kind, or working too hard, what you are in effect doing, is dressing up desirable qualities to pass them off as weaknesses.

This feels disingenuous, like trying to stick colorful feathers on a chicken to pass it off for a peacock.  Your interviewer can easily turn it around into a sticky situation and trap you.

Imagine the following exchange:

Interviewer: What is your biggest weakness? You: I think I am too kind. Interviewer: I don’t think kindness is a weakness. I think it is a strength. *awkward silence*

To avoid this trap, instead of saying you’re too kind, you need to phrase it to convey that you lack the firmness to deal with people or that you’re not very good with people skills.

In other words, call a spade a spade.

5. Don’t Dwell on Your Weaknesses Too Much

This follows directly as a counter to the previous point. When talking about your weaknesses, don’t overdo them. You need to keep a balance.

For example, let’s say you’re asked about a time when you failed. You don’t want to spend the whole interview talking about that one time you failed.

Instead, you want to focus on what you learned from that experience and how it made you a better person. This shows that you’re able to learn from your mistakes and that you’re not afraid to fail.

What you want to emphasize here is that you’re aware of your weaknesses and that you’re taking steps to improve upon them.

6. Avoid Freudian Slips, Red Flags, Alarm Bells

This one follows directly from the previous point. When you talk about your weaknesses, make sure you do not reveal more than is necessary.

An example?

Suppose you say something like you have trouble being fully functional at work until you have had your fourth cup of coffee. Or You say that you have trouble waking up most mornings and reporting to work. Or You say that you prepare all your PowerPoint presentations after 7 PM with a sundowner in hand.

All these are behavioral traits that can be viewed as being symptomatic of deeper mental or physical health issues. They are best kept away from an MBA essay or interview.

7. Take It Easy

Finally, don’t spend too much time figuring out the perfect weakness.We know this is a kind of a long and somewhat intimidating list, but once you sit down with a pen and paper to think things through, it will all come together naturally.

Remember, that everyone has weaknesses and that you’re not alone in this. Give it a good thought, but it shoudn’t sound too stressed.  

Industry insider tips to answer the weakness question in Interviews

Some business schools do not specifically ask about strengths and weaknesses in their MBA essays. So how does the admissions committee judge these aspects?

“We practice holistic admissions and evaluate candidates across a wide array of behavioral-based evidence in their application packages,” says Erin O’Brien, assistant dean and chief enrollment and marketing officer in the University at Buffalo School of Management.

“We choose to explore a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses as part of our interview process, so that we can probe their responses in a deeper and more thoughtful way than limiting it to a written personal statement,” she adds.

We took the opportunity to dig a little deeper, and Erin had some interesting insights, advice and tips to share.

MCB: What advice do you have to applicants who are apprehensive about revealing their vulnerabilities during the interview?

Erin: Let’s face it, interviews for any graduate management program can be scary. While it’s a delicate balance, it’s also OK to reveal vulnerabilities during an interview – personally, I think it shows authenticity. So many interviews sound the same, and sometimes vulnerabilities can help positively differentiate you from the rest of the candidates. They have the power to show honesty, self-awareness, and a focus on continuous improvement – traits we strongly desire in our students. They can also show the human side of a candidate, beyond quantifiable academic performance statistics.

But, it’s best to be planned and directed when sharing vulnerabilities. As you prep for your interview, ask yourself how will sharing my weakness also provide evidence of something more positive – can I use it to frame resilience or persistence, skill or competency growth? Can I weave it into my motivation for applying to my graduate management program? And, make sure you include how you’ve worked to overcome this weakness or vulnerability, even if you haven’t quite solved it yet. Show how you have made the effort to improve. If you have actual results or behavior-based evidence of success, highlight them.

I think it is important to have guard rails, though, in this type of response. There are potential pitfalls if you choose to reveal a weakness or vulnerability that may be baseline required skills for entrance into the program. You’ll want to avoid those types of responses. Also, as with every answer in a graduate management admissions interview, don’t make anything up – be truthful and honest.

MCB: What are some of the top traits your team looks for in candidates that can help them get an admit in spite of weak areas like a low GMAT score or low GPA?

Erin: I tell candidates all the time, no one thing can rule you in or out. Just because you show up with a great standardized test score or outstanding undergraduate GPA, you still need to bring a portfolio of both cognitive and non-cognitive skills with you into your application. We want to see evidence of strong work experience, be it professional post-baccalaureate, volunteer or internship. We want to see behavioral-based evidence of skills like leadership, teamwork, communication, resilience, creativity, etc. We want to see positive progression, motivation and the ability to self-manage and adapt. These are all equally or sometimes even more important than GPA or test score.

Look at your application as a whole, an entire portfolio of elements. Draw a line between what may be a plus or a minus. If you have a minus, like a lower GPA or a lower test score, make sure you have a plus above the line that far outweighs any negative impact.

For example, if you have a lower GPA, but your undergraduate career was more than five years ago and you now have outstanding work experience showing lots of leadership potential, that’s going to minimize the negative impact of that GPA in our admissions decision-making. If you volunteered in a global experience, leading a team of others in a social impact project, that may far outweigh any negative impact from test scores.

Here’s an insider pro tip: you’re far more interesting than your GPA or test score. Tell us all about it. Chances are it will improve your potential of admission.

MCB: What is your advice to those who have career related issues including frequent career switching, career gaps or lay-offs?

Erin: My advice to applicants with resumes that may have gaps or frequent switches is really a call-back to my previous responses above: you are far more interesting than any single application data point.

Let’s start with lay-offs. Lay-offs happen – look at what’s happening in the tech world now. What I would want to know, as your interviewer, is, how did you pivot? This is a great opportunity to show resilience and creativity.

For gaps or career-switching, what is the story behind the gap or switch pattern? Was it intentional, e.g., did you purposefully make lateral moves to gain a wide variety of experience? Was it a condition of the industry in which you operate, e.g., were you in start-ups? What did you do with the gap time? How did you make it constructive and progressive? Was the switch or gap unintentional, e.g., is it a potential weakness?

Be truthful and honest…this may be an opportunity to showcase your adaptability and motivation for pursuing a graduate management degree, to hurdle the career plateau on which you found yourself switching job to job without advancement.

In the end, relative to all three questions and responses above, many applicants think business schools are looking for a homogenized portrait of traits and characteristics in the admissions process. Unfortunately, I think that’s a condition of being in a publicly-ranked market where applicants are trying to make themselves look like the “ideal” candidate.

However, that couldn’t be further from the truth! We are building a balanced cohort of different thoughts, perspectives and experiences for our programs. How boring would business school be if it were filled with only those who had the same profile – high test scores, similar experiences, the same type of work backgrounds.

How much more interesting will it be if you are in a cohort teamed with people who have vastly different opinions, points of view and backgrounds from yours, where you can learn new things from each other? Personally, I’d much rather be in that class.

Talking about your weaknesses is a complex task that requires self-awareness to understand and nuance to express. It is for this reason that MBA essays and interviews want to hear it from you.

Even if you haven’t been asked to talk about your weaknesses in the MBA essay, it’s good to have a few examples of your weaknesses ready to go, so that you’re not caught off guard in the interview.

By being honest and prepared, you’ll be able to talk about your weaknesses in a way that will show the admissions committee that you’re aware of them and that you’re taking steps to improve upon them.

You also want to make sure that you don’t dwell on your weaknesses too much. Instead, focus on what you’ve done to improve upon them.

A word of caution: Often, this question on weaknesses works in conjunction with other topics in the application essays or interviews. This is where it gets trickier. So make sure you understand the implications of what you’re saying, to avoid conflicting with your other answers.

MBA Crystal Ball has top admission consultants to help you answer this and other questions in your MBA application in the most effective manner. Drop us an email, if you need professional help: info [at] mbacrystalball [dot] com   Also read: – How to write great MBA essays – Common mistakes to avoid in MBA application essays – How to answer questions on the long term and short term goals – Many more top MBA essay tips – Best admissions consultant for ISB for winning ISB essay tips

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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After one has submitted their best resume or  perfect resume  to a hiring manager, recruiter, or employer, they will be endorsed to the next step of the hiring or application process. Most application processes will let the person continue to the interview where the hiring manager or the HR will try to gauge the person’s personality, knowledge, and skills .

What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses?

Strengths are the skills, attributes, or areas of knowledge where an individual excels, providing a distinct advantage in certain situations or tasks. Conversely, weaknesses are aspects where an individual may lack proficiency, confidence, or capability, which can hinder progress in both personal and professional contexts. Recognizing the nature of these traits is the first step towards effective personal development.

Strengths and Weaknesses Examples for Students

• Curiosity – Eagerness to learn and explore new subjects.
• Time Management – Balancing schoolwork, hobbies, and social activities effectively.
• Organizational Skills – Keeping study materials and schedules well-organized.
• Critical Thinking – Ability to analyze information and form reasoned conclusions.
• Persistence – Continuing effort to achieve in spite of difficulties.
• Active Listening – Paying full attention in class and grasping new concepts quickly.
• Public Speaking – Comfort with presenting in front of peers.
• Adaptability to Technology – Proficiency in using digital tools for learning.
• Self-motivation – Initiating and completing tasks without external encouragement.
• Group Collaboration – Working effectively in project teams or study groups.
• Shyness – Difficulty in speaking up in class or group discussions.
• Distraction – Easily sidetracked by social media or other interests.
• Over-planning – Spending too much time on planning rather than doing.
• Fear of Public Speaking – Anxiety when required to present or speak publicly.
• Impulsiveness – Making decisions or actions without adequate thought.
• Prioritization – Struggling to identify which tasks or studies are most important.
• Test Anxiety – Nervousness that impairs performance during exams.
• Over-Reliance on Help – Depending too much on assistance from peers or teachers.
• Underestimating Deadlines – Frequently underestimating the time needed to complete assignments.
• Rigid Thinking – Difficulty adapting to new methods or different perspectives.

Strengths and Weaknesses Examples for Freshers

• Eagerness to Learn – High enthusiasm for acquiring new skills and knowledge.
• Flexibility – Willingness to take on various roles or responsibilities.
• Tech-Savvy – Strong familiarity with latest technology and software.
• Innovative Thinking – Bringing new ideas to the team.
• Cultural Awareness – Understanding and adapting to diverse workplace environments.
• Positive Attitude – Maintaining optimism and energy.
• Strong Work Ethic – Commitment to working hard and achieving results.
• Quick Learner – Ability to grasp new concepts and processes swiftly.
• Networking Skills – Building relationships within and outside the organization.
• Open-Mindedness – Receptive to feedback and different ideas.
• Limited Industry Experience – Lack of practical experience in a professional setting.
• Tendency to Overpromise – Committing to more than can be realistically delivered.
• Difficulty with Constructive Criticism – Taking feedback too personally.
• Lack of Confidence – Uncertainty in one’s abilities due to inexperience.
• Time Management in Work Settings – Adapting to managing work tasks efficiently.
• Fear of Asking Questions – Hesitation to seek clarification when needed.
• Struggle with Authority – Adjusting to hierarchical structures in the workplace.
• Over-Enthusiasm – Sometimes overwhelming others with intense energy.
• Lack of Negotiation Skills – Difficulty in bargaining or advocating for oneself.
• Inexperience with Office Politics – Naivety about navigating professional relationships.

Strengths and Weaknesses Examples for Job Interviews

• Professionalism – Consistent display of mature behavior and attitude.
• Communication Skills – Clarity in expressing thoughts and understanding others.
• Leadership Potential – Ability to guide and inspire others.
• Reliability – Dependability in completing tasks and meeting deadlines.
• Emotional Intelligence – Understanding and managing one’s emotions and those of others.
• Conflict Resolution – Skill in resolving disagreements effectively.
• Analytical Abilities – Competence in examining information and solving problems.
• Strategic Planning – Proficiency in setting goals and determining actions to achieve them.
• Customer Service Orientation – Dedication to fulfilling the needs and expectations of clients.
• Goal-Oriented – Focused on achieving specified outcomes.
• Perfectionistic Tendencies – Often spending too much time perfecting minor details.
• Overthinking – Complicating situations by thinking too much about them.
• High Self-Criticism – Frequently finding faults in one’s own work.
• Discomfort with Uncertainty – Struggling in situations where outcomes are unpredictable.
• Limited Experience in a Specific Role – Lack of specific skills due to limited role exposure.
• Difficulty Saying No – Tendency to take on more than can be handled.
• Inexperience with Remote Work – Adjusting to working outside a traditional office.
• Impatience with Slow Processes – Frustration with tasks that progress more slowly than expected.
• Sensitive to Stress – Difficulty managing stress in high-pressure environments.
• Multitasking – Sometimes losing focus when juggling multiple tasks.

Strengths and Weaknesses Examples for Nursing

• Empathy – High capacity to understand and share the feelings of others.
• Stamina – Physical and mental endurance during long shifts.
• Attention to Detail – Careful monitoring of patient symptoms and treatment plans.
• Communication with Patients and Families – Providing clear and compassionate information.
• Crisis Management – Ability to remain calm and effective during emergencies.
• Technical Skills – Proficiency in using medical equipment and performing procedures.
• Patient Advocacy – Ensuring patient needs and preferences are respected.
• Team Coordination – Collaborating efficiently with other healthcare professionals.
• Dedication to Patient Care – Commitment to providing high-quality care.
• Composure – Maintaining a calm demeanor in stressful situations.
• Emotional Involvement – Sometimes becoming too emotionally attached to patients.
• Physical Demands – Managing the physical strain of nursing duties.
• Shift Work Challenges – Adjusting to irregular hours and night shifts.
• Handling Paperwork – Difficulty with the extensive documentation required in nursing.
• Time Management with Patient Load – Balancing time among multiple patients.
• Dealing with Loss – Coping with the emotional impact of patient death.
• Updating Skills – Keeping up-to-date with medical practices and technologies.
• Managing Patient Expectations – Handling situations where patient expectations are not met.
• Resource Limitations – Working effectively despite resource constraints in healthcare settings.
• Burnout – Risk of emotional and physical exhaustion from high-stress situations.

How to Answer The Strengths and Weaknesses Interview Question

The “What are your strengths and weakness?” question allows the interviewee to showcase one’s self-awareness and willingness to learn and improve. To answer this question, one must comfortably list out their various hard skills , soft skills , and flaws to the interviewer and illustrate how one can leverage these strengths and weaknesses in one’s work.

Step 1: Understand the Context of The Interview Based on the Position You are Applying For

Begin by understanding the context , theme , and tone of the interview you will be in. This will help you navigate specific nuances and terms that are relevant to the position you are going to be applying for.

Step 2: Practice Proper Body Language and Delivery During the Interview

Body language plays a large role in a successful job interview. This means that you must practice proper body language and delivery when you are giving your strengths and weaknesses as these can be a great tell whether you are open to the idea of willingly sharing said answers.

Step 3: Create an Outline to Act as A Reference During the Interview Proper

Create an outline that you can use to structure your answer to this question. Using the outline , you can create a well-paced interview answer that can properly detail your strengths and weaknesses in an instant.

Step 4: List Out a Reference of Your Strengths and Weaknesses before the Interview

You can also create a small note that will list your strengths and weaknesses in bullet form, which will act as a guide during the interview. You can use your general resume or the position’s job description as a reference for what you can put on your list.

Examples of Strengths and Weaknesses Responses

Strengths : “My primary strength is my problem-solving ability. Last year, I led a project that encountered multiple unexpected hurdles. My ability to quickly analyze the issues and propose effective solutions helped us meet our deadlines without compromising quality.”

Weaknesses : “I sometimes struggle with delegation. I take pride in my work and can be meticulous, which makes it challenging to hand over responsibilities. However, I’m actively working to trust my team more and have taken leadership courses to improve my managerial skills.”

Strengths : “I am very adaptable, which allows me to handle changes in workplace environments effectively. For example, when my company shifted to remote work, I was one of the first to adapt and even helped colleagues troubleshoot their setups.”

Weaknesses : “Public speaking has always been a challenge for me. Recognizing this, I joined a local Toastmasters club to improve my speaking skills. This has not only boosted my confidence but also enhanced my ability to communicate my points more clearly in meetings.”

Strengths : “I excel at critical thinking and have a keen analytical mind. In my current role, this has enabled me to anticipate potential problems and devise preemptive solutions, which has been instrumental in optimizing our operational processes.”

Weaknesses : “I have been overly cautious sometimes, especially when it comes to risk-taking. I’ve been working on balancing risk and caution by consulting more with peers and mentors before making decisions, which has led to more dynamic and profitable project outcomes.”

Strengths : “Organizational skills are one of my strongest points. At my previous job, I was often commended for my ability to manage multiple projects efficiently without missing deadlines. This skill has been crucial in maintaining productivity and meeting targets consistently.”

Weaknesses : “I’ve noticed that my technical skills were not as strong as they could be, particularly regarding the latest software in our industry. To address this, I have enrolled in several courses and am currently upskilling to ensure I stay relevant and efficient in my role.”

Strengths : “I have a strong work ethic and am extremely reliable. In my last position, I was the go-to person for urgent tasks because my team knew I would handle the pressure well and deliver the work on time.”

Weaknesses : “Earlier in my career, I found it difficult to say ‘no’ to additional tasks, which sometimes affected my work-life balance. I’ve learned to manage my workload better by prioritizing tasks and communicating more openly with my supervisors about my capacity.”

Strengths : “One of my main strengths is my ability to communicate effectively. In my previous role, I was responsible for coordinating between different teams. My communication skills helped streamline projects and reduce misunderstandings, which improved our team’s overall productivity.”

Weaknesses : “A weakness I’ve been working on is my proficiency in advanced Excel functions. I realized this was a gap in my skills during a complex project, so I’ve since taken an online course and have been practicing regularly. It’s something I’ve improved significantly and continue to work on.”

Strengths and Weaknesses List

• Adaptability – Ability to adjust to new conditions or changes in the environment.
• Communication – Proficient in sharing information, ideas, and feelings effectively.
• Problem-solving – Aptitude for identifying solutions to complex or challenging issues.
• Resilience – Capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks.
• Teamwork – Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with others.
• Leadership – Skill in leading, motivating, and organizing groups or teams.
• Creativity – Talent for thinking of innovative or original ideas.
• Attention to Detail – Focus on the minor aspects and accuracy in tasks.
• Time Management – Efficiency in managing one’s time to maximize productivity.
• Technical Proficiency – Expertise in specific technical fields or tools.
• Procrastination – Tendency to delay or postpone tasks unnecessarily.
• Impatience – Difficulty in tolerating delays or problems without becoming annoyed or anxious.
• Difficulty Delegating – Reluctance to assign responsibilities to others.
• Sensitivity – Overly reactive or susceptible to others’ comments or situations.
• Perfectionism – The need to achieve flawlessness, often at the expense of time and stress.
• Overcommitment – Taking on more tasks or responsibilities than manageable.
• Fear of Failure – Avoidance of risk or challenges due to the fear of not succeeding.
• Resistance to Change – Difficulty or reluctance to adapt to changes.
• Limited Experience – Areas where experience or knowledge is insufficient.
• Overconfidence – Excessive belief in one’s abilities, sometimes leading to mistakes or oversights.

Understand the Importance

It’s important to understand why interviewers ask about them. This question helps interviewers gauge self-awareness, honesty, and the ability to self-improve. Recognizing the purpose behind the question can guide your preparation and help you tailor your answers to showcase your suitability for the job.

Why Interviewers Ask About Strengths

• Alignment with Job Requirements : How well the candidate’s strengths match the skills and attributes required for the job.
• Self-Awareness : How well the candidate understands their own abilities and can articulate them confidently.
• Potential Contribution : What specific contributions the candidate might make to the team or company based on their strengths.

Why Interviewers Ask About Weaknesses

• Self-Awareness and Honesty : It shows whether a candidate can critically evaluate themselves and acknowledge areas needing improvement.
• Growth Mindset : It demonstrates whether the candidate is proactive about personal and professional growth by identifying weaknesses and working on them.
• Fit and Management : Understanding a candidate’s weaknesses helps the interviewer determine how well the candidate might integrate into the team and what support they might need.

Turning Weaknesses Into Opportunities

Discussing your weaknesses openly can turn them into strengths in the eyes of an interviewer. Explain the steps you are taking to overcome these weaknesses. This might include professional development courses, mentoring, or new strategies you are implementing in your work.

Strategies for Discussing Strengths in an Interview

Identify relevant strengths.

Before the interview, reflect on your key strengths that align with the job description. Consider the following:

• Skills : Technical and soft skills that are directly applicable to the job.
• Experiences : Specific instances where you successfully applied your skills.
• Attributes : Personal qualities like resilience, leadership, or creativity that make you a unique candidate.

Use Examples

When discussing your strengths, it’s effective to illustrate them with concrete examples:

• Situation-Action-Result (SAR) Format : Describe a situation, the action you took, and the results of your actions. This method provides a clear narrative that highlights the impact of your strengths.
• Quantifiable Achievements : Whenever possible, use numbers to quantify your achievements. For example, “increased sales by 20%” or “managed a team of 10.”

Tailor Your Strengths to the Job

Customize your discussion to fit the specific job and company:

• Job Description : Refer back to the job listing to highlight strengths that are directly mentioned or implied as important.
• Company Culture : If the company values certain traits, like innovation or teamwork, emphasize these qualities in your examples.

Be Authentic

Authenticity resonates well in interviews:

• Honesty : Be genuine about your strengths. Exaggerating or misrepresenting your abilities can lead to challenges down the line.
• Confidence : Present your strengths confidently but without arrogance. Acknowledge teamwork and the role of others in your successes when applicable.

Practice Your Delivery

Practicing how you talk about your strengths can make your delivery more natural and confident:

• Mock Interviews : Conduct practice interviews with friends or mentors. Ask for feedback on your clarity and delivery.
• Record Yourself : Sometimes, recording yourself and playing it back can reveal areas for improvement in tone and pacing.

Strategies for Discussing Weaknesses in an Interview

Choose appropriate weaknesses.

• Job-Relevant : Choose weaknesses that are not central to the job requirements. For instance, if you are applying for a data analyst position, you might mention public speaking instead of statistical analysis.
• Genuine : Pick real weaknesses. Avoid clichés like “I’m a perfectionist,” unless you can discuss genuine challenges it has caused and how you are addressing them.

Frame Weaknesses Constructively

• Positive Framing : Focus on how you’ve recognized the weakness and the steps you’re taking to improve. This shows a proactive attitude.
• Growth Mindset : Demonstrate that you view weaknesses as opportunities for growth rather than fixed flaws.

Use Specific Examples

Similar to discussing strengths, use examples to illustrate your weaknesses:

• Situation-Action-Result (SAR) Model : Describe a specific instance where your weakness came into play, what you did to handle the situation, and the outcome.
• Continuous Improvement : Highlight any training, courses, or self-study you have undertaken to mitigate your weaknesses.

Be Proactive in Your Approach

• Action Steps : Discuss specific actions you are taking, such as seeking mentorship, attending workshops, or practicing new skills.
• Feedback Utilization : Mention how you use feedback constructively to improve your performance in areas of weakness.

Maintain a Balanced Perspective

• No Overemphasis : Don’t dwell too long on your weaknesses or give them more weight than your strengths.
• Confidence : Maintain confidence while discussing your weaknesses. Acknowledge them as part of your professional development rather than as impediments.

Practice Your Responses

• Mock Interviews : Practice with a friend or mentor to refine how you present your weaknesses.
• Record and Review : Recording your practice sessions can help you notice and correct any hesitations or overly negative tones.

Impact of Strengths and Weaknesses on Career Development

Your career progression can be significantly influenced by how well you manage your strengths and weaknesses. Leveraging strengths while mitigating weaknesses can lead to enhanced job performance, greater career opportunities, and increased job satisfaction.

1. Strengths and Weaknesses Example

Tips for Answering “Strengths and Weaknesses” in an Interview

• Identify real strengths: Focus on qualities that are relevant to the role you are applying for, such as communication skills, problem-solving, and leadership.
• Provide examples: Support your strengths with concrete examples of how you have demonstrated these qualities in past roles or projects.
• Be specific: Avoid generic strengths and instead, tailor your strengths to the specific job and company.
• Connect to the job: Show how your strengths make you a perfect fit for the job and how they can contribute to the organization’s goals.

Weaknesses:

• Choose wisely: Select a weakness that is genuine but not a critical component of the job responsibilities.
• Frame it positively: Present your weakness in a way that also shows your awareness and proactive steps to manage or improve it.
• Show progress: Discuss any steps you’ve taken to overcome your weakness, demonstrating your commitment to self-improvement.
• Keep it professional: Focus on professional weaknesses rather than personal ones. Avoid mentioning weaknesses that raise red flags about your ability to perform the job effectively.

What are the common strengths in individuals?

Common strengths include adaptability, communication skills, resilience, and problem-solving abilities.

How can one identify their weaknesses?

Identify weaknesses by seeking feedback, self-assessment, and observing recurring challenges in your activities.

Why is knowing your strengths important?

Understanding your strengths helps maximize your effectiveness and guide career choices and personal development.

How can weaknesses be turned into strengths?

Transform weaknesses into strengths through targeted practice, learning new skills, and seeking mentorship or coaching.

What role do strengths play in workplace success?

Strengths contribute to higher productivity, better job satisfaction, and improved teamwork in the workplace.

Can strengths sometimes become weaknesses?

Yes, overemphasized strengths can turn into weaknesses, such as perfectionism leading to procrastination or burnout.

How should one discuss weaknesses in a job interview?

In job interviews, present weaknesses honestly but focus on steps taken to address and improve them.

Are strengths and weaknesses fixed traits?

Strengths and weaknesses can evolve with experiences, education, and personal efforts towards self-improvement.

How can understanding weaknesses improve relationships?

Recognizing and working on weaknesses can foster empathy, better communication, and stronger bonds in relationships.

What methods can help in balancing strengths and weaknesses?

Balancing can be achieved by leveraging strengths in areas of weakness and continuously working on personal growth and development.

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