What exactly is business school, and how does one successfully navigate the application process? Whether you are just beginning to consider pursuing an MBA or are already deep into drafting your essays, this episode ofThe mbaMission Podcastoffers valuable guidance. Senior Consultant Harold Simansky and mbaMission Founder and President Jeremy Shinewald begin by examining the fundamentals: what an MBA entails, who benefits most from the degree, and the transformative impact it can have on one’s career. From there, the duo walk through each stage of the application journey, including school research, standardized testing, personal storytelling, securing strong recommendations, and preparing for interviews.
What does a nonprofit manager who graduated from Harvard Business School (HBS) in 2010 and studied ethics and leadership have in common with an investment banker applying to HBS in 2024 to study finance and global business? Virtually nothing.
At mbaMission, applicants often ask us whether they should work with a consultant who earned their MBA from the same program the applicant wishes to attend, and our answer is always an emphatic No. Allow us to explain.
The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin requires two brief yet revelatory written essays from its applicants. Combined, the essay prompts cover the core topics of why you need an MBA, why you want to attend McCombs, what you value, and how you will contribute. For the program’s first essay, you will need to explain McCombs’s role in achieving your desired growth. In other words, what are you hoping to accomplish in your career, how would you like to grow personally, and what about McCombs makes it the right MBA program to prepare you to do so? The second essay tasks you with identifying a core value you possess and explaining how it has influenced you in your life and will shape your MBA experience at McCombs. In addition, you will need to respond to a handful of recorded video questions within one week of submitting your application. If you have any potential problem areas in your profile, you can submit an optional essay to address the issue. Although brief, the Texas McCombs essay components give you the chance to provide meaningful insight into your character and strengths. Our more in-depth analysis of the program’s essay prompt(s) for 2025–2026 follows.
Many business school candidates take a straightforward, historical approach in their personal statement essays. Although this can be an easy way to organize your essay, it could deprive you of an opportunity to capture your reader’s interest with a more focused and gripping introduction. Nothing is fundamentally wrong with taking a historical approach, of course, but an anecdotal approach can sometimes be more effective at helping your essay stand out. Of course, this all comes down to execution.
Ticktock, ticktock, ticktock. With a little over one month to go until the Round 1 deadlines for business school applications, many of you might be thinking, “Am I ready to apply? Will I be able to hit those deadlines?”
For some, the answer might be obvious, varying from “Of course I’m ready! My applications have been done for a month!” to “Oh yeah, my business school applications—I should probably think about getting started on those.” For most, though, the answer is probably murkier.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
