UCLA Anderson seeks to develop transformative leaders who think fearlessly, drive change, and share success. We believe the ability to persevere is an essential component of effective leadership. Please share an example from your personal or professional life where you demonstrated perseverance to accomplish a significant goal or milestone. (250 words)
UCLA's new MBA essay has brought back the focus on leadership.
Through this essay, the MBA admissions team seeks to understand if you have the grit and determination to pursue difficult goals. Pursuing MBA education and your cherished post-MBA career goals won't be easy journeys. So UCLA would use this essay to validate your candidature for success.
When selecting an example - make sure that the example is significant and if possible has a connect with your MBA and career goals.
To answer this achievement question in just 250 words, you will need to be focused and concise. Try following the CAR - Context, Action, Result format by first briefly explaining the situation/ context, then focussing on the actions you took that made the achievement possible and finally summarizing the impact or the result - where you are the hero/heroine of the story!
Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions Committee should be aware? (250 words)
Use this optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application that you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out such as gaps in your resume or a previous MBA or academic disciplinary actions are possible reasons why you attempt this optional essay. Comment on your shortcomings with intelligence, perspective, and credibility: giving vague excuses or blaming xyz for failures will be completely counter-productive. Explain the issue clearly and maintain a greater focus on the correction of the issue. And keep it brief.
UCLA MBA application requires you to submit a one-page resume along with details about your employment and academics. The typical MBA resume format consists of employment, education, and extracurricular details. MBA resume tips
New applicants are required to submit two recommendations. Reapplicants only need to submit one new recommendation.
Recommendations should be written by individuals who are well acquainted with your performance in a work setting, preferably from a direct supervisor or manager.
Like many top business schools in the US, UCLA MBA application constitutes of letter of recommendation questions from the GMAC MBA letter of recommendation template. MBA LOR tips
As is the policy with most top business schools, UCLA MBA interviews are conducted only by invitation. Students typically would recieve an invite 4-6 weeks after submitting their MBA applications.
Interviews are blind in order to avoid interviewer bias. Your interviewer will receive a copy of your resume in advance but will not see your application.
Questions are straightforward and generally cover topics already addressed in the application, such as reasons for getting an MBA, short-term and long-term career goals, fit with UCLA Anderson and personal interests.
As per UCLA MBA admissions team, Interviews are rarely the deciding factor in an admissions decision; instead, they typically mirror or round out information already provided in the application. We are interested in getting to know you as an individual and understanding how you'll fit into the next class. We assess your communication skills, social skills and readiness for our program. MBA interview tips
