IESE MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 1
IESE MBA Essay 1: If you had to come up with a motto for your life, what would it be and why? Please give an example of how you have demonstrated it (word limit 300 max)
‘When you feel empowered emotionally, you gain the confidence to achieve your best.’
I have always given prime importance to emotional and mental well-being. This strong focus of mine on emotional well being stems from my personal experiences that scarred my emotional and mental health early in my life.
While living in Malaysia and being one of the few international students in my locality, my friends often bullied me for my different looks and language accent. Bullying made me feel alone and left me with low self-confidence, which directly affected my studies. Finally, I opened up to my parents, and felt emotionally better, which helped me become more comfortable and perform better at studies. Therefore, I learned early in my life that emotional well-being is the core strength that drives our performance and that has been my motto since.
Therapy is still considered a taboo in most of the developing world. When my girlfriend was going through a rough phase in her life, she told me about her suicidal thoughts. It took me many weeks to convince her to visit a therapist; she shrugged it off, but finally, when she agreed, we found out that she was suffering from severe depression. It took her a few months to improve, but when she started to feel better, her performance at work improved and paved the way for us to become emotionally closer and form a strong base for our marriage.
The pressure to succeed in one’s career can throw the best people off balance. I am glad the program promotes students to nurture deeper connections with peers, and I hope to help my peers manage their emotional well-being along the way and bring out the best in them.
IESE MBA Essay 2: Describe your short and medium term post-MBA goals? How will the IESE MBA help you achieve them? (word limit 300 max)
I have six years of experience in leading teams in operations, vendor management, and procurement across India and the Middle East. Post-MBA, I aspire to continue within the operations domain and join a fast-growing technology company, such as Amazon or a startup, in Europe or Asia-Pacific region. In the medium term, I hope to lead global operations within the same geography.
My tenure at a technology startup, Oyo, has taught me the nuances of launching operations in new geographies and repeatedly given me opportunities to take new initiatives. However, to date, my operations knowledge and leadership skills have largely been acquired and shaped by learnings on the job within the hospitality sector. In the short term, I intend to complement these learnings with a formal business education and leadership mentoring from an internationally renowned business school such as IESE.
During my MBA at IESE, I look forward to strengthening my leadership skills through the ‘Leadership’ module in term 1, that would help me lead a diverse international team. I believe the case-based methodology and the enriching case discussions with the diverse student body can help me fulfill my knowledge gaps and develop my business acumen comprehensively. Further, I can test implementing these learnings on the Capstone Project to solve real business challenges and understand businesses holistically.
Access to the International Center for Logistics Research and taking part in the Berlin Startup Trek and Asia Career Trek would help me develop functional knowledge and create networking opportunities to succeed in my short term goals of being an operations leader. Therefore, I am confident that an MBA from IESE will fulfil my desired learning outcomes and help me achieve my career goals.
IESE MBA Essay 3 (Optional): What would you like to highlight about yourself or your journey which may have not been captured in your application? (word limit 300 max)
I would like to use this space to inform the admission committee about a few of the experiences that have impacted my career and played an important role in shaping me as an individual.
First – In May 2020, unfortunately, due to the pandemic my company “Oyo” had put most of its employees including myself on furlough (leave of absence without salary). From May onwards, I have utilized my time in upskilling myself by completing online courses. However, the last few months have been especially hard for me. My father-in-law passed away suddenly and I had to travel between UAE and India which impacted my job search efforts.
Second – As a young child, I got the opportunity to study across 8 cities in 3 countries: India, Malaysia, and Singapore. I have also studied in a boarding school which has helped me become self-sufficient and independent at a young age. The international education since early childhood has made me open to diversity, new ideas, and new perspectives. This exposure has played a huge role in my life by helping me resolve conflicts at work and develop into an empathetic leader.
With the current pandemic and recession, I strongly believe that this would be the perfect time for me to prepare for my future by upskilling myself with an MBA and I can add immense value to the diversified international class at IESE.
IESE MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients - 2
IESE MBA Essay 1: If you had to come up with a motto for your life, what would it be and why? Please give an example of how you have demonstrated it (word limit 300 max)
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” Dieter Uchtdorf
In 2011 I along with my family uprooted our lives in Turkey and immigrated to Canada. I hoped to have access to better opportunities as an opera singer in a developed Western country. Instead of the thriving arts community I hoped to find, I was faced with racially discriminatory attitudes and a scarce job market where 3000 musicians competed for 16 young artist spots every year.
There was no career advising program for senior students of my university. The cut-throat competitiveness of the field seemed to bring out the worst in everyone; my peers became increasingly secretive about their applications. Personal connections made a big difference in access to employment opportunities. Being an immigrant became a disadvantage, despite my CV boasting more stage experience than my peers. I fought against all odds and got my first professional engagement in China.
I realized young musicians had to be extremely mobile, flexible and resourceful to find jobs. I had a good education and was used to paperwork thanks to the grueling immigration processes. Not everyone handled these challenges well: A Turkish colleague of mine who received a contract from a casting agency in Vienna almost rejected it, because the translation her professor gave her was faulty and her interpretation of the terms was inaccurate. Without language skills, she needed unbiased career guidance.
I decided to start my own consulting firm Mintra, where I help emerging artists negotiate contracts, raise funds and apply to arts institutions in Europe, North America and China. Mintra stands for fairness, meaningful positive impact and my belief in a non-zero sum game. Mintra is my reaction to adversity and my way of paving my own path while helping others.
IESE MBA Essay 2: Describe your short and medium term post-MBA goals? How will the IESE MBA help you achieve them? (word limit 300 max)
Post-MBA, my short-term goal is to gain corporate experience working for an entertainment company that specializes in digital content, such as AmazonPrime, HBO España, Netflix, Movistar Streaming or Rakuten TV. I would like to target a strategic and/or operations role. Working for a streaming service will help me learn about the commercialization of arts through digital platforms that provide convenient and global distribution of content.
In the long-term, I plan to spearhead an online platform to consolidate the existing independent efforts of performative arts organizations under the umbrella of digitalization and aid their integration into the existing streaming giants, allowing for extended centralized promotion and convenient distribution of such works globally. This niche is especially relevant in Europe, where the depth and breadth of artistic and cultural content is vast.
In my research for the best institutions to realize my goal, I came to the conclusion that the comprehensive curriculum and international academic environment at IESE would be the perfect fit for me. The core courses such as Business Analytics and Competitive Strategy can give me the broader foundation that I need to understand how to run and scale a business. IESE’s unique Entrepreneurship and Innovation concentration option can help me advance towards my goals in digital commercialization of arts content.
As a female business owner, I’m passionate about activities promoting increased participation of women in high-level international business. If admitted, I aim to run for a leadership role in the Women in Business Club and take active part in IESE’s Women in Leadership IWIL initiative.
I’m confident that IESE’s academic excellence, widely acknowledged by respected publications such as Financial Times and The Economist, combined with its industry reputation will provide me with an ideal launching pad towards achieving my goals.
IESE MBA Essay 3: What would you like to highlight about yourself or your journey which may have not been captured in your application? (word limit 300 max)
Among friends and family, I’m known for pursuing things I am passionate about and striving to achieve excellence in them. I took up social Latin dances as a hobby during my junior year of high school. I took classes at a local dance school and trained 3-4 times a week. I consistently went to regional salsa festivals and danced with international dancers from all around the world. I felt a passion for building a connection to strangers through the shared language of dance.
As a strong independent woman, it was initially difficult to follow the lead of a male partner. Through social dance, I learned how to trust a complete stranger. I loved getting to know and interpret each dance partner’s unique cues on the go and creating the most elegant moves and styling to fit it.
I continued dancing during my freshman year at Northwestern University. My schedule spanned the intellectual college campus by day and dancing with the local salseros in the visceral Salsa scene of the Latino community by night. Before I knew it, I became a regular on the scene and I was recruited by two different dance companies, Latin Rhythms and Mixed Motion Arts, to be on their performance teams. I stacked up dance rehearsals on top of my university coursework and even travelled from NY to LA to perform in many international salsa festivals.
I’m confident that my passion for learning and openness to other cultures will allow me to connect and collaborate with all members of the IESE community.
IESE MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 3
IESE MBA Essay 1: Please answer ONE (and only one) of the following two questions. (300 words)
If you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Please give examples of both your strengths & weaknesses.
Describe a recent situation (1-2 years ago maximum) that demonstrates your fit with IESE’s mission and values.
“Education is the most powerful tool to change the world”, said Nelson Mandela. In my life, I endeavour to equip as many underprivileged children with this empowering tool and aspire to have a deep positive lasting impact on their lives.
2 years ago, I joined Literacy India, an NGO dedicated to educating and empowering underprivileged children. There, I observed that all classes had very irregular attendance and poor grades. I gathered a team of volunteers and reached out to these children’s families. We discovered that many of our students had pulled out of school and accompanied their parents to work due to financial constraints and sadder still, their hardships had made them lose interest in studies.
Seeing these children’s hardships strengthened my resolve to bring a positive change in their lives. My team and I decided to launch a fundraising drive to support their education and an experiential learning programs to ignite the learning desire among students.
Through our drive we raised €1.6K to sponsor 40 students. I personally took a pledge to sponsor and mentor 3 girls. With time, I developed a special bond with my 3 students and I could notice their growing confidence and interest in their studies because of my encouragement. Hence, I continued to support them and the proudest moment of my life came last year, when all 3 of them graduated high school and went to college in pursuit of their dreams.
I believe my ethos and commitment to educate underprivileged kids and create a long lasting impact in the community are in perfect sync with IESE’s mission and values. At IESE, I look forward to learning more and developing myself as a leader with a sense of humility, teamwork and commitment to common good of companies and society.
I wish that the application had asked me…
This essay can be submitted either written (200 words) or as a video (max 2:00 minutes total in length). We are aware that you are not a media professional.
I wish the application had asked me about my inspiration and love for writing poems.
I wrote my first poem on a beautiful flower at the age of 10, which was published in the national daily Hindustan Times. Since then, my mother always encouraged me to pursue and develop writing as a hobby.
As I grew up, writing became an integral part of my life because it liberated my thoughts and gave a constructive vent to my feelings and observations. My poems and stories occasionally got published in reputed magazines and national dailies. I have written for school and college magazines as chief editor and won multiple awards for my writing with a few notable publications in national newspapers. Last year, I finally managed to get my own book “Light in the Creek” published by a reputed publication in India. It is one of my life’s most satisfying achievements.
I try to use my writing as a medium to spread awareness on matters close to my heart such as child abuse and education for underprivileged. It is my silent activism to inspire action on these chronic issues. Books shaped my life and I wish to do the same for others.
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IESE MBA Sample Essays from Past Clients: 4
IESE MBA Essay 1: Please answer ONE (and only one) of the following two questions. (300 words)
If you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? Please give examples of both your strengths & weaknesses.
Describe a recent situation (1-2 years ago maximum) that demonstrates your fit with IESE’s mission and values.
“If you cannot feed hundred people, then just feed one” said Mother Teresa. I am a great admirer of mother Teresa because most of my schooling has been in a Christian school. Our sisters at school focused on inculcating values and ethos which I now feel are perfectly aligned with IESE’s mission and values.
2 years ago, I visited a local orphanage where orphan children under the age of 14 were being taken care of by an NGO. I observed that most of them were malnourished but happily living their lives with whatever god bestowed upon them. Despite seeing these happy faces, I felt their unexpressed pain. Having been through the rigor of life filled with financial difficulties, where I had to quit my education to support my family, I can easily understand pain of hungry and malnourished children.
So, I decided to help the NGO to provide proper nourishment for the kids. I proposed my intentions to my office team and 25 of them pledged their support to my efforts and we decided to sponsor monthly ration of rice and wheat flour for the orphanage. From that month onwards, we started supplying monthly ration for the orphanage and till today we have donated more than 2 tons of ration to the NGO.
After 2 years, I can happily see the difference in their health and all other spheres of their lives. The most satisfying feeling of all is the respect we get and the happiness we see every month when we go there to donate. I strongly believe, that my commitment to have a positive and lasting impact on society is synchronized with IESE mission and Value. If admitted, I will look forward to developing myself into a business leader who can carry forward these values around the world.
IESE MBA Essay 2: I wish that the application had asked me…
This essay can be submitted either written (200 words) or as a video (max 2:00 minutes total in length). We are aware that you are not a media professional.
I wish that application had asked me how passionate and dedicated towards the cause of removing corruption, which has kept my nation behind for all these years.
Mr. Anna Hazare, the face of anti-corruption movement in India, is my Idol. In 2011, when he started the movement, my country was going through many corruption scandals. Seeing him fighting for the nation, I along with three other friends, decided to start a similar movement in our township. We four friends together marched in the township chanting anti-corruption slogans and encouraged people to join our movement against corruption. Within 12 hours, this movement became one of the biggest movements in our township and more than 500 people joined. We organised an awareness camp about corruption and the core issues in our township and at the end everyone took the pledge to not to indulge in any form of corruption. In this way, we our small act, we supported and offered our solidarity to forerunner of corruption movement Mr. Anna Hazare.
This movement gave me wide recognition within my organization and latter I was elected as the youngest ever elected Joint Secretary of our Officers’ Association, in the history of NALCO.
IESE MBA Essay 3: Briefly describe your career aspirations immediately after MBA. Please try to be as specific as possible by giving examples of position, Country and Company you would like to work in: (200 word limit) *
Post MBA, I plan to start my career as an operations consultant and work for a consulting firm such as A. T Kearney or Accenture that specializes in operations consulting in energy sector.
I have more than 6 years of experience in managing operations of a 1200 MW power plant. Over the years, I have learned all the nuances of plant operations. After promotion, I also got the opportunity to lead Electronics and Instrumentation section where I am currently leading a team of 7 people. I have been awarded twice the “SARJANA”, award for excellence in work. I believe, this hands-on operational experience at National Aluminium company (NALCO), has provided me a solid foundation to transition into consultant’s role in the energy sector.
This 6 years of management and leadership experience have also made me realise the critical knowledge gaps, which I believe can be best fulfilled via an MBA. An MBA education from IESE coupled with my prior technical experience would be a perfect stepping stone to towards my post MBA goal.
After my MBA, I would like to stay in Europe. I am open to consider any country within Europe where I can get my desired work profile.
