2009 Stanford GSB Application Deadlines

 

                                  Application Deadline               Decision Released

Round 1                      Oct. 29, 2008                              Jan. 22, 2009

Round 2                       Jan. 7, 2009                               April 2, 2009

Round 3                        April 8, 2009                              May 21, 2009 

My comments below are in red. Everything else is from the Stanford web site linked to in the next line.

2009 Stanford GSB Essay Questions 

• Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?

This has been Stanford's first question for the last several years, and it is one of the hardest, if not the hardest to answer. It demands introspection.  Before you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard, take time to reflect on what you value, how you have demonstrated those values, and why you hold them dear.

• Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?

This question is a variation of a standard MBA goals question and different flavors have occupied this slot on the Stanford application for years. You need to define your career goals and then explain how Stanford's program will help you achieve your goals. Understand the flexibility inherent in Stanford's new curriculum, its integrated approach to management, and how both will help you achieve your career goals. Realize that the curriculum allows for personalization based on your goal and your distance from that goal. Obviously, a clear goal and knowledge of the Stanford program and curriculum are imperative to answer this question.

• Essay C: Short Essays—Options 1-4
  Answer two of the questions below. Tell us not only what you did but also how you did it. What was the outcome? How did people respond? Only describe experiences that have occurred during the last three years.

• Option 1: Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team.

New question. These questions require specifics and work well with anecdotal responses. Stanford does not want to know about all the times that you may have built or developed a team. It wants to know about  "a time," a specific incident. Make it a good one. A time when you built a team that faced challenges and succeeded. A time when your team had impact. A time when you played a key role in building your team.

• Option 2: Tell us about a time when you felt most effective as a leader.

New question. Do not use the same experience you use in Option 1 to answer Option 2. Doing so would be wasting an opportunity to show Stanford a different facet of your experience and personality.

In discussing your leadership event , try not to write about leadership in general terms. Focus on the specific aspects of leadership you used to garner trust, organize your group, empower them, and achieve your goal. 

Option 3: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating.

Option 4: Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

Essay Length

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words. Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.

• Essay A     750 words
• Essay B     450 words
• Essay C     300 words each

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