If you are looking for a globally focused MBA program in a city bursting with culture, finance, and industry, then London Business School (LBS) is certainly one to consider. 

Strong applications to LBS demonstrate applicants’ global interest (even if they don’t have global experience, per se), curiosity to learn alongside people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and a passion for impact.

Ready to get to work on your LBS application? Read on.

LBS application essay tips

Essay #1 

What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words) 

If you’re aiming for a globally oriented MBA experience at the crossroads of culture, commerce, and innovation, LBS stands out as a top destination. Successful LBS applicants highlight impressive credentials and convey a genuine curiosity about the world, a desire to learn from diverse perspectives, and a clear drive to make meaningful impact. If that sounds like you, let’s dive into how to approach one of the most critical components of your LBS application.

An important component of most MBA applications is articulating your post-MBA goals clearly, confidently, and credibly (I do love alliteration). In 500 words, LBS wants to know where you’re headed, how you’ve prepared for the journey, and why its MBA is the essential next step.

To write a compelling response, I suggest you begin your essay in one of the two following ways:

Opening 1: establishing your short-term and long-term goals. Be specific. Saying, “I want to be in consulting” is vague and forgettable. A stronger version would be “In the short term, I aim to join a top-tier consulting firm such as Bain or BCG in their sustainability or energy practice, where I can help multinational clients transition to greener supply chains.” Then go further; connect that short-term goal to a long-term vision. Are you on the partner track? Will you join a client’s firm and increase their shareholder value? Or will you start your own firm that solves a big problem. 

Opening 2: establishing the problem you hope to solve, using data to define the problem, and then delving into how the MBA will enable you to solve the problem. Consider this example: 

“According to Reuters, in 2024, Britain experienced a 12% increase in reported fraud incidents, reaching a record 3.31 million cases, with financial losses amounting to £1.17 billion ($1.6 billion USD). This rise is attributed to a shift from complex scams to high-volume, low-value attacks, such as remote purchase fraud involving compromised one-time passwords.

This escalating fraud landscape highlights the need for finance professionals like me who are equipped with robust risk management and cybersecurity skills. LBS’s MBA program, with its emphasis on global perspectives and analytical rigor, will prepare me to tackle such industry challenges effectively.” 

Regardless of how you begin your essay, make sure to address the type of leader you want to become. The adcom is looking for purpose-driven candidates, so anchor your goals in something meaningful and consistent.

Next, link your goals to your previous experience. How has your career so far prepared you for this transition? Even if you’re planning a pivot, you need to draw a line between what you’ve done and where you want to go. For example, if you’re coming from a technical background but want to move into strategy, you might highlight your cross-functional projects, experience solving business problems, or early leadership opportunities. Don’t rehash your resume – interpret it. Show how your past roles have built the foundation for your post-MBA success.

Then comes the most LBS-specific part of the essay: why this program, and why now? This is where your research and genuine interest in LBS need to shine. Mention courses, clubs, professors, global immersion opportunities, conferences, or elements of the school’s culture that will help you bridge the gap between your current skill set and your future aspirations. Show that you understand what LBS uniquely offers and how it will help you achieve your goals. For example, maybe it’s the school’s emphasis on collaboration and global diversity, or perhaps it’s the access to London’s thriving fintech and entrepreneurship opportunities.

It’s also worth noting that LBS tends to appreciate individuals who are ambitious yet grounded, confident yet self-aware. This isn’t the place to wildly overreach or undersell your ambitions. Aim for a tone that shows you’ve thought carefully about your path and are prepared to navigate it with the help of the LBS community.

Finally, be sure your essay flows logically. Start with either Opening 1 (roles) or Opening 2 (problem), connect with your background, and end with how LBS fits into the picture. Think of your essay as offering a circular story: future vision, past, present, and back to future.

The best responses to this question will demonstrate clarity of purpose, a strong foundation of experience, and an intentional fit with the LBS MBA program. This prompt offers the LBS adcom the opportunity to assess your readiness to pursue your goals and your ability to contribute to the LBS community along the way.

This question is a mainstay in the LBS application – a straightforward career goals question. You need to demonstrate in the first paragraph that you know what you want to be doing after the MBA, and it had better excite LBS. The school is looking for applicants who have a global outlook, are committed to challenging the status quo, and want to make an impact on business.

In general, I find that for this essay, you should apply one-third of the word limit to defining your goal, one-third to summarizing what you have gained from your career and how it has prepared you for your intended career path, and one-third to how the LBS education will complement that experience to propel you to attain your goals. Please note that devoting one-third to each section is a guideline, however, not a rigid rule.

Essay #2

What makes you unique? (200 words)

LBS’s second essay prompt asks a simple question with difficult constraints: What makes you unique in 200 words or less? How can you reveal your essence in only 200 words? 

1. Dig below the surface.

Start with introspection. Think beyond your resume or passport. This essay should not be a list of achievements or a synopsis of your resume. Rather, you should consider what belief, trait, or experience truly sets you apart and makes you the person you are today. Maybe it’s how growing up in three countries taught you to see patterns that other people miss, or how being a jazz musician has shaped your leadership style, or how running marathons has given you the strength to push through any obstacle. 

2. Connect uniqueness to impact.

LBS wants people who will enrich both the next incoming class and the school’s broader community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate/social partners. You need to demonstrate how your uniqueness will add value in both areas. Will your entrepreneurial mindset stimulate creative thinking in group projects? Will your social activism inspire a new LBS club initiative? Will your negotiation skills help raise funds for the Global Securities Challenge?

3. Show, don’t just tell.

Avoid buzzwords. Tell a mini-story or offer specific examples to illustrate what makes you different. A statement like “I’m a creative thinker” is forgettable, whereas one like “When my startup’s supply chain failed, I bartered with local vendors and delivered orders by bicycle” is memorable.

In the end, authenticity wins. If your answer feels risky or personal, you’re probably on the right track.

Optional Essay 

Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)

The optional essay in the LBS application is exactly that – optional. But for some applicants, it’s a valuable opportunity to provide context, fill in gaps, or strengthen a narrative that might not fully emerge from the rest of their application.

So how do you decide whether to write this essay? And what should you say if you do?

1. Clarify any weaknesses or red flags.

If there’s a part of your application that might raise questions for the adcom, such as a gap in your resume, a low GPA or GMAT score, a job you left quickly, or a letter of recommendation from someone other than your current manager, this is the place to explain it. Keep the tone accountable and constructive. For example, if you struggled academically during your first year of university, don’t just say that you were unfocused; briefly explain the context and, most importantly, what changed. How did you grow? What did you learn?

This essay shouldn’t be a list of excuses but rather a reflection of your maturity and resilience.

2. Share significant personal context.

Sometimes, there are aspects of your identity, background, or life circumstances that add valuable perspective to your candidacy but don’t naturally fit into other parts of the application. This might include overcoming adversity, supporting your family, navigating immigration, or facing systemic barriers. If those experiences shaped your values or your goals, and if they help the adcom understand your drive, grit, or world view, this is the right space to reflect on those experiences.

3. Highlight a dimension of yourself that the application doesn’t fully capture.

Maybe you’re a professional classical musician who moonlights as a tech consultant, or a first-generation college graduate with an unconventional career path. If you have something distinctive about your candidacy that isn’t represented elsewhere in your application, and especially if it could deepen the adcom’s understanding of your potential contributions to LBS, the optional essay can be the place to share it.

4. Reaffirm your fit and motivation (sparingly).

If there’s a compelling reason why LBS is the right place for you – something deeply personal or specific to your situation – you could submit a short paragraph explaining that here. But avoid turning this into a second “Why LBS?” essay. You’ve already made your case in the main essays. This is only for something genuinely additional and personal.

Here are some tips for writing this essay well:

• Be concise and clear. Stick to the point, and resist the urge to overexplain.
• Use a calm, reflective tone. Don’t be defensive or overly dramatic.
• Focus on growth and insight. What did you learn? How have you changed?
• Make sure what you’re sharing is necessary for the adcom to hear. Don’t submit this essay just because it’s there. It should add real value. It is not a space for you to repeat information from your resume, restate your goals, or repurpose another school’s essay. It’s an opportunity to offer further context and dimension, not to repeat what’s already clear.

Ultimately, the optional essay is your chance to provide nuance, not noise. If you use it strategically, with honesty, clarity, and purpose, it can strengthen your application by helping the adcom see the full, authentic version of you. LBS has allotted a decent amount of space for this essay, which is a subtle hint that the adcom is open to hearing more from applicants here, and I always advocate writing the optional essay.

LBS application deadlines

Consult the LBS website for the most up-to-date information.

LBS class profile

Here’s a look at the LBS Class of 2026 (data taken from the LBS website):

Students: 431

Women: 45%

Nationalities represented: 65

Nationality by region:

• North America: 18%
• Central/South America: 17%
• Europe (excluding United Kingdom): 14%
• South East Asia/East Asia: 13%
• South Asia: 12%
• United Kingdom: 10%
• Middle East: 8%
• Oceania: 4%
• Africa: 4%

Industry backgrounds:

• Consulting: 34%
• Finance/Accounting: 21%
• Other: 12%
• Public Sector/Not for Profit/Education: 9%
• IT&T: 7%
• FMCG/Retail/Luxury Goods/E-commerce: 5%
• Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals/Biotech: 5%
• Manufacturing/Engineering/Construction: 3%
• Energy/Power Generation: 2%
• Automotive/Aerospace/Transport/Logistics: 2%

By Natalie Grinblatt, a former admissions dean/director at three top business schools. Natalie has reviewed more than 70,000 applications, interviewed more than 2,500 candidates, and trained nearly 700 admissions directors and alumni volunteers to select outstanding candidates for admission. Her clients gain admission to top programs, including those at Michigan Ross, Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, Berkeley, Chicago, Northwestern, and NYU. Natalie holds an MBA from Michigan Ross. Want Natalie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources

• Four Tips for Displaying Teamwork in Your Application Essays
• Showcasing Leadership in Admissions, a free guide
• The Importance of Researching Your MBA Goals and Being Authentic