Accepted Admissions Blog

London Business School boasts one of the most diverse student bodies, with 92% of its 400+ students hailing from a total of 69 countries outside of England. If you are looking for a globally focused MBA program in a city bursting with culture, finance, and industry, then LBS is certainly a program to consider.

This year, the program decided to retain 3 essay questions, 2 required and 1 optional. One required essay and the optional one are identical to last year; question 2 is slightly changed. My tips are below in blue.

Essay questions:

1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)

This is the same question as last year, a straightforward career goals question. You need to demonstrate in the first paragraph that you know what you would like to be doing after the MBA, and it had better excite LBS. They are looking for applicants with a global outlook and commitment to challenging the status quo and making an impact on business.

In general, I find that this essay needs to 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 goals, and one-third to how the London Business School education will complement that experience to propel you to your goals. Please note: these are guidelines, not rigid rules 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 are guidelines, not rigid rules.

2. What specific areas of London Business School life are you most excited about getting involved in and where will you add value? (300 words)

This is a slight modification of the phrasing from last year. This essay requires knowing what kinds of activities are going on and how you will fit into them. Don’t make the mistake of spending 300 words listing activities on London’s campus; share an example of your involvement in the past, the contribution you made there, and how that experience will prepare you to contribute at LBS.

3. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)

I always advocate writing the optional essay. In particular, examples of your leadership, changing the status quo, making an impact, or navigating cultural differences would make great use of this space if you didn’t have room for them in the two required essays.

Deadlines:

All application deadlines are 17:00 UK time. All Admissions Committee decisions are communicated via email and will be sent on the deadline day at approximately 10pm UK time.

If you would like professional guidance with your London Business School MBA application, please consider Accepted’s MBA Application Packages or MBA essay editing and consulting, which can be used for advising, editing, interview coaching, and resume editing for the entire LBS application. 

Jennifer Bloom has been a consultant with Accepted for 17 years and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at crafting application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your Foster application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget.

Related Resources:

• Why MBA? [free guide]
• The Scoop on the London Business School Masters in Management Program 
• Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them