In this post, we provide guidance and information to support you in creating and submitting your application to the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB).

Stanford GSB application essay tips

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

For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, please help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you. What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives? (650 words maximum)

The Stanford GSB’s tried and true essay question “What matters most to you and why?” is one of the most challenging MBA application prompts to respond to (so start early). Unlike most MBA essays, Stanford’s is not about describing your accomplishments, even if “achievement” is what you value most. It is not about highlighting your career, even if “ambition” matters most to you. It is not about revealing your “humble beginnings,” even if your childhood is the stuff about which memoirs are written. The school’s primary essay is about what you value most and, more importantly, why it matters most to you. It requires a level of maturity and introspection that only such a question as this can demand. It gives Stanford insight into who you are and what you can bring to the GSB beyond your academic background, professional accomplishments, and personal attributes. 

So, where do you start? Start with the “what.” Ask yourself, “For what would I walk over hot coals?” Still stuck? Review lists of values that resonate with you. Is it peace, relationships, health, creativity, compassion, expression? Do not worry about being cliché with your “what,” because your “why” will be unique to you and how you have lived your life.

Moreover, you can choose something symbolic to help you tell your story. I often talk about a ring my mother gave me. The ring is precious to me because of what it represents and how it has motivated me to make the choices I have made. It is a symbol of an unbreakable mother-daughter bond. 

Where do you go after identifying your “what matters most”? Remember that your “why” is more important than your “what.” You need to explain why the values you highlight are essential to you. The best way to illustrate your “why” is by providing specific examples of how these values have shaped your life. Refrain from offering career examples, because you can state your achievements in the optional “impact” essays, resume, and application form. Your recommenders should be writing about your career achievements as well. If your values only motivate you for work, then these values are likely ones that don’t truly matter most to you, despite your spending 60-100 hours per week working.  

• State the value that matters most to you.
• Explain why this value is essential to you.
• Provide specific examples (anecdotes) that illustrate how the value has shaped your life.
• Discuss how your value has influenced your decisions and actions.
• Explain why you are better off by having this value drive you.

The essay requires a level of honesty and authenticity that few others demand. Be specific and concise. The adcom wants to get to know the real you, so don’t be afraid to share your personal stories and experiences. 

Essay B: Why Stanford for you? (350 words maximum)

Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use this essay to address your interest in both programs.

Why Stanford for you? 

Four words pack quite a punch: why Stanford for me, indeed? As you approach this essay, consider that Stanford values intellectually curious individuals who can solve problems, see beyond the obvious, and connect the dots. Therefore, I suggest you begin your essay with what you hope to achieve after you graduate from the Stanford GSB. Don’t think about a role as you might with other post-MBA goals essays. Instead, consider the problems you want to solve at the organizations for which you hope to work in the future. It does not matter whether you are considering an MBB consultancy, a Fortune 100 behemoth, a small start-up, a large private equity firm, a midsize family business, or a nonprofit organization. Focus on identifying the problems you can solve with your current skill set, but more importantly, with the knowledge you will gain at Stanford.

Next, address the crux of the essay: Why Stanford? Note that the question is not “Why the GSB?” It is “Why Stanford (for you)?” While you want most of your essay to be about how the GSB can help you achieve your aspirations, consider how other parts of Stanford can add value to your education. And please don’t state the obvious. Resist the temptation to lift your information directly from the school’s website. The admissions committee already knows that Stanford’s location is perfect for entrepreneurship, tech, and venture capital. They already know they are highly selective and highly ranked. They already know the Stanford brand resonates worldwide – they communicated all this to you in their marketing materials. Instead, think about the resources, opportunities, and community Stanford can offer you that will enable you to reach your unique goals. Why does this program make sense for you?

Finally, you will want to discuss how you will contribute to the Stanford GSB community. How will you make a difference at Stanford? What unique skills and experiences do you bring to the table? Why will your peers benefit from having you as a member of their class? If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, the school suggests that you use Essay B to discuss why you are interested in both. In your essay, you will want to clearly spell out your reasons for applying to both programs and explain how you believe each one will help you achieve your goals. Also, if you strongly prefer one program over the other, you should express this in your essay.

To address these essays effectively, you need deep introspection. you need to understand yourself, your goals, what Stanford offers, and your unique value proposition to the Stanford community before tackling these essays.  

Additional Context

We know that each person is more than a list of facts or predefined categories. With this space, we provide you with an optional opportunity to elaborate on how your background or life experiences have helped shape your recent actions or choices. (800 characters)

Some applicants overlook this question, because Stanford tucks it within the Personal Information section of its application. Reflect on all the drop-down menus you clicked on, and consider this mini essay a kind of bookend to Essay A. For this essay, you need to consider how your identity and the uniqueness you bring to the table motivate your actions. Consider cultural upbringing, education, abilities, and life experiences. How have these factors influenced how you view the world? How has your identity – that core of who you are, that core of most significant influences and experiences – expressed itself in your recent actions? This essay is about revealing who you are and what motivates you.

Given that you have a meager 800 characters for this essay, select one factor that drives your decisions. Then, describe the action. Your action is the evidence you will use to support how and why that factor motivates you. For example, my life was heavily influenced by being the daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college student. It drove the overachiever in me. That background influences every action I take, from preparing clients for their GSB interview to advocating for the rights of disabled and infirm people. That identity is how I tell my story. Now, how will you tell yours?

Optional Short-Answer Question

What do we mean by “optional”? We mean you have the opportunity to choose. If you feel that you’ve already described your contributions well in other areas of the application, congratulations, you’re done! If not, feel free to use this opportunity to tell us more.

In the Essays section of the application, we ask you to tell us about who you are and how you think Stanford will help you achieve your aspirations. We are also interested in learning about the things you have done that are most meaningful to you. Using these optional spaces, perhaps you would like to expand upon a bullet item from your resume and tell us more about the “how” or “why” behind the “what.” Or maybe you have had a significant impact outside of work in a way that doesn’t fit neatly in another part of the application. You are welcome to share up to three examples (up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example).

Question: Think about a time in the last five years when you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, civic, or academic settings. What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the impact?

Why does Stanford have optional essays? The school offers these impact essays because too many applicants tried to squeeze their accomplishments into their “what matters most” essay. If you are tempted to write about your achievements in that essay, stop. Then, cut and paste that information here instead. Now you have a space where you can highlight activities and describe your impact on work, extracurriculars, community service, and/or academics within the past five years. 

The best approach to writing an impact essay is to use a CAR or STAR with an added Sig (significance) framework. Select each impact to show some variety in your life (in other words, don’t draw all three examples from your daily work).

C = Challenge (What challenge did you face?)

A = Action (How did you address the challenge? What specific steps did you take?)

R = Result (What was the outcome? Quantify the outcome, if possible. Did you increase revenues? Did you decrease costs? Did you increase membership? Did you minimize the danger? If so, by how much?)

Sig = Significance (Why was this important to you? What did it mean for others in your life?)

or

S = Situation (What background must you describe for the reader to understand your example?)

T = Task (What was your goal?)

A = Action (What steps did you take to achieve your goal?)

R = Result (What was the outcome? Did you achieve the goal? Did you surpass the goal? If so, by how much?)

Sig = Significance (Why was this important to you? What did it mean for others?)

These frameworks will work for any behavioral question that an adcom or interviewers asks you and help you stay on point. Finally, be succinct, because the 1,200-character allotment includes spaces. 

Additional Information

If there is any information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in the Additional Information section of the application. Pertinent examples include:

• Extenuating circumstances affecting your candidacy, including academic, work, or test-taking experiences
• Academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere
• Explanation of why you are not using a current supervisor as a recommender

This section should not be used as an additional essay.

Additional information “essays” exist so you don’t have to make the adcom guess the story behind any of the following scenarios:

• You had terrible grades your first year of university (Perhaps your parent became ill, and you flew back and forth to care for them, or you worked 30 hours a week to make ends meet.)
• You received a subpar GMAT or GRE score (Maybe you are not a strong test-taker and can prove it with your inadequate ACT or SAT score and your 4.0 GPA, or you were initially premed and realized after volunteering at a hospital that medicine was not your thing.)
• You did not ask an immediate supervisor to recommend you (You might have only been with the company for a short time, they do not know you well, or requesting such a letter could lead to losing your job.)

Stanford also suggests that you use this section to discuss any academic research, because they do not want to see it on your one-page resume.

Additional information does not mean you should submit an essay you wrote for another school here. Feel free to present your reasons as bullet points, making the section easier to read. If you have multiple bullet points, you might have too many excuses, and many schools, including Stanford, could be a long shot for you.

Stanford GSB application deadlines

Round	Application Deadline	Decisions Released
1	September 9, 2025	December 10, 2025
2	January 7, 2026	April 2, 2026
3	April 07, 2026	May 28, 2026

Source: Stanford GSB website

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with the Stanford GSB to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Stanford GSB class profile

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

Applicants: 7,295 

New students: 424

Women: 44%

U.S. students of color: 53%

International students: 39%

Countries represented: 72

Languages spoken: 67

U.S. students and permanent residents (federal guidelines)

• White (including Middle Eastern): 44%
• Asian (including Indian subcontinent and Philippines): 30%
• Black or African American (including Africa and Caribbean): 8%
• Hispanic/Latino: 7%
• Multi-race: 7%
• Declined to identify: 4%
• American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Other Pacific Islander: 0%

Undergraduate degrees

• Engineering: 31%
• Economics: 20%
• Business/Commerce: 18%
• Social Sciences: 16%
• Math/Sciences: 10%
• Arts/Humanities: 5%

Average GPA: 3.75

First-generation college graduate: 12%

Hold advanced degrees: 16%

U.S. institutions: 78

Non-U.S. institutions: 97

Average years of work experience: 5.1

Industries represented

• Consulting: 20%
• Investment Management/Private Equity/Venture Capital: 19%
• Technology: 14%
• Government/Education/Nonprofit: 9%
• Consumer Products and Services: 7%
• Healthcare: 6%
• Financial Services: 6%
• Military: 5%
• Manufacturing: 4%
• Arts/Media/Entertainment: 3%
• Other: 3%
• Cleantech/Energy/Environmental: 2%

Organizations represented: 289

Average GMAT: 738

GMAT range: 560-790

Average GRE Verbal: 163

GRE Verbal range: 152-170

Average GRE Quantitative: 164

GRE Quantitative range: 153-170

Average TOEFL: 113

TOEFL range: 104-120

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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 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!

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