How to write a statement of purpose for MBA with examples
Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the U.S. are throwing their doors open to international students. In 2020, only two top-ranked business schools in the U.S. had international enrollment of 40% or more. By 2023, 17 business schools were at least 40% international.
If you’ve got your sights set on an MBA program in the U.S., you’ll need to write a statement of purpose (SOP) as part of your application. In your statement of purpose, you can explain who you are and why you’d like to earn your MBA at a particular school.
Since business school admissions are competitive, it’s important to write the best statement of purpose you can to stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips on writing an effective MBA statement of purpose, along with examples of successful essays.
What’s an MBA statement of purpose?
An MBA statement of purpose is an essay (or multiple essays) that’s required as part of your application to business school. It’s your chance to share your story with the admissions committee and explain what your goals are and why you’d be a great fit for the school. Each school sets its own requirements, so check with the one you’re applying to when it comes to specific essay prompts.
How long should a statement of purpose for an MBA be?
Word-count requirements will vary by school. Some schools ask for a single MBA statement of purpose around 1,000 words, while others require you to provide shorter responses of up to 250 or 500 words to multiple questions.
Here are a few examples of statement of purpose essay prompts from top business schools in the U.S.
Harvard Business School essay prompts*
Harvard asks you to write three short essays up to 250 or 300 words each in response to the following questions:
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- Business-minded essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations and communities you plan to serve.
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- Leadership-focused essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become?
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- Growth-oriented essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth.
Wharton School essay prompts*
Wharton asks you to write two essays up to 400 or 500 words each:
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- Essay 1: How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton.
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- Essay 2: Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community?
Kellogg School of Management essay prompts*
Kellogg also has two essay prompts for prospective students to answer:
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- Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?
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- How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?
The most effective statements of purpose for MBAs are tailored to each program, so take time to customize your essays rather than sending a generic one to every school you apply to.
How do you write an MBA statement of purpose? 5 tips
Your MBA statement of purpose should share an authentic story of who you are personally and professionally. Here are some tips for writing an SOP that will boost your chances of admission:
1. Read the prompts carefully.
Before you start writing your statement of purpose for an MBA, read through each essay prompt carefully to identify exactly what it’s asking for. Let the question sink in, and jot down any initial reactions you have after reading it. This brainstorming stage can help guide you when you’re ready to write.
2. Do your research on the program and school.
Admissions officers want to know why you’re interested in their particular school and program. In your statement of purpose, show that you’ve done your research on the program before applying.
Express your interest in what the program has to offer and explain how it aligns with your MBA goals. Focus on what you’d bring to the program, as well, so that the admissions committee is eager to welcome you to its community.
3. Share your authentic story.
Your business school application contains a lot of information, including your transcript and resume. Your statement of purpose is an opportunity to personalize your application materials and share your story.
Admissions committees want to learn more about who you are and why you’d be a good fit for their program. If you’re an international student, you can discuss the unique perspective you would bring to the student body.
You can also share your professional experiences and goals you have for the future. Let your voice shine through your writing so admissions officers get to know you fully and authentically.
4. Show, don’t tell.
A hallmark of strong writing is to show, rather than tell, your story. This means providing specific, concrete examples that illustrate your strengths and achievements.
Rather than simply describing yourself as a good leader, share an anecdote of a time you demonstrated leadership. If you’re dedicated to giving back to your community, describe an instance of your community service work.
Using specific stories will make your writing more effective and memorable to an admissions officer.
5. Edit, edit, edit.
The best MBA essays are clear and concise. Before submitting your essays, take time to edit and revise. You might go through several drafts before you’re finished. You could also ask a trusted friend or professional proofreader to review your essay.
MBA statement of purpose examples
Reading samples of successful MBA essays can be a great starting point as you’re putting together your own statement of purpose. Here are a few MBA statement of purpose examples that helped their writers get accepted.
1. Sample statement of purpose for INSEAD MBA program
Source: College Essay Guy
- Give a candid description of yourself (who you are as a person), stressing the personal characteristics you feel to be your strengths and weaknesses and the main factors which have influenced your personal development, giving examples when necessary (maximum 500 words).
I didn’t realize how much my first interview would impact my future. It wasn’t a meeting with a recruiter or Fortune 500 CEO. I was 6 years old, sitting across from the international baccalaureate (IB) school’s admissions counselor. “Would you like to proceed in English or Spanish?” she asked. “English!” I said, surprising my mother. We had arrived in the U.S. from Chile less than a year earlier when my father was transferred to lead his firm’s new telecommunications subsidiary. I was new to English but eager to dive in. Mama initiated my interest in languages as she had been educated at Universidad de Chile, and understood the value of global education. Together, these interests motivated me to enroll in IB’s French immersion program, to be surrounded by classmates from many cultures and nationalities, which enriched my learning dramatically.
As an immigrant, I also understood the value of hard work from an early age. In high school that meant balancing my long study hours with working up to 20 hours/week at the Mexican restaurant my family started in Tampa Bay following Papa leaving the corporate world (after building the subsidiary to 600+ employees prior to its sale). Resilience has become another cherished value. For example, when I failed to gain preadmission to UNC’s Kenan-Flagler business school, I committed to putting in the work to make this happen during regular admissions, and succeeded, completing my last two years of college at the b-school.
Throughout life, I’ve sought growth from enriching global experiences. Immediately after college, I backpacked across five Latin American countries, ending with a two-month internship in Chile. I was elated to practice my Portuguese in Brazil and connect with new people, whether sharing a meal with a stranger at a train station in Boa Vista or couch-surfing through Uruguayan beach towns. My travels have pushed me out of my comfort zone, boosted my resourcefulness, reminded me of my privilege, and highlighted how much more I have to learn. My experience has also motivated me to make a difference for others. At UNC, I joined EASE (Easing Abroad Students Entry) to mentor incoming study-abroad students. For instance, I helped Andres from Spain navigate campus and Chapel Hill, and brought him into my friend group to enjoy outings at restaurants and events like the UNC-Duke game.
Now, having worked in Canada, China, Mexico and countless U.S. states, I am eager to make a global impact while working closely with ambitious colleagues (see Career Vision essay). To do that, I’ll harness my ambition but also continue ameliorating my shortcomings, like how I learned to manage my past tendency to rely on “brute force.” As a senior analyst, I failed to leverage the available knowledge at my firm for some challenging client work-streams, forcing me to restart from scratch to succeed. I’ve come a long way from that IB interview at age 6, learning and growing from each new experience. Now I’m excited to share and build on all of my values at INSEAD.
2. Sample statement of purpose for Fox School of Business
Source: U.S. News & World Report
In May 2010, I graduated from – with a degree in English and creative writing. I had always wanted to be a writer. I was good at it. I liked it. I thought that I was all I needed to know to choose a career path. In September 2010, I began working for — Publishing Company, thus starting a four year arc managing the production of the monthly — magazine. During my third year at —, my boss introduced me to the idea of “salesatorial,” where editors sell magazine content. I was petrified of selling. I was hired to sit behind a desk and churn out as much content as possible, not smooth talk clients. Then I landed my first sale and discovered a hidden talent.
In August 2014, I moved to an entirely client-facing role when I was promoted to the executive editor of new media and custom publishing. I work for outside clients to come up with creative solutions to their marketing needs, such as video production and print catalogs. I no longer write for my job – and I love it.
Now, when I think of what I want to be in 15 years, it is not a writer,it is the president of media conglomerate Condé Nast. In order to achieve this goal, I plan to work as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group on projects such as one BCG did for an Asian media company, helping them convert their publications from print to online. My experience working for a publishing company combined with the strategic management skills I will gain from my Fox MBA will aid me in creating solutions for BCG’s clients.
Because of my interest in consulting, the Enterprise Management Consulting project attracted me to Fox. Discussing the project with Associate Professor TL Hill at Fox Decision Day furthered my interest in the program. He explained that the EMC faculty members create diverse teams of students to fill every need of the project and that students work for a variety of industries.
While the strategic management concentration at Fox interests me for a career in consulting, instead I’d like to sample various electives to get a broad understanding of management. The two sample classes I have attended at Fox – Human Resources Management with Professor McClendon and Finance with Professor Anderson – had a large impact on this decision. Both are courses I never thought would appeal to me, but had me riveted. The expertise of both professors was evident and the energy of the classrooms infectious.
That same energy was carried over through Fox Decision Day, which fully convinced me that Fox is the right program for me. The students, faculty and staff I met spoke of the interesting opportunities at Fox, such as the partnership with a university in Adelaide, Australia and the annual immersion trips. It made me excited to spend two years working with and getting to
know the Fox community – and experiencing the programs first hand.
3. Sample statement of purpose for Yale School of Management
Source: U.S. News & World Report
The Yale School of Management educates individuals who will have a deep and lasting impact on the organizations they lead. Describe how you have positively influenced an organization, as an employee, a member or an outside constituent.
When Janet* visited a hospital for a common ailment, she was refused treatment under the claim that the hospital lacked knowledge on transgender healthcare. When Dan and Tom applied to an apartment, the leasing office said there were no vacancies once it was apparent that Dan and Tom were a couple. Such challenges faced by LGBT individuals in Columbus, Indiana, which had no protections against discrimination, spurred me to start the LGBT SAFE Initiative, a social venture to enable organizations to self-identify as LGBT friendly.
To create the initiative, I formed a cross-sector team of public, private and nonprofit volunteers. We worked together to identify important stakeholders, conducted 50 interviews, and captured the challenges faced by the local LGBT community. With this groundwork, we won an $18,000 grant from The Cummins Foundation.
Leading a diverse team – individuals with varied professional backgrounds and communication styles – was challenging. Many team members not only had competing priorities and varying levels of commitment, but also had more experience and authority than me. To overcome this challenge, I worked with the team to gain agreement on the overall vision and common goals, enabling us to effectively resolve differences and diversions. I learnt that building consensus based on shared common goals and multiple perspectives is critical for buy-in and shared success.
In early 2015, Indiana passed the controversial RFRA law that sparked national outrage. In Columbus, the LGBT community felt the adverse impact and wanted to respond with an immediate launch of SAFE.
While an immediate launch could harness the passion induced by RFRA, I was concerned about the risks and requested we gauge the pulse of the wider community. The community input highlighted a major risk – launching without a critical number of partner organizations willing to publicly identify with us would jeopardize our long-term success. Using this data, I established consensus amongst the stakeholders to launch only after we overcame this hurdle.
I led our team to present evidence collected on the discrimination faced by the LGBT community. We addressed questions, allayed concerns, and highlighted the benefits of our initiative; thereby, convincing 34 major organizations to partner with us to self-identify as LGBT friendly. Our focus on long term success was rewarded.
In June 2015, we launched SAFE along with our 34 community partners. The state media recognized this significant achievement and praised us as an effective antidote to RFRA. The momentum from SAFE along with the grassroots lobbying efforts, which I co-led as an elected board member of Pride Alliance, played a major part in the City Council and Mayor voting to amend city law to include LGBT as a protected class.
Today, Janet can go to the SAFE website to determine which healthcare facility will treat her equally. Dan and Tom can now find a house together secure in the knowledge that they will not be denied housing just because they are a couple. This is the kind of deep and impactful change that I am proud to be a part of.
*Real names have been replaced with fictitious names to protect confidentiality.
Top-ranked MBA programs to explore
There are hundreds of MBA programs across the U.S. and Canada, including both on-campus and online options. Here are five of the most highly ranked MBA programs to explore.
1. Chicago Booth*
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is one of the top-ranked business schools in the country. It has over 600 full-time students from 66 countries, and 46% of its student body was born outside of the United States. Chicago Booth students have an average of five years of work experience before enrolling in the program.
2. Stanford Graduate School of Business*
Stanford’s Class of 2026 has 424 students out of 7,295 applicants. Its student body represents over 72 countries and speaks 67 different languages, and 39% are international students. The average GPA among accepted students is 3.75 on a 4.0 scale.
3. Kellogg School of Management*
The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University’s most recent cohort is 39% international. Among its most recent graduating class, 22% of students got jobs in financial services and 10% went into private equity.
4. Harvard University*
Harvard Business School accepted 930 students out of 9,856 applications to its class of 2026. On average, these students had a GPA of 3.69 and five years of work experience. Among these students, 35% are international.
5. Wharton School*
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania accepted 866 students out of 7,322 applications last year. Its student body represents 65 countries and is 31% international. The average work experience is five years, GPA is 3.7 and GMAT score is 732.
Secure financing with MPOWER Financing
While earning your MBA could eventually lead to a lucrative salary, you’ll have to cover the costs of your program first. International students are not eligible for U.S. federal financial aid, but you can borrow a private student loan to pay for school.
MPOWER Financing offers fixed-rate student loans to international students without requiring a cosigner or collateral. You can secure the funds you need for your education while also receiving student visa support along the way.
Learn more about how an MPOWER student loan can help you cover the costs of your MBA degree in the United States.
*Schools mentioned in this post do not endorse MPOWER’s loans and MPOWER is not affiliated with the schools noted in this message.
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