UCLA Anderson

October 1, 2025

January 6, 2026

April 7, 2026

Anderson only asks for three very short essays. That should make the application easier, right? Actually, such short essays makes writing more difficult, in that you need to convey your personality, thoughts, and motivations - why you should be admitted -in a very short word count. Every word counts.

Essay: Why an MBA

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Prompt: Why is the MBA the right degree for you to pursue both personally and professionally? (150 words maximum)

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By asking for personal AND professional reasons, Anderson indicates that your "Why" should not be just a "this seems like a logical next step in my career," although that is part of it.

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Here are questions to help you provide a concrete answer.

Personally:

What skills and/or knowledge that you lack today that you need to pursue your goals?
What skills and/or knowledge that you want to build upon that will help you achieve very ambitious goals? (You might achieve your goals on your own, but not as well or as easily.)

Personally:

What about your personality, values, and/or motivations makes you want to pursue an advanced business education?
Why are your internal motivations for pursuing your post-MBA goals (as described in the next essay)?
Is there something in your background and/or experiences that you think will allow you to both contribute to and benefit from an advanced business education?

‍Why Anderson (word count permitting):

You may wish to add what are Anderson's specific offerings that will help you gain what you lack or wish to build upon? (Choose a single offering that you would really engage in and benefit from.)
Alternatively, you may wish to add how will Anderson's offerings and culture prepare you to meet those goals?

You only have 150 words, so obviously you cannot provide a lot of detail here on Why Anderson. This would primarily be used to tie this essay directly to the Why Anderson essay.

Essay: Goals

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Prompt: Describe your short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals. (150 words maximum)

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When describing your short-term (immediate post-MBA) and long-term (5-10 years in the future) goals , again consider the three pillars Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. In describing your goals, be aware of how your goals fit with the Anderson culture. Here are some examples of goals that demonstrate fit:

you want to not only create financial profit but also social profit;
you want to contribute and make things better;
you are able to see a future that others can't;
you demonstrate the courage and persistence to pursue a dream or an opportunity;
you want to make a significant impact at a local level, state level, national level, world level; and/or
you want to inspire others to make a change.

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Of course, your two answers to the Why an MBA and Goals essays should complement each other.

Essay: Why UCLA Anderson

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Prompt: What makes UCLA Anderson a top choice for you, and how will you engage with and contribute to the community? (250 words maximum)

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At Anderson, our mission is to prepare transformative leaders by developing students to think innovatively, problem-solve, and adapt to others – all with a driven and purposeful mindset. - Anderson Admissions

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The very basic question that you are answering is how you plan to achieve your career goals (as described in the Goals essay) during your time at UCLA Anderson (so, how Anderson matches your Why an MBA, as described in the first essay).

Describe which Anderson organizations, programs, resources, activities, and learning opportunities with which you will meaningfully engage.
Think about this in terms of what you will gain from the engagement (get) and what you will contribute (give).

Regarding what you will contribute, a good strategy is to tell an interesting story from your past that illustrates what you are able to give.

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Consider the fact that Anderson was built on three pillars, namely, Share Success, Think Fearlessly, and Drive Change. Ideally, your short story will demonstrate two of three objectives:

Show that you can persevere despite obstacles, difficulties, or complexities (you don't give up), and that you are able to find solutions to problems.
Show that you are goal-oriented and results-oriented. In this story, you not only tried to reach a goal or milestone, you accomplished it.
Show that you fit with the Anderson culture's three pillars.

Number 3 is more important than you may realize. Year after year, Anderson has referred to the three pillars, and so your answer should be built upon one or two of those pillars. To that end, below are some questions that your essay might answer (not all of them, but one or two).

Share Success

As you persevered, how did you help others (for example, team mates) along their way to success?
During this experience, how did you encourage collaboration among others?
During this experience, how did you promote ways that allowed everyone (others as well as yourself) to win?

Think Fearlessly

Your perseverance allowed you to accomplish the goal, but did you also take a new approach that was curious, non-conformist, bold, and/or courageous?
Was perseverance an integral part of experimentation and independent exploration of new ideas?
Did perseverance lead to you finding an innovative solution to a problem, and how so?

Drive Change

Did this experience allow you to make a positive impact on an individual or individuals?
Did you better your community?
Did you introduce a positive change in your team / company / organization?

Ultimately, you are describing what valuable experience, approach, background, and/or learning you will be bringing to Anderson.

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Optional Essay

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Prompt: Are there any extenuating circumstances in your profile about which the Admissions committee should be aware? (250 words maximum)

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Use to address:

choice of recommenders (in particular, if your current direct supervisor is not writing your recommendation - which is no big deal!)
gaps in work experience
low GPA or inconsistent or questionable academic performance
interruptions in academic career
difficult issues (i.e., Driving Under the Influence or other types of arrests)
areas of weakness (i.e., less than five years work experience)

Use this essay to turn a potential weakness into a strength. Tell the Admissions Committee what happened and why it happened. Be honest in your self-evaluation. Most importantly, tell them what you have learned from the negative experience, and how this learning has influenced future actions.