Emory’s Goizueta Business School is named after Roberto Goizueta, the former CEO of the little local company Coca-Cola. Goizueta’s values of curiosity, intellectual courage, and integrity are part of the Emory Goizueta ethos. The school also places a strong emphasis on leadership, entrepreneurial spirit, teamwork, global awareness, and social responsibility, so these should all be considered in your essay responses as appropriate.
Emory Goizueta Application Essay Tips, 2022-2023
POST-MBA CAREER GOALS: Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience, and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300-word limit)
Trace a path. Emory is looking for breadcrumbs… connect what you have done in the past to what you want to do post-MBA. This should be part of a coherent narrative that is realistic, given your experience. At just 300 words maximum, this is a straightforward essay. Clearly state what type of position you seek immediately after graduating with your MBA; be specific, and list a potential position title and one or two target companies/firms.
LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS: The business school is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, creating unprecedented shareholder wealth, and demonstrating a commitment to values and positive impact on society. Roberto Goizueta’s core values guide us in educating principled leaders to have a positive influence on business and society. Provide an specific example of your leadership and explain what you learned about yourself through the experience. (300 word limit)
Show what you have done. Demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have driven results to accomplish objectives. More important than whether these results occurred is that you demonstrate self-awareness as a leader and the ability to motivate teams. Think about those values of curiosity, intellectual courage, and integrity as you describe your leadership experience. Goizueta’s prompt emphasizes global reach and social responsibility, so selecting an example that aligns with one or both of these could result in a more impactful final essay.
WHY GOIZUETA? What are you looking to gain from Goizueta’s MBA degree and how do you see yourself contributing to the Goizueta community? (200 word limit)
Share your inspiration, insight, and talents. Do your research before answering this question. Be specific regarding classes, programs, and experiences at Goizueta that will help you academically and professionally. Think about how you can contribute to the community in ways that really pertain and connect to your personal passions, goals, and interests from various aspects of your life. Consider not just your professional goals but also areas in which you have in-depth knowledge, interesting experiences, or unique talents.
Video Essay – Telling your story in the written essays is an important part of the application process, but we also want to hear you tell some of your story. The video essay lets every candidate talk to the MBA Admissions Committee and we enjoy getting to know you through the “small talk” questions.
Play to your passions. Like many MBA programs, Goizueta now requires a video essay, which allows the admissions committee to get a closer look into who you are beyond what they read about you on paper. You will be given a question or prompt from a bank of questions. The admissions committee wants to know what makes you tick, what you are passionate about, and how these will allow you to contribute positively to the school. Be sincere, honest, and specific, and demonstrate connections to the Goizueta community. Also, try not to discuss topics or aspects of your profile that you wrote about in your essays and have therefore already covered. And have fun with it! Based on what we have seen in past years, some of the possible prompts could include the following:
- Of Goizueta Business School’s core values (Courage, Integrity, Accountability, Rigor, Diversity, Team, Community), which one resonates the most with you and why?
- What is the best advice you have received, and how have you used it in your life or career?
- Outside of family and work, what is something that you are passionate about and why?
Optional Essay – If there is an important part of your story missing from your MBA application (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, academic probation issues), please use this section to provide a brief explanation. Please use bullets if you need to address more than one topic. (200 word limit)
The purpose of Goizueta’s optional essay is to allow you to offer any necessary explanations or to outline extenuating circumstances that might have had a significant impact on your candidacy. You should submit this essay only if you believe the information provided warrants the extra time the admissions committee would need to review it.
Reapplicants to Goizueta Business School are required to answer only the following questions:
- Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 word limit)
Your approach to this essay should be similar to that for the school’s main essay question (Essay 1).
- Explain how you have improved your candidacy for Goizueta Business School’s MBA Program since your last application. (250 word limit)
This prompt is also very straightforward. Simply address the various ways in which you consider yourself a stronger candidate professionally, personally, and academically than you were when you last applied.
Check out Goizueta’s upcoming MBA admissions events for more information: https://goizueta.emory.edu/engagement/full-time-mba-events