Esade MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2024-2025

The following essay topic analysis examines the Esade MBA admissions essays for the 2024-2025 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analyses for other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.

Esade MBA Essay Topic Analysis 2024-2025

Let’s take a closer look at each question.

Essay 1

Which aspects have you improved on during your academic and professional career so far? Which tools or values have helped you achieve this? (3,000 characters)
The adcom is looking for evidence of growth, humility and self-development here. While those with academic issues, such as a low GPA, may be tempted to discuss it here, Esade offers space further along in the application for it. This simply sends the signal that they want you to more richly reflect on your academic experience and what you have learned about yourself. In terms of your professional career, try to keep the focus of the essay skill-based. You want to be able to show growth in an area that would transfer to your MBA. It may be tempting to discuss overcoming a gap in your employment, but that could be seen as more of an obstacle, as opposed to an area to improve upon. However, if you recognized that you needed a skill to become more employable, that could be a journey worth explaining.

No matter the areas of growth you choose, it will be important to avoid making excuses. Instead, assert what you had a problem with and spend more time accounting for how you addressed the issue head on. Then, show your growth and success by sharing a situation in which you successfully applied what you learned. Weave into your story the tools or values that you drew upon and applied to achieve success.

Essay 2

How will your background, values and non-work-related activities enhance the experience of other ESADE MBA students and add to the diverse culture we strive for at ESADE? (Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have accomplished) (3,000 characters)
In asking this question, Esade is trying to get a picture of the applicants’ knowledge, interests, and perspective, along with an understanding of how these attributes would make an impact on the Esade culture and community. Candidates will be well served from some deeper reflection on this topic, with the ultimate goal of offering insight into the factors that differentiate them from others in the applicant pool. Discussing some focused ways that your skills and experiences would affect this close-knit community (in a modest manner, of course) can really bolster your response here, since the adcom is sincerely looking for applicants who will change the program for the better.

For that reason, applicants who outline the specific contributions they could make to the Esade culture, the ways in which they intend to make them, and the reasons they are uniquely equipped to do so, will make a positive and lasting impression on the adcom. Again, this essay will require that applicants have done their “homework,” so to speak, and have researched the various clubs, courses and campus-wide involvements dedicated to promoting the diversity and varying interests present at ESADE. Indicating which of these involvements are of most interest will go a long way in applicants’ proving to the adcom that they are poised to make a positive impact on the school community.

Essay 3

What are your motivations in pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? Describe your mid-term and long-term visions for your post-MBA career path. What is it about Esade you think will help you reach your goals?
This is a fairly standard career goals essay. Structurally, applicants will want to begin by describing their professional aspirations, including both the position they hope to obtain immediately following an MBA, as well as their long-term objective. This will set up where you are heading from the start. Then, you’ll want to dedicate some space to your career-to-date, as this will help you lead to a conclusion about timing. It’s possible you simply cannot make any further progress toward your goals without an MBA, or are at a natural breaking point in your career. No matter the reason, make it clear that you need an MBA and pursuing it now makes the most sense for you.

Applicants will then want to explain why they have chosen to pursue graduate business education at Esade. Candidates should aim to devote at least 200 words to a discussion of how specific courses and student clubs at Esade would impart the skills and knowledge they need to bridge the gap between their current abilities and what they’ll need to be effective in their chosen career paths. Learning about the details of Esade’s MBA program will be essential in answering this part of the prompt. Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs, and extracurricular activities — whether through a visit to campus, or conversations with students and alumni — will pay dividends here.

Essay 4

Complete two of the following four questions or statements (3,000 characters total, maximum)

a) I am most proud of…
b) People may be surprised to learn that I…
c) What has your biggest challenge been and what did it help you learn about yourself?
d) Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?

3,000 characters is about 450-525 words, so expect to be concise and direct in your responses. We suggest reading through the prompts and seeing which two resonate with you instinctively. You may also reflect on what you feel is missing from your application, and identify which prompt(s) would let you introduce new and interesting information about yourself.

Given the open-ended nature of each prompt, we hesitate to give too much direction. A few guidelines to keep in mind are: Stay positive, stay relevant, and show—don’t tell.

Essay 5

Please, provide any additional information that you would like to bring to the attention of the Admissions Committee. This may include gaps in employment, your undergraduate record, plans to retake the GMAT or any other relevant information. (max 3,000 characters)
The wording of this prompt signals that comments in this section should be limited to explaining potential liabilities or inconsistencies in one’s application, per the provided list. Applicants who chose to respond to this essay should adopt a humble tone, acknowledge the issue without making excuses, and gently suggest other aspects of his or her candidacy that may help to compensate for this weakness.

Clear Admit Resources

Thanks for reading our analysis of this year’s Esade MBA essay topics! As you work on your Esade MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s Esade offerings:

• Esade on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
• Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to Esade
• Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to Esade