Johns Hopkins Carey MBA Essay Questions & Analysis 2024-2025

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

Johns Hopkins Carey MBA Essay Questions & Analysis 2024-2025

Let’s take a closer look at each essay:

Essay 1

What are your specific post-MBA career aspirations and how will this program help you achieve your short- and long-term goals? Please be sure to comment on why now is the right time to pursue a full-time MBA and what aspects of the Johns Hopkins MBA are particularly appealing to you. (300-500 words)
This Carey MBA essay question is a fairly straightforward career goals essay, asking applicants to explain 1) their professional aspirations, 2) why they’re interested in pursuing an MBA now, and 3) why they’d like to do so at Carey in particular.

We suggest opening with your long-term career goals followed by your short-term ones. This sets the stage for the adcom and lets them know where you are heading from the start. You’ll also want to be as grounded and direct as possible when defining your goals—identify a position and target industry, and explain what draws you to this role and how it connects with your previous experience. If you have space after drafting your response, you may also want to highlight the impact you hope to have through your work.

Then, consider first what skills you need from an MBA; this can inform what you need from Carey and how this program will help you accomplish the growth you’re seeking. With respect to how the MBA would help you achieve your goals, it would make sense to briefly comment on your work experience to date in order to establish the skills you already possess; this helps to establish the gap in your skill set that a Carey MBA would fill. This could also be a great place to comment on timing, particularly how you are ready to leave the workforce to advance your education. This phase of your discussion should establish the skills and knowledge you hope to gain from a Carey MBA while integrating details about the program. Forging specific connections between the skills you hope to gain (whether in the classroom or through involvement in student clubs or other outlets) and your future plans will show the adcom that you’ve researched the program and have a sound understanding of how a Carey MBA will prepare you for success.

Essay 2

Carey’s institutional values are Boundless Curiosity, Relentless Advancement, Unwavering Humanity, and Collaborative Leadership.

• Boundless Curiosity: Have a hungry mind, wired for exploration, always seeking, discovering, and innovating. Carey embraces continuous learning and a constant pursuit of knowledge.
• Relentless Advancement: Challenge the status quo. Carey builds on Johns Hopkins University’s tireless pursuit of excellence.
• Unwavering Humanity: Commit to business with humanity in mind. Carey advances society and shapes leading citizens
• Collaborative Leadership: Foster an inclusive environment. Carey builds passionate teams across the Johns Hopkins network to develop dynamic business solutions.

Which of Carey’s four values resonates most with you, and why? Please describe ways you already exemplify that value, as well as how you envision demonstrating this value in your future career. (300-500 words)
At its core, this is a chance to tell the adcom who you are and what you care about. You may simply open this by identifying your selected value and sharing your personal connection to it, which should then be followed by demonstrative anecdotes or examples. Once you settle on the related examples, consider the following structure in telling your stories:

• Situation – Set the stage with the who, what, when, where and why of the story/challenge relating to the selected value. For instance, what was the status quo and what did you seek to change; or establish the mentoring relationship that shows your inclusivity; or describe the social goal tied to your business project.
• Action – Describe the actions you took in the name of said value, e.g. teamwork, leadership, knowledge gathering.
• Outcome – Summarize the (positive) result and how you grew as a result.

To provide more than one example, you will need to be concise in your descriptions given the word limit. You can then conclude by painting a picture of how you would apply this value in your future career, whether in your leadership style, career impact or other ways.

Optional Essay 

Please use the space below to provide any additional clarifying information that you wish to share with the Admissions committee regarding your academic record, personal history, or professional attributes. This space can also be used to address extenuating circumstances such as inconsistent or weak academic performance, gaps in work experience, or choice of recommender. (300-500 words)
The wording of this prompt signals that comments in this section should be limited to explaining potential liabilities or inconsistencies in your application. We recommend a straightforward approach that uses as few words — and as little of the reader’s scarce time — as possible. Applicants who chose to respond to this essay should adopt a humble tone, acknowledge the issue without making excuses (though you can create context), 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 Carey MBA essay topics. As you work on your Carey MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s Carey offerings:

• Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Profile on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
• Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to Carey
• Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to Carey