What is an MBA Statement of Purpose?
A SOP for MBA is an essay written to the admission committee of a business school in which you sell yourself as a suitable candidate for the MBA program.
This article will answer the following questions:
- Which are the top business schools in the world?
- Why an MBA program?
- What to include in an MBA Statement of Purpose
- How to start an MBA Statement of Purpose
- How to conclude an MBA Statement of Purpose
- Tips to make your MBA Statement of Purpose stand out?
- Samples that won multiple acceptances to ivy league universities
Top Business Schools to do your MBA
If you are thinking the top in the world, then you are thinking Wharton Business School. According to the latest Financial Times MBA Ranking (2021), the University of Pennsylvania based school is the top in the US and globally.
Coming closely second is Columbia Business School which beats close competition from INSEAD, which is tied with the Harvard Business School for third.
At number five is Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, followed by Stanford, London Business School, and IESE Business School.
To get admitted to one of these schools for an MBA program, you must meet strict requirements, some of which include a well-crafted and tailored Statement of Purpose.
We’re now offering one-on-one expert guidance on how to write a statement of purpose. This is in addition to our reviewing, editing, and standardizing services. Check out our ordering page, fill out the required details and let us help you craft a statement of purpose that will flood your email with admission offers.
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Why an MBA Program
The reasons for studying an MBA program are rather obvious.
- Landing a job with a big company. An MBA from a top university opens doors to work in companies such as Google, Microsoft, and J. P Morgan. A case in point is the Kellogg School of Management whose MBA class of 2020 landed jobs in McKinsey, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group.
- Huge salary potential. MBA graduates from Stanford earn roughly $160k, followed by Harvard and Chicago at $150 and $148 respectively (Financial Times)
- Networking. MBA programs in top universities attract senior people in management in both government and private sector, offering a rich opportunity for networking.
- Learning from top faculty. You’ll learn from the best faculty in the world. At Harvard for instance, the case-study method invites students to solve real live issues by working collaboratively with others. Such revolutionary methods of teaching, delivered by renowned academics, prepare students to hit the ground running as soon as they graduate.
- A MBA is also a ticket to entrepreneurship.
An MBA Statement of Purpose
Admission rate in the top business schools is very low. In addition to acing other requirements, your statement of purpose, also called motivation letter or letter of intent, should be of the highest quality.
What to Include in an MBA Statement of Purpose
At Phdstatementsofpurpose.com, we recommend that you start by checking with the university as these requirements vary.
If you’re unsure, just type “University MBA requirements”, for instance Harvard Business School MBA requirements.
Go to the “essay” part and you’ll find what the university wants included in the application essay.
In the screenshot below, you’ll discover that Stanford Business School has an essay prompt for MBA that varies slightly from not just other universities but conventional Statement of Purpose.
Regardless of the requirements however, remember to write with specificity and give examples.
(An admission Resume, also called Academic CV, is one of the other most common requirements for admission. You can get expert help with the document HERE)
If you are following the generic formulae of writing an MBA Statement of Purpose, the following should be included:
- An introduction
After reading this part, the admission committee should be able to tell who you are and what your interests are.
- Your motivation for pursuing an MBA
Articulate why you are interested in the MBA program. This is the best place to explain how the programs theoretical and practical tools will advance you personally and professionally.
- Professional Experience
An MBA is generally considered a professional course.
It is therefore important to underline your professional experience while showing how the MBA program will help build on it and address certain deficits.
Our experience is that most MBA applicants tend to be general when writing this part.
Give specific examples to back claims that you make in your statement of purpose for MBA.
- Academic achievements
Make sure that you have included your test scores in your statement of purpose for MBA. If GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS are required for instance, state your score in them.
- Career goals
Include your short and long term goals. The business school also wants to assess whether their program will be beneficial to you. State with specificity what you want to achieve in the near and long term future and how the program will help you.
- Your reasons for choosing the program and school
Your statement of purpose for MBA should answer why you want a place in the specific program and school.
Therefore, it is very important to research and as you write, make sure you mention specific attributes that attract you to the program.
It is also important to include how you fit into the program. What strengths for instance do you bring?
How to start your MBA Statement of Purpose
At Phdstatementsofpurpose.com, we recommend that you prepare your MBA Statement of purpose 6-8 weeks before submission date.
This will give you enough time to prepare, craft your first or second draft, review, and seek a second opinion.
You can prepare to write your MBA statement of purpose by following these steps:
- Allocate time to writing your MBA SOP.
Prepare as early as you can so that you have enough time to write and rewrite as needed.
- Find out more about the program and business school
A cardinal rule of writing any statement of purpose is that it should be tailored to the specific program you’re applying to.
As advised earlier, visit the school’s and program’s website and familiarize yourself with all the requirements.
Note how the program is delivered, some faculty members whose research interests align with yours and the school’s values and ethos.
- Now think about yourself.
Reflect about your fitness for the program.
Do you have shared values on integrity, commitment to community, beliefs in social corporate responsibility, and environmental conservation?
- Reflect how you and the university are a match
Now that you know what the university requires and you’ve reflected about yourself, how can the two be married?
From our experience, the best way to go about this is to list the requirements provided then answer each question.
Remember to illustrate your answer as opposed to just stating it.
- Get all the materials ready
From the requirements page, you’ll notice that other documents such as resume and transcripts are also required.
Have them with you as you can always reference them so that you don’t leave anything out.
- Create a rough draft
Grab a blank people and make notes that will form the basis of your MBA statement of purpose.
Highlight your professional and academic achievements.
List your short and long term goals.
How to Structure your MBA Statement of Purpose
Ideally, each paragraph should cover one idea.
You only have 500-1000 words in a typical SOP for MBA so being concise is vital.
| First paragraph | Introduce yourself, state your research interests |
| Second paragraph | Explain your motivation for studying the MBA |
| Third paragraph | Describe your professional experience |
| Fourth paragraph | Describe your academic background |
| Fifth paragraph | Career goals |
| Sixth paragraph | Reasons for choosing the program/business school |
| Seventh paragraph | Conclude by reiterating your motivation and career goals and how the program will help further them |
How to write an MBA Statement of Purpose introduction
The introduction is the first thing the admission committee will see so make sure it is catchy.
Our experience reviewing and editing MBA Statements of purpose is that most applicants go the route of explaining the passion for business or business studies.
Others use childhood experiences to introduce their interests in MBA.
While none of these approaches is wrong, our experts recommend that you link your introduction to your research interests.
Clearly show the problem you intend to solve using the MBA program.
From reading the introduction, the admission panel should be able to tell who you are and what you want.
I inherited a rich business heritage that spanned two generations. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents arrived in the US as immigrants and started off as small business owners in dry cleaning and retail store. My mum and my father were the only children so when their parents died, they inherited and merged the two businesses. For more than two decades, the two businesses were my home, nurturing my sales, negotiation, and stock keeping skills. The desire to perpetuate this rich family legacy was so strong that I could not resist the allure of business school when I finished high school. My plan was simple: go to school and gain the necessary skills to take the family business global. I remember watching with glee innovators and entrepreneurs pitching their businesses at the famous Shark Tank and picturing myself doing the same. For me, it was only a matter of time before I could capture one of the sharks and conquer the world. Not to be though as my dreams and those of my family would soon be devoured to shreds, the premises left standing like a vanquished and deserted town.
Cited from phdstatementsofpurpose.com
In the introduction above for instance, the applicant introduces himself by characterizing his family and business background and uses that as a springboard to explain the interest in an MBA program.
I was always destined for a career in engineering. My laid back personality augured well with a profession in which I did not have to interact with people a lot. Luckily, I was also extremely good in math, sciences, and computers. As early as my elementary school, I was thinking about using numbers to create effective and simple solutions to a myriad of challenges that faced my family and community. Once during the STEM Challenge, I presented a transportation model that employed artificial intelligence to notify road users on the traffic situation in major roads in the city. Because of this proposal, I met the State governor and was appointed the State ambassador of the Smart Youths Solution, an initiative that nurtures young talented innovators.
Cited from phdstatementsofpurpose.com
In this introduction, the applicant has a background in engineering and uses that to show how past academic achievements and proficiency in STEM will help with the MBA program.
How to conclude a Statement of Purpose for MBA
Ideally, you should sum up your motivation to study MBA, your goals and how the program will help you achieve them.
Sample these conclusions for instance:
In future, I see myself working as a consultant for SMEs with a focus on sustainability and business literacy. I intend to advise small and medium business owners on how they can prepare for turbulent times. I also want to spread financial and business literacy on holistic approaches to business management and scaling up small businesses. I believe XXX rich curriculum that is community focused with provide me with the skills needed to achieve these dreams. My passion and commitment to working with the community are well aligned with the program and university mission. I find great synergy in what we do and I hope you will give me the opportunity to further this end more.
phdstatementsofpurpose.com
In this conclusion, the applicant succinctly captures his goals and how an MBA program in this particular business school will help actualize them.
The same technique has been used in this other MBA Statement of purpose:
My goal is to learn as much as I can about people management and strategic thinking and merge the knowledge with my training in engineering and computer to improve organizational efficiency. In a world where resources are rapidly getting thin and exhausted, there is need to employ solutions that optimize and conserve what we have. I desire to be a global leader in the new dispensation and an MBA at XXX University will go a long way in helping me in this regard.
phdstatementsofpurpose.com
Tips to make your MBA Statement of Purpose Compelling
- Tailor your SOP
If you’re applying to five different programs to maximize your chances, write five different SOPs.
A generic SOP will not receive much attention.
- Show, don’t state
We cannot emphasize this enough. Don’t just state that you have professional experience. Show how this experience has made you more suited to your role and pursuit of an MBA.
Don’t just say that you scored good grades. Show how this helped you for instance by getting you a grant, scholarship.
- Edit & Review your Statement of Purpose for MBA
Stanford Business School advises applicants to “feel free to ask friends or family members for feedback.”
We reiterate this call.
Your family and friends will tell you whether the Statement of Purpose for MBA has captured who you are.
However, the final SOP for MBA should be exclusively yours in thought.
At phdstatementsofpurpose.com, we specialize in reviewing, editing, and standardizing SoPs, personal statements, and other admission essays.
Check out our PACKAGES and get in touch.
Statement of purpose for MBA Samples
Having covered everything that you need to know about an MBA Statement of purpose, it is time we savor some of the samples edited, reviewed, standardized, and customized by our team at phdstatementsofpurpose.com.
If you’d like similar services, please contact us.
Statement of Purpose for MBA Sample 1
This sample responds to particular prompts:
How do you plan to use XXX MBA program to help you achieve your future goals? Consider your past experience, goals, and resources available at XXX
Growing up in two continents helped me to understand the inequality and disparities that characterize the world, but also the opportunities and challenges abound in both. We came to the United States as immigrants fleeing political and economic strife and after odd jobs, my family set up a small laundry shop in the neighborhood. Within five years, the business had gained roots and employed three casual staff in addition to all five members in the family.
Contrast this to my native country where despite restoration of stability, businesses find it harder to thrive. The people, twice or thrice as hardworking, face insurmountable challenges starting or sustaining a business.
This background prompted me to study business management at undergraduate with a view to consulting for small and medium business with a focus on the developing world. My undergraduate thesis centered on policy and financing reforms that can help create a stimulating environment for startups. Soon after graduating, I worked with YYY Incubation hub for startups where I experienced firsthand how eliminating bottlenecks and providing mentorship can help buttress small businesses.
In the short and long term, I would like to continue supporting startups and small and medium businesses by offering consultancy services with regards to financing, sustainability and expansion. XXX appeals to me because it has a deep focus on managing SMES in developing world. I am particularly drawn to the work of prof. W, who I was privileged to work with when I was seconded to XXX organization as a research assistant. The university’s case study approach to learning will equip me with the practical skills that will build up on what I have gained from professional experience as well as from theory.
I also hope to benefit from the large pool of diverse talent available at the university. The faculty is a melting point of people from different academic and professional backgrounds, which will give me an interdisciplinary understanding of factors that can stimulate SMES in developing world.
Considering your background, how will you make meaningful contribution to XXX Community?
As a child of an immigrant who has to work hard to make it to the best university and work for the best organizations, I intend to blend into the culture of industry and excellence that characterizes the university. Having passed all my academic levels with distinction, I intend to bring the same acuity to XXX University and contribute to the culture of producing cutting edge research.
Having been raised by the community, I align myself with the university’s ethos and values of putting communities at the centre of businesses. I intend for instance to go back to my country of origin and set up a firm that will help mentor small businesses.
After my studies, I hope to have acquired the necessary lobbying and policy formulation strategies to spearhead legislative and policy changes to create a better environment for small businesses. This is aligned with the university’s mission to contribute positively to improving livelihoods.
Statement of Purpose for MBA Sample 2
I inherited a rich business heritage that spanned two generations. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents arrived in the US as immigrants and started off as small business owners in dry cleaning and retail store. My mum and my father were the only children so when their parents died, they inherited and merged the two businesses. For more than two decades, the two businesses were my home, nurturing my sales, negotiation, and stock keeping skills. The desire to perpetuate this rich family legacy was so strong that I could not resist the allure of business school when I finished high school. My plan was simple: go to school and gain the necessary skills to take the family business global. I remember watching with glee innovators and entrepreneurs pitching their businesses at the famous Shark Tank and picturing myself doing the same. For me, it was only a matter of time before I could capture one of the sharks and conquer the world. Not to be though as my dreams and those of my family would soon be devoured to shreds, the premises left standing like a vanquished and deserted town.
The Covid-19 pandemic broke out and when we were sent home as one of the containment measures, I was not surprised to see the premises that housed our business locked down. As each day passed, we hoped that the lockdown would end and everything would go back to normal. Banks started calling and soon, the house that we had owned for nearly a century was auctioned to recover an accumulated debt. I tried to redeem whatever little remained by setting up an online business to keep the retail business alive. With rent to pay and elderly, now sick parents to look after, the business never took off. My parents paid the ultimate price with their lives as did many of their friends who had spent their lives building businesses and enterprises that could not survive the vagaries of the pandemic. A town hitherto booming with businesses was reduced to putrid smell of death, grief, and devastation. I was overcome with a sickening sense of helplessness at my inability to save my family and business and had made up my mind not to go back to school when they reopened as I could not see the point.
A year later, schools reopened and after counseling sessions provided by my school, I resumed classes. I studied hard and graduated top of my class with my undergraduate thesis on business resilience, inspired by the family’s own failed venture, winning the research paper of the year. Despite its depth and breadth however, I felt that there was still more that needed to be studied in this area. My parents’ and their friends’ business would have survived if they had the necessary financial and business literacy to navigate through sustained, turbulent times. The lack of training on business sustainability and the attendant lack of literacy on online business anchoring was a costly deficit that was paid with hopes and lives. Looking at the many universities globally, I could not see any that emphasized this aspect of community literacy on small and medium businesses sustainability as you do. I have particularly followed the work of Professor Ian Keith and I am inspired by the work he is doing on helping SMEs rebound from the Covid-pandemic. I look forward to working with him as my research interest is centered on his publications and practical work with SMEs sustainability and management.
For the last one year, I have worked for a local consultancy helping businesses recover from the pandemic. I advise business owners on how to anchor their businesses on online platforms to take advantage of the opportunities availed by the internet. I also advise them on loans and how to structure and restructure them to minimize and manage risks. While my BBA and practical experience have been helpful in this regard, I am sure that an MBA would elevate me to a more superior position to help more people. The prospect of working with mathematical models to help launch as sustain business is a needful innovation that should be mainstreamed through business education. In future, I see myself working as a consultant for SMEs with a focus on sustainability and business literacy. I intend to advise small and medium business owners on how they can prepare for turbulent times. I also want to spread financial and business literacy on holistic approaches to business management and scaling up small businesses. I believe XXX rich curriculum that is community focused with provide me with the skills needed to achieve these dreams. My passion and commitment to working with the community are well aligned with the program and university mission. I find great synergy in what we do and I hope you will give me the opportunity to further this end more.
https://phdstatementsofpurpose.com/
Statement of Purpose for MBA Sample 3
I was always destined for a career in engineering. My laid back personality augured well with a profession in which I did not have to interact with people a lot. Luckily, I was also extremely good in math, sciences, and computers. As early as my elementary school, I was thinking about using numbers to create effective and simple solutions to a myriad of challenges that faced my family and community. Once during the STEM Challenge, I presented a transportation model that employed artificial intelligence to notify road users on the traffic situation in major roads in the city. Because of this proposal, I met the State governor and was appointed the State ambassador of the Smart Youths Solution, an initiative that nurtures young talented innovators.
For my undergraduate studies, the choice to study an engineering and computer degree was an obvious one. Building on my exemplary performance in math, sciences, and computers, I immersed myself into the world of programming and engineering and was soon noticed by prof. XXX who invited me to his laboratory as part of the team that was modeling infrastructural solutions using AI. My contribution to the complex coding enterprise earned me a $2000 grant to simultaneously purse a coding and programming course at the prestigious YYY. My stint there would earn by an internship at ZZZ where my people and community-centric solutions using engineering and computer models was widely recognized.
After graduation, I had multiple job offers and I took a position at XXX Company. I was immediately tasked with leading a team of 12 programmers at a young age of 19. By the time I was 21, I was the programming head with a team of 30 spread across three continents. This new role was at odd with my personality. I felt at home coding and creating solutions behind the computer not addressing people, some old enough to be my parents.
As one who was brought up to face challenges, I found myself scouring the internet for tips and courses on how to manage people. I enrolled in a few of them and started reaping the rewards as I could now be calmer managing a team. But I wanted more. My search led me to XXX University and I was immediately impressed by the syllabus, course content, and the radical teaching methodologies employed by the school. I was particularly happy to learn that the decorated MBA graduates from the school are from diverse backgrounds with those in technical courses forming the bulk.
At XXX University, I will be keen on learning how engineering and computer models can be harnessed to enhance strategic thinking and management. My love for math and sciences is rooted in their ability to get precise answers. I look forward to learn how they can be applied to manage people and think strategically and in this respect, the work of Prof. XXX, who I look forward to working with, will be vitally important. My goal is to learn as much as I can about people management and strategic thinking and merge the knowledge with my training in engineering and computer to improve organizational efficiency. In a world where resources are rapidly getting thin and exhausted, there is need to employ solutions that optimize and conserve what we have. I desire to be a global leader in the new dispensation and an MBA at XXX University will go a long way in helping me in this regard.
https://phdstatementsofpurpose.com/
Our Call
It’s always recommendable to have someone go through your SoP before you submit it.
A friend or a family member can help to tell whether you’ve represented yourself credibly and compellingly enough.
A professor or a faculty member may also help to tell whether you’ve captured your academic and research background well enough and connected them to your research interests and suitability for the program.
At phdstatementsofpurpose.com, we are that friend and faculty member.
After reviewing thousands of SoPs and personal statements, we can tell a good from a not so good SoP, and a good one from a great one.
We’ve internalized the structure and language of writing SoPs and with our team of experts; we’ll sit down and dissect your draft.
We’ll point out areas of strengths and weaknesses and propose how to structure and express your SoP better.
We’ll give intense and detailed feedback so that you express your thoughts with clarity and bring out your uniqueness.
We’ll ensure that the final product is delivered in time, is logical and coherent, intellectual, and polished.
Tell us which aspect of your SoP writing you’re struggling with:
How to start?
How to conclude?
Written your SoP but you’re unsure whether it meets high enough standards?
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