For deferred MBA applicants targeting Stanford GSB’s Deferred Enrollment program, there is still plenty of time to meet Stanford’s round 3 deadline!
Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment 2024-2025 Application Deadlines:
Round 1: September 10, 2024
Round 2: January 8, 2025
Round 3: April 8, 2025
2024-2025 Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment Essays:
As is the case for most top deferred MBA programs, Stanford’s Deferred Enrollment MBA application essays mirror its full-time essays.
Below, please find the core GSB deferred enrollment essays along with Personal MBA Coach’s advice for how to approach them!
Stanford GSB Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (650 words suggested)
For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?
Remaining unchanged for as long as we can remember (in fact Personal MBA Coach spoke with one Stanford Admissions Director who shared that she answered this essay question when she applied), Stanford’s core MBA essay can be a challenge. This is the time to write that heartfelt essay that does not fit the bill for many top MBA programs.
Before starting this essay, take the time to think about who you are, what you are passionate about, what keeps you up at night and what gets you motivated in the morning.
For some applicants, this soul searching will illuminate a clear answer. Perhaps there is one cause that you care most about or one way you particularly active on campus. Maybe there is a sport or an extracurricular that drives you. Be sure that as you share this “thing” with Stanford admissions, you detail what you have actually done. For example, writing that a cause for which you have taken little to no action matters most to you would not be advised!
If the answer in not clear, do not despair. Stanford has shared that this thing that matters most to you does not have to be groundbreaking. In fact, it could be something quite simple. Perhaps having time at the end of the day to read a good book, the freedom to enjoy your favorite music or good friends to share your experiences with is what truly matters most to you.
There is no wrong answer here. However, as you write why this essay, remember that the WHY is just as important as the WHAT.
Stanford GSB Essay B: Why Stanford? (350 words suggested)
Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs.
While the goal of Stanford’s second deferred enrollment essay is to tell Stanford WHAT you want to do with your career and why a Stanford MBA is a good fit for you, a strong essay will put these aspirations into context for the reader.
While Stanford does not expect that deferred applicants have had considerable career experience, successful candidates likely have some on campus leadership experience, extracurricular expertise and/or professional experience (think internships here). Your job with this essay to explain how your experiences to date have prepared you for and motivated your goals.
Next, you want to detail your post-MBA plans for Stanford. While you might not have it all figured out (and no one will hold you to what you write in your essays), you should have some vision as to what you want to accomplish both immediately after graduating and throughout your career. For more on how to write a “goal” statement, check out this blog.
Finally, tell Stanford where it fits in. What do you hope to learn through the MBA program and how will you learn it. Be specific – details about classes you will take, clubs you will join and other resources you will take advantage of on campus. Yes, this is a lot to cover in 350 words, but it can be done!
It is worth noting that Stanford lets candidate decide how they would like to divide the combined 1000-word limit across the two essays and instead gives only suggestions as to the ideal breakdown.
Deferred applicants are also required to answer one short answer question:
What are your plans between graduation and enrollment at Stanford GSB? (255 characters max)
If you have a job lined up, this should be easy to answer. If not, tell Stanford about the role you hope have. Ideally this job makes sense for you and is a logical step on the career path you lay out in your essay.
Finally, there is one optional question in the Stanford GSB deferred application.
Stanford GSB Optional Question: Think about times you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others?
In the Essays section of the application, we ask you to tell us about who you are and how you think Stanford will help you achieve your aspirations. We are also interested in learning about the things you have done that are most meaningful to you. If you would like to go beyond your resume to discuss some of your contributions more fully, you are welcome to share up to three examples. (Up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example)
If you have a compelling experience to detail here, go for it! However, do not write for the sake of writing. Many will not write an optional essay, especially deferred applicants with limited career experience.
Looking help developing your Stanford GSB Deferred Enrollment essays? Find out how we can help with our Deferred Packages!
