HAAS MBA Essays

If you’re planning to apply to the Berkeley Haas School of Business, understanding the “Haas MBA Essays” is crucial. These essays are a vital part of your application and provide an opportunity to showcase your unique experiences, values, and career aspirations. The admissions team at Haas uses these essays to get to know you beyond your resume and test scores, focusing on how well you align with their defining leadership principles.

For the 2024-25 application cycle, Haas has released its deadlines, giving prospective students a clear timeline for submission. It is essential to stay aware of these deadlines to ensure your application is considered in your preferred round. Haas offers multiple rounds for submitting applications, allowing flexibility based on your readiness and preparation.

Haas MBA Application Deadlines

Application Round	Deadline	Decision Release
Round 1	September 14, 2024	December 14, 2024
Round 2	January 4, 2025	March 28, 2025
Round 3	April 4, 2025	May 16, 2025

Tips for Writing Effective Essays

• Be Authentic: Let your true personality shine through in your writing.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Use vivid examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Proofread Carefully: Ensure your essays are free of grammatical errors and typos.
• Seek Feedback: Ask friends, family, or mentors to review your essays and provide constructive criticism.

Example Essays

Variation 1

ESSAY1 

What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)

When I was 9, my family bought a new oven accompanied by a recipe book. They allowed me to bake a dish with tomatoes, a chocolate bar, garlic, and other ingredients that sound equally awful together. They ate it with pride and praised my skills as a budding chef. Today, I remember that and laugh because even though I grew up in a home where it was rare to express affection, my parents’ encouragement of my cooking was clearly an act of love. Perhaps this is why cooking for others is my love language.

Soon, I was marshaling my siblings and cousins and delving into various recipes. Our “Cooking with Cousins” sessions evolved into cherished traditions, uniting us in mutual gastronomic explorations. Even though I had a rough start, over time and years of practice, I’ve learned to cook by collecting and preserving recipes from elders who have since passed away, and by refining them with my own flair. 

Over the years, I’ve expanded my palette and learned recipes from different cultures as well. Echoing Julia Child’s sentiment, “The more you know, the more you can create,” cooking became a canvas for my imagination. It introduced me to myriad cultures via their unique cuisines. Italy beckoned me last year, and I immersed myself in authentic cooking classes. Japan is my next destination on this culinary journey.

To many, cooking might be a mere pastime. But for me, it’s a lifeline to tradition, to family, a medium of expression, a canvas for creativity, and a domain of endless learning. It has expanded my understanding of the world, one ingredient at a time. Cooking rejuvenates me, allowing me to convey my deepest emotions and affections. Through each dish, I pour out love, sharing it with those dearest to me.

ESSAY 2

How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max)

My short-term goal is to become a brand manager at a company leading the way in fashion and lifestyle technology, such as ABC or XYZ. Although my experience at Fx has equipped me for a transition to brand management within the organization, my aspirations would be best supported by an MBA education at Haas. Courses such as “Marketing Analytics” and “Strategic Brand Management”, will teach me to apply analytics to global brand building; by collaborating with peers on Applied Innovation Projects such as “International Business Development” and “Haas@work”, I will explore practical business solutions and hone my leadership skills; and by engaging in “Bay Area Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, I will learn from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors while growing my network.

My goal is to reach a C-level position at a major fashion tech firm in a few years. While I’ve valued my startup experience, working in a larger organization will offer insights into scalability, global strategy, and extensive networking. My ultimate aspiration is to establish my own fashion-tech brand to transform the way people shop and live. I believe that features like virtual try-ons and personalized look recommendations are just the beginning; the convergence of tech and fashion holds boundless possibilities.

Reflecting on my past venture, My XYZ, I acknowledge that while it flourished, I lacked the expertise and connections to take it to a global stage. An MBA from Haas, paired with industry experience, will bridge this gap. I’m deeply inspired by Haas alumni like AB, President of Dx Group. AB’s journey resonates with me: an international entrant who, through HAAS, was able to birth her idea and make an indelible mark. Her stories, coupled with the enduring friendships she forged at Haas, convince me of Haas’s unparalleled value in helping me reach my goals.

ESSAY 3

Can you please describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace? (300 words max)

While working in Kx to set up manufacturing for My XYZ, I connected with local artists like ABC, a seasoned collaborator at My XYZ. I discovered that many, including ABC, were burdened by debt due to flawed payment systems. They often self-funded their projects, receiving only minimal advances for the materials and labor they needed. Often, their hopes of recovering these costs were dashed when the businesses they had contracted with would cancel the order partway through the project. 

Recognizing an opportunity to embed ethical practices into our startup, I created an improved payment model and a quote calculator that ABC and other artists could use to present data-driven proposals to us and other potential clients for their work. After sorting through a lot of data I collected from the community, I came up with a quote calculator that encompassed costs like raw materials, labor, and shipping, with an added buffer for unforeseen expenses as well as adjustments based on order volume and size. 

Eventually, ABC and others started implementing this tool with their other clients. The impact on their individual lives was enormous. ABC told me it was the reason he was able to finally move out of the Kx slum into a better neighborhood with a good school for his daughter. Similarly, ensuring they got paid for their work helped several artists escape their crippling debt.

Using my technical skills to help this community and seeing the impact of my work only gave me more confidence in my abilities to design and build technological solutions to business problems, it made me realize that I was yearning for more opportunities to do so on a bigger scale. With an education from Haas, and by leveraging its peer and alumni network, I think I can do just that.

ESSAY4 

This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate.

The Admissions committee might wonder why an entrepreneur would transition from her own business to roles at startups, only to aspire to entrepreneurship again. I co-founded My XYZ in 20XX, and in May 20XX, after ensuring My XYZ’s stability by establishing third-party partnerships and bringing in a competent team, I transitioned into a consulting role. This was because, despite its success, I felt a yearning to return to India and get involved in the broader startup ecosystem there. 

By September 20XX, I was exploring fintech as a Wealth Manager at Lx. That experience helped me understand that I really was more passionate about the fashion industry than I was about FinTech. This is why I transitioned to my subsequent position at Fx in October 20XX, which enriched my understanding of brand strategies and global teamwork. These experiences clarified my future trajectory: from brand management to C-level leadership, and eventually launching my fashion/lifestyle brand.

Regarding my GMAT score, although satisfactory, I believe it doesn’t reflect my true potential. Despite consistently scoring 730-740 in mock exams, test-day anxiety impacted my performance in the quantitative section. I’m preparing for a retest in November. I’ve been meditating, acclimatizing myself to test environments, and addressing my anxiety to ensure a better reflection of my capabilities.

Variation 2

What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why? (300 words maximum)

Witnessing the tangible positive impact of our efforts makes me feel alive. Hearing a father’s joy of being able to celebrate his daughter’s birthday for the first time in XX years with the newfound financial opportunities withXYZ, filled me with a deep sense of satisfaction and joy, making me feel alive. Speaking with over a thousand clients in the last X years, I have come to cherish the joy and freedoms that our clients have expressed to me, filling me with immense pleasure to be part of their journey.

Growing up in financial adversity and wanting to change this for others, I was fortunate to identify an opportunity to build innovative products to drive financial inclusivity across the country. StartingXYZ, I embarked on a journey to make investment opportunities, which were earlier only accessible to high-net-worth individuals, accessible to everyone. Each day since has been a blend of technology, strategy, and creativity. It’s in these moments, when I’m knee-deep in data, dissecting market trends, or brainstorming with my team, each moment fills my life with new energy.

When I see first-time investors, who previously felt excluded from financial opportunities, successfully access them, it reaffirms the value of our endeavor. Knowing that we are playing a part in leveling the financial playing field, in making investment opportunities available to those who were once sidelined, is profoundly fulfilling. In this journey, the challenges are as invigorating as the successes. Each roadblock, each setback is an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to come back stronger. This relentless pursuit of innovation and impact – all in the service of driving financial inclusion – is what fuels my spirit. It’s a reminder that in the realm of technology, we have the power to create not just products, but pathways to a more equitable world.

How will an MBA help you achieve your short-term and long-term career goals? (300 words max)

Short Term

Post-MBA, I plan to expand XYZs services globally, driving financial inclusion and changing lives for the next 100 million people. With an existing team of 45, a healthy balance sheet, and a commitment of funding upwards of $10M from existing investors, I will use the sharpened leadership and management skills acquired during my MBA at Haas to help me achieve this ambitious vision.

Long Term

In the long term, having grownXYZ globally and gained leadership experience along the way, I see myself in a CEO role at XYZs global division, taking it public on NASDAQ after scaling it profitably. In doing so, I will be in a position to start expandingXYZ into other technology verticals that promise a significant positive impact on society, such as Quantum computing, in line with the company’s core mission of democratization of technology, becoming a global leader driving positive impact.

Motivations

Growing up with limited means, I witnessed how financial exclusion fuels social inequality, and learning that around 70% of the households in X struggle with financial insecurity and vulnerability like how I had faced growing up fueled my drive to co-found XYZ to drive financial inclusion and democratize opportunities only accessible to high-net-worth individuals. Our strides have empowered and given hope to two million X investors and enabled transactions surpassing $18 billion and post-MBA, I will be able to scale it to drive global impact and drive a positive change with technology.

The Berkeley MBA program develops leaders who embody our four Defining Leadership Principles. Briefly introduce yourself to the admissions committee, explain which leadership principle resonates most with you, and tell us how you have exemplified the principle in your personal or professional life. (Not to exceed 2 minutes.)

Dear Admissions Committee,

I am XX, I am a first-generation graduate and a serial entrepreneur focused on driving positive change with technology.

Questioning the Status quo is a leadership principle that resonates the most with me.

Growing up in financial adversity and seeing its negative impacts, I have embarked on an uphill journey, questioning the status quo, to drive financial Inclusion with technology and change the current status quo. 6 years ago I cofoundedXYZ, a fintech platform using AI to help common people invest better, giving them access to opportunities and tools that was earlier only accessible to high-net-worth individuals.

Since our founding,XYZ has attracted over 2 million users who have transacted over $18B with us. I have had the opportunity to speak to over a thousand of our users and see the impact we have had. One client, a small shopkeeper from a small town near Delhi, told me he now has been able to afford to send his child to school full-time instead of working in the shop, while another said he now has some extra disposable income to celebrate his daughter’s tenth birthday.

It is stories like these that have motivated me to keep pushing to scaleXYZ globally and sharpen my leadership and holistic business skills with an MBA at Hass. Eventually being able to deliver a large global impact.

Can you please describe any experience or exposure you have in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging whether through community organizations, personal, or in the workplace? (300 words max)

Hiring someone without an undergrad degree, particularly for the sophisticated role of a quantitative developer, is virtually unprecedented in the technology sector in X. However, in my view, hiring requires a more holistic view of a person’s profile, accounting for their circumstances, passion, and aspirations.

Two years ago, while recruiting for my team – technology team, I discovered an intriguing candidate whose portfolio showcased unique projects, divergent from typical engineering undergraduates. I learned that the candidate had to drop out of college due to his family’s financial troubles during the COVID lockdown and this decision hindered the candidate’s job prospects, leaving him without interview callbacks for over a year, increasing financial adversity in an already bad situation.

Impressed by the candidate’s critical thinking and passion during our interview, I was keen to bring him on board. Yet, upon presenting the candidate’s profile to senior management and the board, I faced strong resistance. Their apprehension was centered on setting an undesirable precedent, arising due to implicit biases against those without a traditional degree. Confident in my team’s culture of inclusivity and the candidate’s potential, I advocated for his hiring, even presenting the case to the board, making a convincing case, and agreeing to take complete accountability for any repercussions that might come.

Two years later, that candidate is among the top 10% of performers, has been promoted, and is due for his second one. Additionally, this outcome motivated our leadership team to a more open-minded approach to the hiring process, creating a more inclusive and collaborative environment driven by this experience, and has adopted new processes, fostering the same values of diversity and collaboration among teams across the company.

The admissions team takes a holistic approach to application review and seeks to understand all aspects of a candidate’s character, qualifications, and experiences. We will consider achievements in the context of the opportunities available to a candidate. Some applicants may have faced hardships or unusual life circumstances, and we will consider the maturity, perseverance, and thoughtfulness with which they have responded to and/or overcome them.

Optional Information #1

I could not attend my dream college to which I was admitted due to financial hardship. Growing up, in the first 20 years of my life, I saw my dad for only four weeks a year. The rest of the time he spent working in the remotest parts of the country, while my mother single-handedly raised me and my younger brother. My father and mother come from a small village in X, and grew up in poverty. As a first-generation student, I was forced to figure things out on the fly, without any of the benefits of years of specialized coaching or prep schools to help me crack the competitive entrance exams. Despite this, I managed to gain admission to the xxx, one of X’s leading colleges in AI research for which I was passionate.

However, despite saving for over a decade, my family was still not able to afford the tuition. I was crushed. Without many choices left, I embraced an opportunity to study at a state college, which offered me a full four-year scholarship but had limited resources, but I decided to make the best of my situation. In my second year of undergrad, by showcasing my passion for AI,  I secured a competitive research internship at X Innovation Labs, where I was able to impress one of my managers, who invited me to work on a global team that was working on a submission for the Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Robotics Challenge 20XX, which was my first exposure to cutting-edge AI research and gave me the foundation to start. From that moment I never looked back and dedicated years of sleepless nights that helped me move towards my goals of delivering a positive impact with technology and entrepreneurship.

Optional Information #2 

This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate.

1. I finished my undergrad in July 20XX and received my provisional degree certificate in Aug 20XX. On May 20XX I received my final degree certificate along with the rest of the graduating class of 2014 at a commencement ceremony.

2. While pursuing my MBA, my head of engineering will be taking over my day-to-day responsibilities so that I can be 100% focused on academics and the Haas experience and develop the skills I will need to lead XYZs global expansion.
3. I have a 2-month gap after my role at XYZ, which was a cooling-off period. During that time, I explored XYZs core idea before formally starting work.

How would you benefit from receiving this fellowship? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

Entrepreneurship amongst other things, is filled with careful balancing of finances between venture and everything else. I still remember 9 years back, in 20XX, when I wanted to make an impact in the fast-fashion industry with AI, I established my first startup- XYZ. Coming from a family with limited economic means and being fresh out of college, I lacked funds to keep XYZ running. But being determined to make XYZ work, I started another company called yyy, an online water can delivery service, to generate revenue to help support XYZdelivering water cans in the morning and working XYZ at night. I formed a strong bond with the local communities, gaining their support in the form of continuous order which supported the growth of XYZand this gave me first-hand experience when even a small extra financial support can go a long way.

Now I am on a journey to attain an MBA in order to be able to scale the impact of my current ventureXYZ – a venture focused on driving financial inclusion using technology – globally. Given the expense of a US MBA, I will have to figure out a way to balance finances again, from establishing the best course of action to afford the Haas MBA while also being able to allocate enough capital resources during the MBA for identifying and experimenting with various solutions for financial inclusion. 

The fellowship will provide me with additional financial freedom, such that I will be able to allocate more of my existing resources for exploring the problems and solutions on the ground, from funding prototypes to running pilots and measuring their impact. Like how yyy helped make XYZ make its impact, the Brian Maxwell fellowship will do the same, helping my efforts to drive financial inclusion globally withXYZ.

If you could have had a conversation with Brian, What would you have discussed? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

Getting an opportunity to speak with ABC I would ask him about what motivated him to persevere through the tough moments of his life, his experience about overcoming the naysayers as a teenager, and the learnings that he carried throughout his life to become a successful athlete, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a great husband and father. I would have discussed the traits that are common in all this, from being compassionate while being driven to being empathetic while being outcome and goal-oriented.

Our conversation would have developed into a deep discussion around the mindset and perseverance needed to innovate and build products that both drive positive change and are economically viable. I believe that he would have shared his experiences from building PowerBar and from being on the boards of various companies. My perspective on innovation being driven by precise measurement of outcomes and the need for creating a close feedback loop for optimization would have surely met with agreement given Brian’s long relationship with race clocks and the importance of measuring and improving. 

Additionally, as my focus post-MBA is on driving financial inclusion globally, I would bring up the problem of financial adversity plaguing the world and discuss various viewpoints on how technology can change this, leveling the playing field for all. Further, this conversation would lead me to ask him how he measured impact when at Game Ready and what truly means to bring real change to the world. As I take up the challenges of bringing impact by driving financial adversity, having the right measurement scale can help me be truly focused on my vision and persevere to achieve it, like how Brian did.

What makes you an entrepreneur? What and/or who has inspired you to pursue this path? Please limit your response to 300 words or less.

The willingness to put everything on the line for something that matters and the grit to change the status quo makes one an entrepreneur, a belief something that I live by. Growing up in financial adversity and being deprived of opportunities filled me with a want to change this for others has motivated me to pursue the path I am on. Getting that stomach-churning feeling when seeing something unfair happening in front of my eyes growing up has always filled me with a feeling to make things right and always think beyond what is good for myself.

Speaking to a father who was able to celebrate his daughter’s birthday for the first time in 10 years, because this year was the first time he had some disposable income to bring joy to his family of four, it struck me the deep impact that we are making withXYZ. Looking back it reminded me of a time growing up when my parents tried to save every penny to buy new clothes during the start of a school term. Talking to more than thousands of clients over the last 6 years and hearing the impact, while maintaining the economic viability ofXYZ, I now feel that I am becoming the kind of person who can call oneself an entrepreneur.

I am driven by deep-seated passion and a desire to build businesses and technologies that drive a positive impact on the world, whether it is with my non-profit ed-tech platform, Quriosity, providing over 500 free courses to underserved segments, or VC-funded venture,XYZ, aiming to drive financial inclusion.

By pursuing positive change and fostering a growing community, one day I grow into a true entrepreneur, one who has built great businesses and made the world a better place for the generations to follow.

Conclusion

Crafting compelling Haas MBA essays requires careful thought, planning, and self-reflection. By understanding Haas’s focus, addressing the key essay components, and following the tips provided, you can increase your chances of gaining admission to this prestigious program. Remember, the goal is to present a well-rounded picture of yourself that showcases your potential as a future leader committed to sustainability and positive impact.