What Reviewers Look For in the MBA — Fuqua Application Essays
This rubric reviews whether your three responses give clear career plans, reveal a specific and varied picture of you beyond your résumé, and describe three concrete ways you would contribute at Fuqua. It also checks that your plans and examples are credible, your responses work together without unnecessary repetition or contradiction, and each required response follows the requested form.
What We Check
Whether the short answer gives a first-choice post-MBA plan and an alternate plan, each concrete enough to act on.
Whether the 25 Random Things list shows who you are beyond your résumé through particular, varied items.
Whether the community essay names distinct ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua, each with what you would do and who would benefit.
Whether each contribution you promise in the community essay rests on something you have already done.
Contradiction and substantial repetition only across the three submitted Fuqua answers.
Mistakes We Flag
- Missing or weak alternate plan
- Your career response needs both a first-choice plan and an alternate plan. An alternate that is merely the same job at a different company may not show a distinct second route.
- Generic list items
- Broad labels such as liking coffee, dogs, or travel do not tell the reader much about you. Specific people, places, habits, objects, dates, or moments make an item personal.
- Résumé repeated as a list
- The list is meant to help readers know you beyond professional and academic achievements. Titles, promotions, degrees, test results, and awards can crowd out details that a résumé cannot show.
- Club names without contributions
- Saying you will join groups does not explain how you will contribute. For each of your three ways, state what you would do and who would benefit.
- Promises without evidence
- A future contribution is more credible when it connects to something you have already done in work, school, family, or community life. A title alone does not show the action you took or its result.
How this rubric reads your essay
- Built from published reader guidance — the sources are listed below.
- Scored per section against defined criteria, not general impressions.
- Calibrated for consistent scoring, so a better draft shows up in the score.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can each response be?
The career short answer is limited to 100 words. The 25 Random Things list can be up to 750 words, and the community essay can be up to 500 words.
How should I format the 25 Random Things response?
Use list form and number the items 1 through 25. Individual items may be brief, and the list should show varied parts of your life beyond your résumé and transcript.
What should I include in the career short answer?
State a first-choice post-MBA career plan and an alternate plan. Make each plan concrete by naming the function and the industry or type of employer, and show any shared skill, problem, or audience when relevant.
What does the community essay need to show?
Present exactly three distinct ways you expect to contribute at Fuqua. For each, explain what you would do, who would benefit, and, where possible, the past behavior or experience that supports the promise.
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