What Reviewers Look For in the MBA — Cornell Johnson Goals and Essay

This rubric reviews how clearly your goals connect from the role you want immediately after the MBA to your longer-term direction, and how your qualities and Johnson resources form a route to that goal. It also looks at whether your chosen essay—either Impact or Table of Contents—reveals relevant personal material and does different work from the Goals Statement. It checks clarity, professional language, support for claims, required written responses, and the published limit for the chosen essay.

What We Check

Mistakes We Flag

Prestige instead of a plan

Naming a top firm or global leader without explaining the work, people, or problem involved leaves the career goal unclear.

Unconnected career horizons

Immediate and longer-term goals can seem unrelated when the link between the responsibilities or capabilities is not explained.

Generic Johnson fit

Broad praise for faculty or networks could apply to almost any MBA and does not show how a Johnson resource relates to your goal.

Impact reduced to club membership

Saying you will join clubs and give back does not explain what contribution another person or group would receive.

Table of Contents with no personal story

Generic headings such as childhood, education, career, and future do not reveal the events, relationships, or practices that make the life story yours.

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