What Reviewers Look For in the MBA — Optional Essay
This rubric evaluates whether your entry clearly explains a specific part of your application that needs context, such as a gap, grade, exam result, recommender choice, or job change. It also looks for factual context and later evidence, a completed result, or a concrete arrangement that helps the reader understand where you stand now. When a school's pasted prompt broadly invites additional information, it can also support a specific item not covered elsewhere in your application.
What We Check
Whether the entry names, early and in plain words, the gap, grade, score, recommender choice, or other issue it explains.
Whether the context around the issue is stated as facts rather than as feeling, pleading, or blame.
Whether the entry points to a later or independent fact showing that the issue does not predict how the applicant will perform.
Whether every sentence of the entry serves the issue or item it addresses, and whether the entry stays out of the jobs the rest of the application does.
Mistakes We Flag
- Leaving the issue unclear
- General phrases such as “a challenging period” do not tell the reader what part of your application needs explanation. Name the gap, grade, exam result, choice, or other concern early; share only the level of personal detail you choose.
- Asking for sympathy or blaming others
- Feelings, pleas for understanding, or claims about an unfair professor or unsupportive manager can distract from the explanation. State what happened, when it happened, what it affected, and your own role where relevant.
- Explaining without showing what changed
- Context alone may leave the reader unsure whether the concern reflects your current readiness. Include a relevant later result, completed coursework, exam result, role, or a concrete dated plan when applicable.
- Using unrelated proof
- The evidence should address the same concern. For example, a leadership award does not directly answer a question about a quantitative grade.
- Turning it into another personal statement
- This space is not the place for a career narrative, school-fit statement, or a list of accomplishments unrelated to the concern. Keep only the facts and evidence needed to connect the dots.
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
Do I need to write the optional essay?
Not necessarily. If no part of your application needs explanation or context, several schools say leaving the field blank is fine. A pasted school prompt may also broadly invite an additional item that is not covered elsewhere.
What should I explain in this space?
You can explain a gap, grade or academic record, exam result or retake, recommender choice, job change, hardship, or another circumstance that needs context. Follow the wording of the school's pasted instruction when you have it.
How much personal detail do I need to share?
State the cause at the level of detail you choose. You do not need to provide a diagnosis, documents, or private details you do not want to volunteer.
Can I use bullet points?
Yes. Bullets, numbered items, and short paragraphs are all appropriate forms for this entry, and several MBA programs explicitly allow bullet points. Each bullet should state a complete fact.
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