What Reviewers Look For in the MBA — Stern Essays and Pick Six Captions
This rubric looks at whether your Professional Aspirations essay gives a specific short-term goal and explains why Stern is the necessary next step. It also reviews whether your Pick Six captions explain why each image matters, reveal qualities beyond work and academics, and fit with the story in your essay. Clear, direct writing and complete responses help readers understand your goals, experiences, and perspective.
What We Check
Whether Essay 1 states short-term career goals concrete enough to test and connects them to your professional story so far.
Whether Essay 1 shows a gap between where you are and your short-term goal, and a named Stern element that closes it.
Whether the Pick Six introduction and captions say why each image matters to you and, together, show qualities beyond your professional and academic achievements.
Contradiction and substantial repetition only between Essay 1 and the Pick Six text.
Mistakes We Flag
- A vague career goal
- Saying you want to make an impact or work at the intersection of broad fields does not show what function you want to perform or in what industry. Name the role’s work and the setting where you want to do it.
- A title instead of a job purpose
- A target title or prestigious employer does not explain what problems, products, clients, or decisions you would handle. Show what you would actually do.
- Generic praise for Stern
- A list of faculty, clubs, reputation, or New York City does not explain why Stern is necessary for you. Connect a specific Stern element to a specific capability, experience, knowledge, or access you need.
- Captions that only describe the image
- A caption should explain why you selected the image and what it means to you, not simply identify what appears in it. Use the caption to share a value, memory, reason, or effect.
- Repeating your professional story in Pick Six
- The captions should help show interests, values, and relationships beyond professional and academic achievements. Repeating the same goal, award, deal, or promotion can make the two pieces feel redundant.
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
What does the Professional Aspirations essay need to cover?
It needs to state your short-term career goals and explain why the Stern MBA is the necessary next chapter in your professional story. The essay has a 500-word maximum.
Do I need to include a long-term career goal?
No. The prompt asks for short-term career goals; a long-term aim is optional.
What should the Pick Six written section include?
Include an introduction or overview of no more than three sentences and six one-sentence captions, one for each image. Each caption should explain why the image was selected and significant to you.
Do my Pick Six images need to show unusual experiences or major achievements?
No. Ordinary routines, relationships, and interests can work. The captions should show why the images matter and help readers understand qualities you would bring to the Stern community beyond work and academics.
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