UNC Kenan-Flagler Application Essay Tips, 2024-2025
UNC Kenan-Flagler is bucking tradition this year by not changing its essay prompts. The school’s first essay question has stayed remarkably consistent over many years and asks you to outline your short-term professional goal, explain how a Kenan-Flagler MBA will help you, and offer a “backup” plan in the event that your initial goals prove unattainable for some reason. The second essay question asks you to provide evidence of having delivered results in either your professional or your personal environment. The optional essay — beyond providing a place to address the usual optional essay topics related to employment gaps, academic or testing issues, and recommender choices — allows you to share something fun about yourself and give the admissions team a chance to learn more about you beyond your professional accomplishments.
The school’s prime offerings — including real-life learning, concentrations tailored to your professional goals, a career team behind you, a STEM-focused curriculum, an engaged MBA community, and a small class size with robust faculty resources — will help you amplify your career impact and prepare you to excel in a global business environment.
Essay 1 is required. Your response should be no longer than 500 words and should address the following questions:
– What are your immediate career goals and how will you benefit from earning an MBA at Kenan-Flagler Business School?
– As the business world continues to evolve, circumstances can change and guide you in a different direction. Should your goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
Before you jump in and present your immediate post-MBA career goal, consider sharing a brief story that provides some context for why your goal is important to you. There are only so many immediate career goals you can have: consulting, real estate, technology, finance. It is difficult to stand out when you state a goal without any context. Your goals will be so much more interesting and differentiated in the minds of the admissions team if you also offer a unique and meaningful story about why your chosen goal makes sense in relation to your aspirations and experience.
In addressing how you will benefit from a UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA, note any gaps you have in your knowledge, skills, or experience that could prevent you from reaching your career goal, and explain how specific classes, clubs, and resources at the school could help you fill in these gaps. Don’t overlook Kenan-Flagler’s robust institutes and centers when considering the offerings that might be of use to you. Every business school wants to know that applicants are excited to attend its MBA program in particular, and UNC Kenan-Flagler is of course no different. The school provides a user-friendly MBA Student Ambassador link that you can use to find a student with your intended concentration or industry goals. Have conversations with student ambassadors to understand how you can not only gain from the program but also give back to it. Taking the time to do this research is one of the best ways you can demonstrate your strong interest in UNC Kenan-Flagler.
In asking about your alternative goals, the admissions committee wants to know that you have done some career reflection to understand other ways of attaining your professional objectives. The job market can be unpredictable, and Kenan-Flagler wants evidence that you have given some thought to other paths, if needed. Your alternative goal should be related to your immediate goal, not a completely different career path.
Essay 2 is required. Your response should be no longer than 500 words and should address the following question:
Reflect on a project or initiative you were involved in that had a significant positive impact on a community, organization, or individual. How did this experience shape your sense of responsibility as a future leader dedicated to making a difference in the world?
UNC Kenan-Flagler continues for a second year asking this question specifically about applicants’ abilities to make an impact, but the school has always valued this trait. The program wants net givers — people who will move initiatives forward as opposed to passive students who would not add value. You have the opportunity to showcase either a professional or a community accomplishment. The most important aspect is that you provide evidence of your ability to drive results, because this is valued not just by Kenan-Flagler but also by employers. For the latter part of this question — regarding how the experience has shaped your responsibility as a leader — reflect on UNC Kenan-Flagler’s core values of integrity, inclusion, innovation, and impact. The school views these as concentric circles, with the foundation being integrity, then moving outward to think about how to create inclusive environments that foster innovation and ultimately drive impact. As you reflect on your leadership journey, consider how you have approached any of these core values.
Essay 3 is optional. We encourage you to tell us more about who you are so we can get to know you as a person and potential member of the Carolina community. Use this essay to convey information that you may not have otherwise been able to in the application. Your response should be no longer than 200 words.
Optional topics:
–Personal or professional accomplishments
–Interests and passions
–Gaps in work experience or inconsistent academic performance
–Context for recommender selection
–A fun fact about yourself
While not everyone will need to address gaps in employment, academic performance issues, or recommender selection, everyone should take this opportunity to share a personal or professional accomplishment and any particular interests as well as a fun fact about themselves. This prompt lets you help the UNC Kenan-Flagler admissions team get to know you more fully and differentiate yourself from other applicants with a similar professional background. In particular, the “fun fact” option gives you a way to share something interesting about you that could compel the admissions team to want to know more about you! For example, If you’ve built a tiny house, this fact might stick in the mind of someone on the admissions team who is also interested in this topic, and they might even ask you more about your experience building the house when they meet you! You now have a connection with them, and this might make your overall profile more memorable.
If you do not need to address any problematic topics, you might not need to use all 200 words, but don’t miss the opportunity to let the admissions team learn something interesting about you through your response to this question!
Re-applicants
Essay 4 is required only for previous applicants to any UNC MBA program format. Your response should be no longer than 100 words and should address the following prompt:
If you are re-applying to the program, we appreciate your continued interest in UNC Kenan-Flagler. We require a complete application in addition to a brief essay that describes how your application differs from your previous submission and that alerts us to new test scores, a recent promotion, or other areas that demonstrate how you have strengthened your candidacy.
If you are taking the time to reapply, refresh your essays! When I reviewed applications for UNC Kenan-Flagler, one of the first things I looked to see was whether a candidate had provided new material in the essays compared to the previous year. Taking a fresh look at your application speaks volumes about your interest in the program. Enhance your resume to reflect an extra year of professional growth. Ideally, you have grown in your leadership outside of work as well. If your test scores were not a strength in your previous application, address how you have attempted to improve your skills or knowledge either through additional coursework or an improved score, or both. Your ability to highlight your most impressive improvements will signal self-awareness to the admissions team and help you make your case for admission.