Berkeley Haas Application Essay Tips, 2025–2026
Berkeley Haas decided to simplify its application this year, reducing the number of essays and changing its primary essay to a video. Here are some thoughts to help you stand out in your Haas application. Demonstrating how you embrace or embody one of Haas’s four Defining Leadership Principles — Question the Status Quo, Confidence Without Attitude, Students Always, and Beyond Yourself — is still key, even though this is no longer presented as a specific question. The Haas admissions committee says they’ll mostly likely dig into the principles with any applicants who are invited to interview. Through these principles, Haas makes culture a differentiator. Make sure to show that you understand this element of its MBA program, and share how you will contribute to and enrich it in all of your essays and the video.
The school’s optional essay, which continues to demonstrate Haas’s commitment to understanding its applicants’ unique paths, allows you to articulate how the events of your life have affected you. While some schools ask about your background as part of their core application, Haas takes this to a higher level by giving you 300 words in which to share your story.
As a smaller MBA program, Haas wants to know how you will fit into and contribute to its very close-knit, collaborative, and student-driven community. Be authentic and write about who you are, not who you think Haas wants you to be. Find a comfortable spot with your beverage of choice and think about the following questions: Why do you want an MBA? Why now? And why Haas? Use the school’s application essays to share your unique answers.
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Required Essay #1 – Video Essay
What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why?
You will be able to test your audio-visual connection before recording. Video essays should last 1-2 minutes and may not exceed 2 minutes. You have two (2) attempts to record your video essay.
When thinking about how to respond to this prompt, you can also consider what you are passionate about and why. Consider spending the first minute or minute and a half sharing a story in which you describe a memorable experience that illustrates what makes you feel alive. Finish the story by explicitly stating your answer so that the admissions team doesn’t have to guess.
With the remaining time, explain why this passion is important to you and how this ties back into your overall story. Although your activity does not need to be directly tied to your goals, it should enhance your application and be an important aspect of your profile for admissions to know about. You want to include how this passion will support you in the pursuit of your goals. You could also communicate how your story has influenced you or helped you gain perspective. Before officially recording your video, practice with someone who knows you well — and make sure they pick up on the themes you are trying to present.
Required Essay #2
What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how will an MBA from Haas help you achieve those goals?
Short-term career goals should be achievable within 3-5 years post-MBA, whereas long-term goals may span a decade or more and encompass broader professional aspirations. (300 words max)
When writing this goals essay, start by explaining what is driving your goals and what has inspired you on this path. Clarify why you have chosen this path. Was it a professional experience? Are you wanting to pivot to a personal passion? The larger the change, the more in-depth your reasoning needs to be. Consider talking about the types of problems you want to solve in the long term in your career. Long-term goals don’t need to be super specific, but they should show your motivations and passion. Then, describe what might be your first post-MBA role to make a step toward that goal and what you might like to accomplish in your first three to five years after graduating. And finally, identify how Haas can help you achieve these goals. Where do you need to grow? What resources at Haas might help you get there? And how will you get involved in or contribute to those clubs, centers, and/or experiences to give back to the Haas community? Don’t just offer a laundry list of classes and clubs; be thoughtful about which clubs or experiences you describe, and be specific about what you want to learn or how you want to grow in that specific club or experience.
Supplemental Information
Distance Traveled
At Berkeley Haas, we consider “distance traveled” as the contextual information that helps us understand the unique circumstances, challenges, or influences that have shaped your personal and professional journey.
We invite you to share aspects of your background, personal circumstances, or significant experiences that have meaningfully impacted who you are today and how you’ve reached this point. Please tell us how these experiences have influenced your perspectives, decisions, and aspirations, and how they contribute to the person you are becoming. (300 words max)
This optional essay shows Haas’s commitment to diversity of experience. The admissions team wants to know what experiences have shaped your path and what skills these experiences have taught you. Some call it “grit” or “resilience,” but find your own way to describe it. As with the other parts of your application, be honest and genuine. In your elaboration, focus on how these experiences have influenced your life, goals, and future plans. However, you only want to answer this question if it truly applies to you. Use your best judgment.
Optional Statement
This section should only be used to convey relevant information not addressed elsewhere in your application. This may include explanation of employment gaps, academic aberrations, supplemental coursework, etc. You are encouraged to use bullet points where appropriate. (300 words max)
This question needs to be addressed only if there are gaps in your employment or some other element of your candidacy for which providing some background or context would be helpful. Some other examples would be if your transcript resembles Swiss cheese, with holes or bad grades scattered throughout, or if you don’t feel you have the necessary quantitative caliber or sufficient experience. Avoid making this essay “flowery” or overly descriptive; just focus on the facts, offer your explanation(s) — not excuses — and describe any actions you have taken to mitigate the issue. There is a separate question about recommender choice, so that information does not need to be included here. This essay does not even need to be an essay at all; it should be kept concise and used judiciously.
Other Information
– If you have not provided a letter of recommendation from your current supervisor, please explain. If not applicable, enter N/A.
– List, in order of importance, significant community and professional organizations and extracurricular activities in which you have been involved during or after university studies. Include the following information for each using the format below:
– Name of organization or activity
– Nature of organization or activity
– Size of organization
– Dates of involvement
– Offices held
– Average number of hours spent per week
– List full-time and part-time jobs held during undergraduate or graduate studies indicating the employer, job title, employment dates, location, and the number of hours worked per week for each position held prior to the completion of your degree.
– If you have ever been subject to academic discipline, placed on probation, suspended, or required to withdraw from any college or university, please explain. If not, please enter N/A. (An affirmative response to this question does not automatically disqualify you from admission.)
Simply use these short answers to provide the requested facts and explanations. Be clear and concise with your responses.
In How to Get into Berkeley Haas School of Business, you will find information on a variety of the MBA program’s offerings, such as tailgating, the Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Program, and Consumption Functions.