Tuesday Tips: Kenan-Flagler Application Essay Tips for 2024-2025
The UNC Kenan-Flagler application essay questions focus on learning more about you. At UNC, a world-class university offers resources beyond the MBA program. The Research Triangle region is home to global corporations, startups, small and midsized firms, and nonprofits. In Raleigh alone, you’ll find more than 500 startups spanning sectors such as software, automated marketing, life sciences, consumer packaged goods, media/design, and IoT device manufacturers.
Each program at UNC Kenan-Flagler offers several global immersion opportunities. Students also love the environment in Chapel Hill; it’s a beautiful and lively college town. Celebrated for its temperate climate, flourishing foodie scene, and friendly locals, the Triangle offers UNC MBA students a vibrant atmosphere without the urban grind.
Curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
UNC Kenan-Flagler Application Essays
From the AdCom: You’ll respond to two required essay questions and one optional question. Your responses should be concise, clear, and introspective as we’ll use them to learn more about you, your motivations, and your aspirations.
Required Essay 1
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 the goals that you provided above not transpire, what other opportunities would you explore?
This first essay in the Kenan-Flagler application asks a primary career goals question and a “Plan B.” Knowing yourself is the best first step in this essay. What has your career taught you in hard and soft skills? How have leadership opportunities grown your perspective? Think about the experiences of your work life. And what you have learned about yourself.
Then, describe your short-term career goals. As a program, UNC provides individual career guidance and has a recruiter focus. Therefore, realistic career goals help the admissions committee imagine you at UNC. Finally, show a clear link between your career goals and your MBA. What skills will you gain from classes and clubs to bring to your post-MBA job?
Everyone’s life takes twists and turns. And, often, your path takes you in another direction. For that reason, this essay also asks about your Plan B. To answer the question, consider how your experience and MBA can apply to different goals.
For example, your Plan A is to work in consulting and then transition to a strategy role at a CPG firm. If you cannot land that job, you could seek in-house strategy roles to gain experience. You could also work in a different kind of professional services firm, such as marketing research. Finally, if you focus on the work that appeals to you and the roles that fit, you will find the right path.
See this Q&A with Kenan-Flagler’s Senior Assoc. Dean of MBA Programs
Required Essay 2
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?
Like most schools, UNC Kenan-Flagler focuses on inclusive and impactful leadership that explicitly makes a difference in the world. Thoughtful and nuanced leadership is vital to your UNC MBA application. That means showing that you are empathetic and understanding. Even if you are not a leader now, you can positively impact those around you. For this essay, you are asked to describe a time when you positively impacted a community, an organization or an individual.
Consider using the STAR method for this essay. In the STAR method, you will first describe the Situation, which is the background to the story. Think about where you worked and volunteered and with what group or individuals. Then, you will describe the Task. Think about the Task as the goal you were trying to accomplish. The third part is the Action you took. Here you should be specific about what you thought, said, and did in the situation. Next up is the Result. What happened, and how did everyone feel about it?
Finally, this essay asks you to reflect upon the experience and how it has shaped your sense of responsibility as a future leader. Consider the impact you had and how you felt about it. Ideally, you have already demonstrated a desire to make a difference and have the ability to do so.
You will also learn more about leadership in your MBA program, and you could write about some of those leadership skills you plan to hone in this essay. As always, be specific and identify programs and professors you are excited to learn from.
Optional Essay
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
This Kenan-Flagler optional application allows you to discuss either areas of concern or personal topics. First, identify any gaps in your overall application. Then, consider if you need to explain those gaps. For example, if you did not have the required classes as an undergrad, you may have learned the same topics at work. Or consider registering for continuing education classes. Finally, substantial work experience can help offset poor academics. Or, explain that you have taken courses since undergrad and received high grades.
If you do not have any significant resume or application gaps, you can use this essay to focus on a personal topic. You might describe a noteworthy professional accomplishment. Or, explain a personal achievement of which you are proud. If you tell a personal story, use specific examples to make the story stand out. Consider why the accomplishment was remarkable and what you learned from the experience.
Reapplicant Essay
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 (100 words or less) 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.
The Kenan-Flagler application requires re-applicants to complete all of the required essays. You should take 100 words to describe what has changed since your last application. Also, ideas for this essay include updates like a promotion or a new job.
If you don’t have a resume change, consider updates like a change in career focus. You may have learned new skills in other ways, such as through a stretch project at work. This is your chance to show you are a stronger candidate now than last year.
Finally, please visit the school website to learn more about the Kenan-Flagler UNC MBA program.
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Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your MBA application needs, from our All-In Partnership to test prep to hourly help with targeted tasks. Contact us today for a free 15-minute advising session to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
×Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
×Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally. Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
×Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
×Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years. Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
×Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
×Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
×Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
×Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
×Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford. Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
×Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
×Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
×Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team. During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
×Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS). During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
×Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
×Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director. Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants. ×
