Master Your M7 MBA Essays: Kellogg, Booth & Columbia Guide

Applying to M7 schools like Kellogg, Booth, and Columbia means more than just answering MBA essays — it’s about showcasing authenticity, values, and clarity of thought. These MBA essays test your leadership mindset, reflection, and ability to connect your story with each school’s DNA. Each essay question is a chance to reveal who you are beyond numbers. This blog draws insights directly from MBA & Beyond’s live workshop led by Shantanu (INSEAD alum) and Paridhi (Co-founder, MBA & Beyond), helping you decode what these top schools are really looking for in your MBA essays.

Kellogg MBA Essay: The Difficult Decision Essay

Prompt: “Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere from the boardroom to their neighbourhoods. Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style.”

Word limit: 450 words

Approach: Kellogg’s MBA essay is designed to assess your values and authentic leadership. According to Shantanu:

“Kellogg has always valued taking leadership positions when it matters — when the situation is difficult and demands integrity.”

Get kellogg MBA Essays question here.

Here’s how you should structure your response:

1. Start with a clear, high-stakes decision. Pick a situation that truly tested your principles, not just workload challenges.
2. Demonstrate vulnerability and action. Show how you faced uncertainty or criticism but acted with courage and transparency.
3. Highlight 2–3 guiding values. Integrity, accountability, inclusivity, or empathy — whichever genuinely reflects your decision-making process.
4. End with transformation. How did this experience reshape your leadership style?

Tip: “Avoid wasting words on context. The admit doesn’t come from explaining the situation but from the actions you took,” Shantanu emphasized.

Drafting Strategy: MBA & Beyond advises applicants to create three mini-anecdotes (~200 words each) before finalizing one essay. This helps identify the strongest story without overinvesting in the first draft.

Booth MBA Essay: Goals, Motivation & Uniqueness

Prompt: “How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals?”

Word limit: 250–500 words

While this may look like a simple goals essay, Booth expects much more depth and personal connection. The secret? Context and motivation.

“Instead of jumping straight into your goals, begin with why those goals matter to you. Whether it’s a personal passion or an insight from your industry — lead with motivation, not just ambition.”

Check out Booth MBA Essays….

Structure Your Essay Like This:

1. Opening Hook: A personal story or an industry insight that sparked your career direction.
2. Short-Term & Long-Term Goals: Be specific. Avoid overused statements like “I want to join MBB” or “I want to be a partner.”
3. Why MBA – The Bridge Analogy: As Shantanu explains, “You are at Hill A and your dream is Hill B. The MBA is the bridge. Identify why you need that bridge now.”
4. Why Booth: Mention Booth’s unique learning culture, experiential labs, research centers, and collaborative community.

“It’s easier to differentiate yourself personally than professionally. The story that stays remembered is the one that’s most authentic.”

Pro Tip: Avoid AI-generated fluff. Booth adcoms easily detect generic MBA essays with cliché terms like “empathetic leadership” or “team synergy.” Instead, write in your voice and bring your story alive.

Columbia MBA Essay: Co-Creating Your CBS Experience

Prompt: “We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency and partnership academically, culturally and professionally. How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS?”

Word limit: 250 words

This is one of the most research-driven MBA essays in the M7 application process. You can’t fake it.

“This question takes research. You can’t just write anything. Go and speak to current students, understand the culture, and if possible, identify something missing — that’s gold!”

Go through the Columbia MBA Essays…

How to Approach This Essay:

1. Do Deep Research: Connect with CBS students/alumni, explore clubs, global immersion programs, and the school’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
2. Identify a Gap or Opportunity: What can you uniquely contribute to enhance CBS’s collaborative culture?
3. Tie It to Your Goals: Show how this experience helps you achieve your post-MBA aspirations.
4. Add Past Evidence: Reference a past experience where you created or led a community initiative.

Insight: One successful applicant proposed a cross-disciplinary initiative connecting CBS with Columbia’s Law and Medical Schools to innovate in healthcare — an example of co-creation.

Common Essay Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

• Over-contextualizing: Spending too many words explaining the situation instead of your decisions.
• Generic storytelling: Using buzzwords like leadership, synergy, or innovation without proof.
• Overusing AI: Essays must reflect your personality. AI is a tool, not a substitute.
• Copying samples: As Paridhi shared, “Repetition never works. Each story must be uniquely yours.”

Remember: “What AI has done is made everything shiny. But the real differentiation still comes from your story, your voice, and your depth.”

Draft, Reflect, and Seek Feedback

Every successful MBA essay begins with self-reflection, not perfection. Start small, think deeply, and refine through feedback.

“Don’t aim for a perfect essay first. Write raw. Express freely. We’ll help you sculpt it into brilliance.”

If you’re preparing your Kellogg MBA essay, Booth MBA essays, or Columbia MBA essay for Round 2, now is the time to start.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Your MBA essays aren’t just responses — they’re your leadership blueprint. Bring your experiences to life, connect with each school’s values, and remember: authenticity wins interviews.

92% interview invite success: MBA & Beyond’s Round 1 success rate with M7 schools speaks for itself.

Let’s get it done! Stay focused, be authentic, and let your unique story shine through with MBA&Beyond.