How to Write a Winning MBA Application Essay for London Business School

If you’re considering an MBA program with a global network and urban access, London Business School (LBS) stands out as an excellent choice. Renowned for its diverse faculty and distinguished guest speakers worldwide, LBS fosters a truly international environment. The class of 2025 boasts students representing a wide range of industries from 63 different countries, with 43 percent identifying as female. The application essay is vital for applicants looking to distinguish themselves in the LBS application process. It offers a platform to convey your unique qualities, experiences, and career aspirations. This essay highlights your suitability for LBS’s rigorous academic environment and demonstrates your ability to contribute to the school’s vibrant global community. 

How many essays must you write for the London Business School’s application? 

Interestingly, LBS has kept the same primary essay prompt since 2015, indicating that the admissions committee trusts it to reveal the key qualities they seek in prospective students. While LBS mandates only one essay—primarily a conventional personal statement—consider using the optional essay to further strengthen your candidacy. Our analysis offers insights on crafting an effective essay for LBS, whether you submit a single essay or both.

What is the required essay for the London Business School? 

The Prompt: What are your post-MBA goals, and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)

In its essence, this required element is a classic career goals essay. You must clearly envision your career and outline how the LBS MBA program will help you achieve your goals. While pursuing an MBA is a natural progression in your career, you must demonstrate how the LBS’ resources, knowledge, skills, exposure, and unique elements will empower you. Thorough research on LBS is crucial to keep your essay relevant with specific examples of how the business school aligns with your aspirations and professional identity.

Expert tips on approaching London Business School’s required essay

1) Define your goals:

When outlining your post-MBA plans, clearly define your short-term and long-term career objectives. The more specific your articulation, the stronger your application. Cover elements of your post-MBA industry, function, role, geographic preference, and target organizations. If you’re undecided, discuss the potential career paths you’re considering. Whether you aim for career advancement or a shift, ensure your short-term goals are realistic, that you can demonstrate transferable skills from your Pre-MBA experience and how the  LBS MBA program will be a key factor in building out your professional toolkit. Additionally, your long-term goal should reflect your ambition to significantly impact your chosen field.

Example: “In the near future, I aim to transition into a strategy consulting role within a top-tier firm such as McKinsey, Bain, or BCG, focusing on digital transformation projects in the tech industry. This position will allow me to leverage my software engineering and project management background while acquiring new strategic analysis and client management skills. Geographically, I am open to working in major tech hubs like London, San Francisco, or Berlin, where I can be at the forefront of technological innovation.

My long-term ambition is to lead a global technology company as a chief technology officer (CTO), driving transformative initiatives that shape the future of digital solutions. I aspire to create products and services that enhance connectivity and access to technology in underserved markets, impacting global digital inclusion.

2) Skills, skill gaps, and LBS MBA: 

The admissions committee values your assessment of the skills required for your aspirations. In this part of your essay, articulate the critical hard and soft skills essential for success in your chosen path. Compare these skills with your existing capabilities, emphasizing your strengths, transferable skills, interests, and areas needing improvement. Explain how LBS MBA resources will enhance your leadership, creativity, innovation, critical thinking, cross-cultural awareness, communication, and collaboration, and enhance your domain-specific knowledge.

Present a compelling case for why the LBS MBA is the ideal fit for you, highlighting its distinctive offerings such as courses, pedagogy, renowned faculty, student community, school-specific internship opportunities, cultural aspects, and how they align with your career objectives. Approach this section thoughtfully; if you find minimal room for improvement, ensure your rationale for pursuing an MBA is transparent to the admissions committee.

Example: “While leading the successful launch of a unique personal loans product at my firm, I gained insights into regional customer needs, psyche, and purchase drivers. Courses like Customer and Market Insights and Customer and Marketing Analytics at LBS will further develop my ability to identify latent consumer needs, which is crucial for designing innovative financial products tailored to the emerging middle class in developing markets.”

3) Demonstrate Your Research: 

The admissions committee values your familiarity with LBS. So, make your research evident in your essay. As David Simpson, Recruitment and Admissions Director for the MBA and Masters in Finance (MiF) programs, emphasizes, “We seek applicants who truly want to be here.” Craft a personalized argument showcasing how the LBS MBA program can facilitate professional growth. Before you begin this section, a valuable resource to view is  the three-minute video titled “The MBA | London Business School.”  

For your research, you may also do the following: 

• Explore the website
• Visit our campus 
• Engage with student ambassadors
• Subscribe to Think at LBS
• Read their blog
• Connect through social media
• Attend their events

Proposed structure for the LBS required essay and breakdown of the word count

While crafting this essay, divide the allotted word count equally among three core aspects: 

• Your career goals
• Previous experiences 
• Contributions you anticipate from the LBS MBA program.

Articulate your career objectives in the initial 150-200 words. How your past experiences and the prospective LBS MBA program will help you realize these goals, should encompass 300-350 words.

An alternate essay structure could be  beginning with your short-term goals and then exploring how your background and the LBS MBA will empower you to achieve them, followed by your long-term aspirations.

What is the optional essay for the London Business School? 

The Prompt: Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)

The LBS optional essay offers a blank canvas to enhance your candidacy further. While optional, we highly encourage you to seize this opportunity to share personal experiences that illustrate how you would thrive within the LBS community. Use this space to highlight a unique background, experience, or attribute that hasn’t been covered elsewhere in your application.

Expert tips on approaching London Business School’s optional essay

1) Highlight unmentioned achievements and passions: 

Showcase significant accomplishments, personal passions, side projects, social contributions, or personal stories not covered in your application.

2) Address unique traits or experiences: 

Emphasize any distinctive qualities or experiences you possess. If you do not have a unique trait to share, you can describe your current activities and how they would enhance your MBA experience.

3) Discuss overcoming personal challenges: 

Address any aspect of your application that may be unclear or problematic. These aspects can include a low GPA, GMAT or GRE score, or gaps in work experience. While clarifying the drawbacks, showcase how you’ve overcome them to demonstrate resilience and personal growth.

4) Avoid repetitive narratives: 

Whether you’re using the essay to address certain drawbacks or highlight unique traits and achievements, refrain from discussing topics already mentioned in other parts of the application. 

Proposed structure for the LBS optional essay and breakdown of the word count

You can structure your response to the optional essay  in the following way:

• Introduction: Briefly introduce the central theme or story you want to share (50-75 words).
• Main Body: Provide detailed insights into your achievement, unique trait, experience, or challenge. Highlight how these have shaped you and your fit for LBS (350-400 words).
• Conclusion: Summarize the key points and reinforce how these elements enhance your candidacy for LBS (50-75 words).

Whether you submit the required, optional, or both, the writing requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Essay development is an integral part of The Red Pen MBA Admissions Services. Please contact us if you need guidance with your MBA application. Meanwhile, read our blogs on the Chicago Booth and Stanford GSB essays.