Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA Essay Analysis 2025 - 2026

Berkeley Haas has released their MBA application questions for 2025 - 2026. The essays have changed from last year.

Berkeley Haas's MBA application essay set consists of 1 core video essay, 1 career goals essay, a 'distance traveled' essay, and an optional essay. 

Here are the Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA application essays for 2025 - 2026.

What Berkeley Haas looks for in their essays

When you write your Berkeley Haas essays, keep the school's four Leadership Principles or, commonly, “the Four Pillars" in mind. 

1. Question the Status Quo: Don't be afraid to challenge traditions and ask tough questions. Haas students take calculated risks and find innovative solutions to global issues.

2. Confidence Without Attitude: Demonstrate leadership through quiet confidence, one that comes from research, reasoning, humility, and communication. 

3. Students Always: Always be open to learning from diverse people and new experiences. Keep an open mind to all perspectives, even if they're different from yours. 

4. Beyond Yourself: Don't limit your impact to your career; help your community and society grow with you. 

Haas says that they look for leaders who can “put new ideas to work and do so responsibly.” In your essays, focus on demonstrating such leadership within your personal life, in the Haas community, and the larger society. Ensure that you align your stories with these four Leadership Principles.

Essay 1 (Video Essay)

What makes you feel alive when you are doing it, and why?

This year, Haas has changed its unique “What makes you feel alive” essay format into a video essay. We predicted this; many business schools may start changing their essay prompts to video formats this year due to the increased use of AI by MBA applicants. The video essay is less likely to be “gamed” by the system, and it provides an opportunity for the AdCom to see the real you beyond your resume. Two birds, one stone. 

This open-ended question is all about showing what energizes you and draws you in. It doesn’t have to be impressive or strictly career-related. It could be a creative outlet, a side project, a personal challenge, or even a leadership moment. The point is to highlight something that gives a glimpse into who you are as a person.

One good tip is to make sure that you pick a topic that is consistent with Haas’s Four Leadership Principles.

1. Question the Status Quo: Just because it’s the way things are doesn’t mean it’s the way things have to be. Remember, Haas is a big feeder for Silicon Valley, so a philosophy of “disruption” is encouraged. But not just disrupting for the sake of it; Haas says it wants candidates who take“intelligent risks”.

2. Confidence Without Attitude: Everyone loves a bit of confidence, but it’s easy to go overboard. Demonstrate that you are confident enough to inspire others yet humble enough to admit mistakes. There are several ways to demonstrate real confidence: applying strong analytical and research skills for a complicated project, backing up decisions with data, standing up as an ethical leader, demonstrating empathy toward others, making others feel part of the group, etc.

3. Students Always: Whether one is in school is irrelevant to whether one is a student. There are always things to learn and things to improve. Haas notes that the ideal candidate is a lifelong student, always looking for ways to better themselves. This humility is a key point to demonstrate in your application.

4. Beyond Yourself: Students at Haas realize that their work and their lives extend beyond themselves; not only is it about direct action, but also everyone’s actions have a ripple effect throughout communities near and sometimes far. Haas feels that students should consider how the actions of the individual and the company affect the group, the community, and the world.

In short, your challenge with this video essay is to pick something that inspires you. Use the SCAR format to structure your script: describe how you engaged with this practice by challenging the current situation, demonstrating empathetic action, reflecting on lessons learned, and contributing to a wider community.

Once you’ve picked your topic, spend a bit of time thinking about why it matters to you. What does it say about how you think, what you care about, or how you approach the world? Maybe it reveals a love for learning, a knack for teamwork, or your drive to help others. 

Before recording, it’s helpful to jot down some talking points and practice a few times, but try not to memorize a script. You want to sound natural, confident, and genuine. Aim for a relaxed tone, like you’re sharing something with a friend. And if things don’t come out perfectly, don’t stress; it’s more important to be real than rehearsed.

Deepak

Harsh

Jasmin

Vibhav

Chinenye

Sejal

Elie

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)

This question is asking for clarity on where you're headed professionally, both in the next few years and further down the line. Think of it as laying out your roadmap of what you want to do right after business school and what you’re ultimately working toward.

Be specific about your short-term goal, ideally something realistic for the 3–5 years following your MBA. Then describe your longer-term vision and how your early post-MBA steps will help get you there. Make sure there’s a clear connection between the two. Your goals should feel like a natural next chapter based on your past experiences and where you want to grow.

Although the prompt doesn’t directly ask why Haas is the right place for you, your answer should make that link obvious. This is where your research comes in. Mention the courses, clubs, programs, or people at Haas that align with what you want to do. Talk about the learning environment or culture and how it matches your values or work style.

If you’re planning a career switch, want to start something of your own, or are exploring a less traditional path, be honest, but make your case clear. Show that you’ve thought this through and that you understand how Haas will support your journey.

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 is your chance to tell Haas more about your personal background and any challenges or major life experiences that have shaped your journey so far. Share what’s not obvious from your resume or stats.

Maybe you were the first in your family to go to college, or you grew up moving around a lot. Maybe you faced financial stress, cultural shifts, or other personal circumstances that shaped who you are today. Whatever your story is, focus on how those experiences changed the way you see the world or helped you grow as a person.

This essay is about self-reflection. What did those moments teach you? How do they show up in your values or goals now? Share what you’ve learned and how that perspective will add to the Haas community.

Optional Information

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)

Only use this space if there’s something important the rest of your application doesn’t cover. That could include gaps in work history, a low grade or test score, or anything else that might raise questions.

Keep your explanation simple and direct. Don’t make excuses; give the context and, if you can, show how you bounced back or what you learned from the situation. If you’ve taken steps to address a weakness (like extra coursework in quant or analytics), you can mention that here.

If you’re applying again, use this space to show how you’ve grown since your last application. That could be a better test score, new leadership roles, or sharper career goals. Show that you’ve reflected on feedback and taken real steps forward.

Conclusion

The key takeaways for Haas are: make it clear, concise, directly related to your B-school ambitions. You don’t have to mention them explicitly, but consider using examples that embody Haas’s Four Leadership Principles as much as possible in your essays. The post-MBA goals need to be specific and precise; however, due to the short essay length, these rely more on compelling ideas than numbers.

Among our consultants we have Jon Cheng, former admissions evaluator at Berkeley Haas. Click here to arrange an introduction with Jon to discuss your profile and suitability for Berkeley Haas.​

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You might also want to check out our Berkeley Haas MBA Interview Guide for in-depth insights into Haas's interview process, what they're looking for in prospective candidates, interview schedule and questions for 2024, and tips to ace your interview.

For the full Berkeley Haas MBA application course with example essays based on real essays by previous applicants, check out the Berkeley Haas School of Business application program on MBAconsultant.com. 

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