# Essay Workbook: Career Goals Essay for [Target programme]

> A workbook for the career goals essay that most MBA applications ask for in some form: what you want to do right
> after the MBA (short term), where that leads (long term), why an MBA is the bridge, and why now. It is for full-time
> and executive MBA applicants to leading international programmes. It walks you through brainstorming worksheets,
> three structure options, evidence and specificity checks, a word budget, five revision passes and a feedback rubric.
> It does not contain a model essay to copy: the short fragments are original, fictional and show one technique each.
> Source basis: general admissions practice as described by schools in their public instructions, goal-setting
> research (Doran 1981; Locke and Latham 2002) and career-transition research (Ibarra 2003), in our own words.
> Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked *Example*. This is a planning aid, not admissions advice, and
> it promises no outcome.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Work through sections 4 to 6 before writing a single sentence of the essay. Most weak goals essays are weak because the thinking behind them is unfinished, not because the prose is poor.
- The *Example* rows and fragments follow one fictional applicant, Elin Strand: a supply chain analyst at Northfield Outdoor Co. who now leads its repair-and-resale pilot. Other MBA workbooks use other fictional applicants.
- Fill the worksheets with your own facts. Delete every *Example* row once you understand the pattern.
- Write the first draft fast and over length. Cut to the word limit only in revision pass 4.
- Read section 12 (AI use) before you open any AI tool. The applicant writes the essay; rules differ by school and change between cycles.
- Related templates: mba/mba-personal-narrative, mba/mba-why-school-essay, mba/mba-values-essay, mba/mba-short-answers, mba/mba-resume, mba/mba-ai-use-policy-check, mba/mba-school-research-log, mba/mba-recruiting-plan, mba/mba-interview-prep, mba/mba-recommender-brief, mba/mba-post-mba-career-plan, career/brag-document
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: One copy of this workbook per school, because word limits and prompt wording differ. Keep the master worksheets (sections 4 and 5) in one file and copy them across. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | ESSAY-GOALS-[SCHOOL]-001 |
| Applicant | [Your name] |
| Target programme and round | [School A, full-time MBA, Round 2] |
| Prompt type | [Goals: short and long term, why MBA, why now] |
| Word or character limit | [500 words] |
| Prompt text checked on the official page | [URL], checked YYYY-MM-DD |
| School AI-use rule checked | [URL], checked YYYY-MM-DD |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Brainstorm / Draft / Final] |
| Reviewed by | [Mentor, coach or colleague] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |

## Contents

1. Purpose and when to use it
2. The prompt type and its variants
3. Process and timeline
4. What admissions readers look for
5. Brainstorming worksheets
6. Structure options
7. Evidence and specificity checks
8. Word-count strategy
9. Technique fragments
10. Revision passes and feedback rubric
11. Common mistakes
12. AI use and integrity
13. Quality checklist
14. My notes and next steps

## 1. Purpose and when to use it

<!-- Guidance: Read once. The question to answer for yourself: could a stranger repeat my goal back to me in one sentence after reading the essay? -->

The goals essay is the part of an application where the admissions committee tests whether your plan makes sense. It
is not a promise you will be held to: plans change during an MBA, and readers know that. What they evaluate is the
quality of your reasoning. Can you name a specific first role after the degree? Does it follow logically from what you
have done so far? Is there a real gap between where you are and where you want to go, and is an MBA a sensible way to
close it? Is this the right moment?

Use this workbook when a school asks any version of those questions, whether as a single essay, as two short answers,
as part of a broader "tell us about yourself" essay, or in an interview. The thinking you do here also feeds the
why-school essay (mba/mba-why-school-essay), the resume summary line (mba/mba-resume), your recommenders' briefing
(mba/mba-recommender-brief) and the first five minutes of most admissions interviews (mba/mba-interview-prep).

## 2. The prompt type and its variants

<!-- Guidance: Copy the current prompt from the school's official page into your own notes, then classify it here. Never rely on last year's prompt or a forum copy. -->

Goals prompts come in a few recurring forms. Classify yours before you plan, because the form decides the structure.

| Variant | What it asks for, in general terms | Typical length range | Structure option (section 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic goals essay | Short-term goal, long-term goal, why an MBA, sometimes why now and why this school | 300 to 1,000 words | A or B |
| Split short answers | Short-term goal and long-term goal as separate, very short answers | 50 to 200 words each | C |
| Goals plus school | Goals and the school's role in one essay | 400 to 750 words | A, with the school paragraph from mba/mba-why-school-essay |
| Embedded goals | Goals as one part of a broader personal essay or a "what do you want to do" short answer | 100 to 300 words for the goals part | C |
| Executive MBA variant | How the degree helps you in your current or next role, often with employer context | 250 to 750 words | B |

Dated example of a split format: as of October 2026, the Wharton 2026-2027 application guide asks for an immediate
post-MBA goal (50 words) and medium- and long-term goals (150 words) as two short answers, alongside a 350-word essay
on contribution. Formats change every cycle, so check the school's current instructions before you rely
on this example. Programme names are used here only to describe a public format; this workbook is not affiliated with
any school.

## 3. Process and timeline

<!-- Guidance: Put real dates next to the relative ones. If you have fewer than 6 weeks before the deadline, compress steps 2 and 3, not step 6. -->

```mermaid
flowchart TD
  A["Read the current prompt on the official page"] --> B["Career inventory and goal ladder (5.1, 5.2)"]
  B --> C["Gap analysis and why-now test (5.3, 5.4)"]
  C --> D{"Can you state the goal in one sentence?"}
  D -- "No" --> E["Informational interviews with people in the target role"]
  E --> B
  D -- "Yes" --> F["Choose a structure (section 6)"]
  F --> G["Draft over length"]
  G --> H["Revision passes 1 to 5"]
  H --> I["Rubric review by two readers"]
  I --> J{"Weighted score at least 3.0 of 4?"}
  J -- "No" --> H
  J -- "Yes" --> K["Final proof and submit"]
```

| When | Step | Output | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-12 to T-9 weeks | Career inventory, goal ladder, at least three informational interviews | Sections 5.1 and 5.2 filled | [ ] |
| T-8 weeks | Gap analysis and why-now test | Sections 5.3 and 5.4 filled | [ ] |
| T-7 weeks | Structure and outline | One-page outline | [ ] |
| T-6 weeks | First draft, over length | Draft 1 | [ ] |
| T-5 to T-3 weeks | Revision passes 1 to 4 | Drafts 2 to 4 | [ ] |
| T-3 weeks | Rubric review by two readers | Rubric scores, comments | [ ] |
| T-2 weeks | Pass 5 and final proof | Final | [ ] |
| T-0 | Submit, save a PDF of the submitted text | Archive copy | [ ] |

T-0 is the round deadline published on the school's admissions page for your cycle: [YYYY-MM-DD, URL].

## 4. What admissions readers look for

<!-- Guidance: These are general criteria that schools commonly describe in their public guidance and that experienced readers apply. They are not any school's official rubric. Check each school's own statements on its admissions page. -->

Across leading programmes, the public guidance on goals essays tends to point to the same qualities. Readers want a
goal that is **specific enough to be credible**: a function, an industry and a type of organisation, ideally with a
problem you want to work on. "Consulting" is a category; "operations strategy work for consumer brands moving to
circular supply chains, in a firm with a sustainability practice" is a goal.

They look for **logic**. The short-term goal should be a realistic next step from your experience plus an MBA, and the
long-term goal should follow from the short-term one. A large jump is fine if you can show the bridge. Readers also
check for **self-awareness about the gap**: what skills, knowledge, networks or credentials you lack, stated honestly
and without self-criticism. An essay that claims you already have everything raises the question of why you need the
degree.

They want **motivation**: why this goal matters to you, shown through something you did, noticed or built, not through
adjectives. They check **timing**: why now rather than two years earlier or later. Finally, they read for
**consistency** with the rest of the file: the resume, the recommendations, the short answers and later the
interview. A goals essay that the recommenders could not have predicted is a warning sign.

## 5. Brainstorming worksheets

<!-- Guidance: Spend more time here than on drafting. Fill in rough notes, not sentences. The worksheets are for you; nothing in them goes into the essay verbatim. -->

### 5.1 Career inventory

List every role and significant project. For each one, record what you did, a measurable result and what it taught
you about the work you want to do next. The last column is the one that feeds the essay.

| ID | Role or project, dates | What I did (verbs) | Result (number, scale, change) | What it showed me about my direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV-01 *(Example)* | Supply chain analyst, Northfield Outdoor Co., 2021 to 2023 | Built the returns dashboard, mapped repair costs by product line | Repair share of returns rose from a small pilot to a planned programme | I like redesigning flows of goods, not only reporting on them |
| INV-02 *(Example)* | Lead, repair-and-resale pilot, 2024 to now | Ran a cross-functional team of six, negotiated with two repair vendors | Pilot extended to all stores for [period] | Circular models need commercial and operations skills at once |
| INV-03 | [Role or project] | [Verbs] | [Result] | [Insight] |
| INV-04 | [Role or project] | [Verbs] | [Result] | [Insight] |

### 5.2 Goal ladder

Write the goal at three levels of detail. Start at the bottom and climb: each level must answer "so that what?"
of the one below it. The essay usually needs levels 1 and 2 stated plainly, with level 3 as the motivation.

| Level | Question | My answer | Example *(Example)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Short-term goal | First role after the MBA: function, industry, type of organisation | [Answer] | Operations strategy consultant in a firm with a strong consumer and sustainability practice |
| 2. Long-term goal | Role 5 to 10 years later | [Answer] | Chief operating officer of a mid-size consumer brand running a circular model |
| 3. Purpose | The problem you want to help solve, and why you care | [Answer] | Outdoor products last longer than they are used; I want brands to profit from keeping them in use |
| Plan B | A credible alternative short-term path to the same long-term goal | [Answer] | Corporate strategy role at a consumer brand with a circular programme |

Test the short-term goal against the SMART criteria Doran (1981) proposed for management objectives: is it specific,
measurable in the sense that you would know you had reached it, attainable from your profile, relevant to the long-term
goal and bounded in time? Goal-setting research (Locke and Latham 2002) also suggests that specific, challenging goals
guide effort better than vague "do your best" intentions, which is one reason readers favour specific goals.

### 5.3 Gap analysis: why an MBA

List what the short-term role requires, rate where you are today, and name how the MBA (not a job, a course or a
certificate) would close the gap. If every gap could be closed more cheaply another way, rethink the "why MBA" case or
say why the combination matters.

| Requirement of the target role | My level today (1 to 4) | Evidence of my level | How the MBA closes it | Alternative route and why it is weaker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *(Example)* Corporate finance for investment cases | 2 | Built cost models, never a full investment case | Core finance and a capital-allocation elective | Online course: no practice with live cases or feedback |
| *(Example)* Structured problem solving with senior clients | 2 | Presented to my director, not to external executives | Case method, consulting club, a field project | Internal transfer: no external client exposure |
| *(Example)* Network in sustainability consulting | 1 | Two contacts | Recruiting process, alumni network, clubs | Cold outreach: slow, low response |
| [Requirement] | [1 to 4] | [Evidence] | [How] | [Alternative] |
| [Requirement] | [1 to 4] | [Evidence] | [How] | [Alternative] |

Ibarra (2003) describes career change as a process of testing possible selves through experiments and new networks,
rather than a single decision. Use that idea: the strongest "why MBA" arguments show you have already started testing
the new direction (the pilot, the side project, the course) and need the degree to complete the transition.

### 5.4 Why now

Answer each question in one line. A credible "why now" usually combines a push (you have learned what you can in the
current role) and a pull (a window in the target field, or a skill you need before the next step).

| Question | My answer |
|---|---|
| What have I achieved or learned in the current role that I could not have learned earlier? | [Answer] |
| What would I miss by waiting two more years? | [Answer] |
| What would I lack if I had applied two years ago? | [Answer] |
| Is there an external trigger (market change, new technology, regulation, family timing)? | [Answer] |
| For an executive MBA: what changed in my role or my employer's plans? | [Answer] |

### 5.5 Informational interviews log

Talk to at least three people who hold your short-term role. Their answers make your goal specific and give you
vocabulary that rings true to readers who know the field.

| ID | Person (role, organisation type) | Date | What surprised me | What the role really needs | Changes to my goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INT-01 *(Example)* | Manager, sustainability practice, consulting firm | YYYY-MM-DD | Most projects start as cost projects, not sustainability projects | Financial modelling, client communication | Frame the goal as operations strategy with a circular focus |
| INT-02 | [Person] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Note] | [Note] | [Change] |
| INT-03 | [Person] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Note] | [Note] | [Change] |

## 6. Structure options

<!-- Guidance: Pick one structure and outline it in bullets before drafting. Switching structure in draft 3 costs more time than any other revision. -->

**Option A: chronological bridge.** Past, present, short-term goal, long-term goal, gap and why MBA, why now. It is
the safest structure and suits most applicants whose career so far points clearly at the goal. The risk is spending
too many words on the past; the past is there only as evidence for the future.

**Option B: problem first.** Open with the problem you want to work on (level 3 of the goal ladder), show how your
experience led you to it, then state the goals as your route to working on it, and close with the gap and timing. It
suits career switchers and applicants with a strong purpose. The risk is a vague, idealistic opening; anchor the
problem in something you saw at work.

**Option C: answer first, for short answers.** First sentence: the role, function and organisation type. Second: the
one experience that makes it credible. Third: what the MBA adds. For very short limits (50 to 150 words) there is no
room for an opening scene. Every word should carry information.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
  P["Past: evidence (15 to 25% of words)"] --> S["Short-term goal"]
  S --> L["Long-term goal"]
  L --> G["Gap and why MBA"]
  G --> N["Why now"]
  N --> C["Close: link to purpose"]
```

My chosen structure: [A, B or C], because [reason].

## 7. Evidence and specificity checks

<!-- Guidance: Run these checks on every draft. Each "no" is a revision task. -->

| Check | Question | Yes or no | Fix if no |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV-01 | Is the short-term goal named as a function, an industry and an organisation type? | [ ] | Use the goal ladder level 1 |
| EV-02 | Is every claim about your ability backed by an action or a result? | [ ] | Pull a row from the career inventory |
| EV-03 | Does at least one sentence show why you care, through something you did? | [ ] | Use the purpose row and an inventory insight |
| EV-04 | Does the essay name at least two concrete gaps and how the MBA closes them? | [ ] | Use the gap analysis |
| EV-05 | Is there a credible reason for the timing? | [ ] | Use the why-now table |
| EV-06 | Would a recommender who knows you recognise this plan? | [ ] | Brief them with mba/mba-recommender-brief |
| EV-07 | Is the essay free of names of real firms you have not spoken to, used only to impress? | [ ] | Name an organisation type instead, or name a firm with a real reason |
| EV-08 | Is there any sentence another applicant could paste into their essay unchanged? | [ ] | Replace it with your detail or delete it |

**Before and after.** The "before" sentence could belong to anyone; the "after" sentence could belong only to its
fictional author.

- Before: "After my MBA I want to work in consulting to broaden my horizons and develop my leadership skills."
- After: "After my MBA I want to join an operations strategy practice that helps consumer brands make repair and resale
  profitable, the problem I have spent two years testing in our store pilot."

## 8. Word-count strategy

<!-- Guidance: Use the percentages as a starting budget, then move words to whichever section carries your strongest evidence. The total is fixed; the split is yours. -->

Budget words by section before you draft. The table applies one reasonable split to three common limits. The numbers
were computed with `=ROUND(limit*share,0)` (Excel), and each column adds up to its limit.

| Section | Share | 200 words | 500 words | 1,000 words |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening context | 10% | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Short-term goal | 25% | 50 | 125 | 250 |
| Long-term goal | 20% | 40 | 100 | 200 |
| Gap and why MBA | 30% | 60 | 150 | 300 |
| Why now | 10% | 20 | 50 | 100 |
| Close | 5% | 10 | 25 | 50 |
| Total | 100% | 200 | 500 | 1,000 |

Rules of thumb that follow from the budget:

- The past is not a section of its own. It appears as evidence inside the goal and gap sections.
- If the limit is under 250 words, drop the opening and the close and use structure C.
- Draft at 120 to 150% of the limit, then cut. Cutting improves prose; padding weakens it.
- Use the full limit, but do not exceed it. A few words under is fine; a third under suggests you had little to say.
- Character limits count spaces in most application systems; check the count in the application form itself.

My budget for [limit] words: opening [ ], short-term [ ], long-term [ ], gap [ ], why now [ ], close [ ].

## 9. Technique fragments

<!-- Guidance: Each fragment is original and fictional and shows one technique. Do not reuse the wording; apply the technique to your own facts. -->

**Answer the question in the first two sentences.** *(Example, fictional applicant)* "After the MBA I will join an
operations strategy practice serving consumer brands. In the long run I want to run operations for an outdoor brand
that earns as much from repairing and reselling its products as from selling new ones."

**Use the gap to justify the degree.** *(Example)* "In the pilot I could redesign the returns flow, but I could not
build the investment case that would have convinced our CFO to fund it nationally. That is the gap I need to close."

**Make timing concrete.** *(Example)* "The pilot ends in June, and with it the part of this work I can learn inside one
company. The next step requires seeing many companies, quickly."

**Close by linking back to purpose, not with a slogan.** *(Example)* "I want to return to the repair bench where the pilot
began, this time with the tools to make it the profitable part of the business."

## 10. Revision passes and feedback rubric

<!-- Guidance: One pass, one purpose. Doing all five at once means doing none of them well. Leave at least a day between passes 2 and 4. -->

### 10.1 Revision passes

| Pass | Focus | Questions | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Answer | Does it answer every part of the current prompt? | Mark each part of the prompt in the margin of the draft | [ ] |
| 2. Logic | Do past, short-term and long-term goals connect? | Read only the first sentence of each paragraph: does the argument hold? | [ ] |
| 3. Evidence | Is every claim supported? | Run checks EV-01 to EV-08 | [ ] |
| 4. Length | Is the essay within the limit and on budget? | Cut adjectives, throat-clearing openings, repeated ideas | [ ] |
| 5. Voice and proof | Does it sound like you, and is it error-free? | Read aloud; check names, numbers, school name, grammar | [ ] |

Style guides such as Williams's *Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace* and Minto's *The Pyramid Principle* are useful
companions for passes 2 and 4: put the main point first, and make the characters in your sentences the subjects of
the verbs.

### 10.2 Feedback rubric

Ask two readers to score each criterion from 1 (weak) to 4 (strong) and to write one comment per score below 3. One
reader should know your field; one should not. The weights reflect this workbook's view of what matters most in a
goals essay; adjust them to the prompt.

| Criterion | Weight | 1 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity of goals | 20% | Category only ("finance") | Function, industry, organisation type and a problem |
| Logic of path | 20% | Goal does not follow from experience | Each step follows from the previous one |
| Gap and why MBA | 20% | No gap, or gap closable without an MBA | Specific gaps that the MBA closes better than alternatives |
| Why now | 10% | Absent | Concrete push and pull |
| Evidence and specificity | 20% | Claims and adjectives | Actions, results and details unique to you |
| Voice and concision | 10% | Generic, padded | Clear, personal, within the limit |

Worked scoring *(Example)*. The weighted score is `=SUMPRODUCT(weights, scores)` on the 1 to 4 scale, and the
percentage is that result divided by 4.

| Criterion | Weight | Draft 1 score | Draft 3 score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity of goals | 0.20 | 3 | 4 |
| Logic of path | 0.20 | 2 | 3 |
| Gap and why MBA | 0.20 | 2 | 3 |
| Why now | 0.10 | 1 | 3 |
| Evidence and specificity | 0.20 | 2 | 3 |
| Voice and concision | 0.10 | 3 | 3 |
| Weighted score (of 4) | | 2.20 | 3.20 |
| Percentage | | 55.00% | 80.00% |

A useful target is a weighted score of at least 3.0 from both readers, with no criterion at 1. The rubric is a
self-editing tool; it does not predict any admissions decision.

## 11. Common mistakes

<!-- Guidance: Check your draft against each item. Several of these come from writing for an imagined reader instead of answering the prompt. -->

1. **Vague goals.** "A leadership role in a global company" tells the reader nothing. Name the function, industry and
   organisation type.
2. **Goals chosen to impress.** A short-term goal that sounds prestigious but has no link to your experience reads as
   borrowed. Readers check the resume.
3. **Too much past.** Half the essay retells the resume. The past should serve as evidence for the future.
4. **No gap.** If you already have every skill the goal needs, the reader wonders why you want an MBA.
5. **A gap any course could fill.** "I need to learn finance" can be solved with a course. Explain why the combination
   (skills, network, recruiting, experiences) matters.
6. **Long-term goal disconnected from short-term goal.** A consulting job followed by running a non-profit needs a
   sentence that explains the bridge.
7. **Missing "why now".** Many prompts ask for it implicitly. Without it, the essay invites the question "why not
   later?"
8. **Over-claiming the future.** "I will transform the industry" is a slogan. Describe the problem you will work on.
9. **Recycling another school's essay** with the name changed, or leaving the wrong school's name in the text.
10. **Inconsistency with recommenders** who describe a different plan or different strengths.
11. **Jargon from your industry** that a general reader cannot follow. Explain or cut it.
12. **Ignoring a split format.** When the school asks for short-term and long-term goals separately, give each answer
    its own clear first sentence.

## 12. AI use and integrity

<!-- Guidance: Read the current rule for every school on your list and record it in mba/mba-ai-use-policy-check before you use any AI tool. These are dated facts, not permanent rules. -->

The applicant writes the essay. That is the rule this workbook follows regardless of what tools a school permits, and
it is also the practical case: a goals essay is evaluated partly on whether it sounds like the person who will sit the
interview.

School rules differ and change between cycles. Dated examples, as of October 2026 (check before you rely on them):

- Stanford GSB's MBA essays page, as shown in search results (the page itself could not be opened), treats essays
  written by anyone other than the applicant as a violation of the application terms that can lead to denial or
  revocation of admission, and separates acceptable feedback on a finished draft from coaching. Its MSx essays page
  names writing by another person or a tool explicitly. Check
  https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/programs/mba/admission/application/essays.
- Columbia Business School's MBA application requirements page allows generative AI for brainstorming and for editing
  your own work, and treats using it to generate complete responses as a breach of its Honor Code. Check
  https://academics.business.columbia.edu/admissions/mba/application-requirements.
- Other schools publish their own rules, some allow limited support, some ask applicants to disclose AI use, and some
  publish no rule. Secondary sources report that Wharton reserves the right to use detection tools; its 2026-2027
  application guide page did not state an AI rule when checked. Read each application's own instructions.

Working rules for this workbook:

| Rule | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| You decide the goals, the evidence and the arguments | Required |
| You write every sentence of the draft | Required |
| AI checks spelling and grammar in a draft you wrote, where the school permits it | Usually yes; check the school |
| AI asks you questions to help you brainstorm, where the school permits it | Check the school |
| AI drafts, rewrites or "improves" paragraphs | No |
| You disclose AI use when the application asks | Required |
| A coach or friend writes or rewrites passages | No; feedback on your draft is fine where allowed |

## 13. Quality checklist

<!-- Guidance: Final gate before submitting. All boxes must be ticked. -->

- [ ] The prompt was re-read on the official page within the last week; the text answers every part of it.
- [ ] The short-term goal names a function, an industry and an organisation type.
- [ ] The long-term goal follows from the short-term goal, and the bridge is stated.
- [ ] At least two specific gaps are named, with how the MBA closes them.
- [ ] Why now is answered with a concrete push or pull.
- [ ] Every claim about you is backed by an action or a result from the career inventory.
- [ ] The essay is within the word or character limit as counted by the application form.
- [ ] The school name, programme name and any course or club names are correct and current.
- [ ] Two readers scored the draft with the rubric; no criterion scored 1.
- [ ] The essay is consistent with the resume, recommendations and short answers.
- [ ] The school's AI rule was checked and followed; any required disclosure is complete.
- [ ] A copy of the submitted text is archived for interview preparation.

## 14. My notes and next steps

<!-- Guidance: Capture what you learned writing this essay. It becomes interview preparation: most interviews start with your goals. -->

| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| One-sentence goal | [Your sentence] |
| The question I am least confident answering | [Question] |
| Evidence I cut that I can use in the interview | [Evidence] |
| Next step | [Brief recommenders, start the why-school essay, book informational interview] |

## Sources and further reading

<!-- Guidance: The research cited explains why the worksheets ask what they ask. Admissions facts come only from official pages, checked on the date shown. -->

- Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. *Management Review*,
  70(11), 35-36.
- Locke, E. A. and Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A
  35-year odyssey. *American Psychologist*, 57(9), 705-717.
- Ibarra, H. (2003). *Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career*. Harvard Business
  School Press.
- Further reading (by name only): Williams, J. M., *Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace*; Minto, B., *The Pyramid
  Principle*.
- Official pages checked October 2026: Wharton MBA application guide (https://mba.wharton.upenn.edu/application-guide/),
  Stanford GSB MBA essays page and Columbia Business School MBA application requirements (URLs in section 12).

## Revision history

<!-- Guidance: New version after each revision pass, so you can compare drafts and rubric scores. -->

| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | Worksheets filled from template |
| [0.2] | YYYY-MM-DD | [Name] | [Draft 1 written] |

## Standard and licence note

Based on general admissions practice as described in schools' public application instructions, and on published
goal-setting and career-transition research, explained in original wording. School names appear only to describe
public formats and rules accurately (nominative use, dated October 2026); this template is not affiliated with or
endorsed by any school, and no essay prompt is quoted. The applicants, companies and fragments in the examples are
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