UCI Merage MBA Essays & Analysis 2024-2025

The following essay topic analysis examines University of California, Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business (Merage) MBA admissions essays for the 2024-2025 admissions season. You can also review essay topic analyses for other leading MBA programs as well as general Essay Tips to further aid you in developing your admissions essays.

UC Irvine Merage MBA Essays & Analysis 2024-2025

Let’s take a closer look at each prompt.

Essay 1 

Applicants are required to provide a link to a 1 minute (60 second) video addressing the following prompt:

Think of a time you worked cross-functionally beyond your own team. What role did you play? What challenges did you face? What was your contribution to the team?

Most applicants use websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, or Google Drive to upload their video essays. On all these platforms, be sure to mark the video as “Unlisted” rather than “Private”. Unlisted means only people with the link will be able to see it. Just click “Get Shareable Link” in your privacy settings and paste into the FTMBA application. If your video is listed as private, we will not be able to view it and your application processing will be delayed.
First, review our Admissions Tip about video essays. On average, people can speak 150-180 words in 60 seconds.

The STAR method may help you efficiently convey your story:

• Situation – Set the stage or identify the situation that required your input outside of your own team. Given the limited time frame, you may have to jump right into the chosen situation vs. establishing your team to show how this instance took place “beyond” your team. Identify your role and challenges you faced.
• Action – Describe the actions you took, particularly in overcoming the given challenge. Given the focus on teamwork, it would make sense to highlight how you directly engaged this new team.
• Outcome – Summarize the successful result and how you contributed to it.

Whether you choose personal or professional examples, be sure to demonstrate your collaboration and positive influence.

Essay 2

Our students enjoy a wide range of student-led organizations that provide opportunities for leadership development and personal fulfillment, as well as an outlet for contributing to society. Our student-led government, clubs, centers, and events are an integral part of the student experience and to the development of leaders. Based on your understanding of the UCI Merage culture, what are 3 ways you expect to contribute? (500 words or less)
Applicants should aim to balance reflections on their past and connect their history with potential future contributions to UCI Merage. Adcoms are interested in people who make an impact, whether at work, or in other avenues of their lives. They want to know you’ll make an impact while on campus and then as an alum, as you pursue your career and life goals. Whether you choose to draw on your professional, personal or academic life, it’s important to create context before connecting to how you would contribute to UCI Merage.

Based on the details in the question, you should aim for variety in your answer, considering leadership development, personal interests and external contributions. For instance, instead of talking about 3 ways you would contribute to the Finance Club, consider the variety of offerings beyond clubs, including the mentioned government, centers and events. Learning about the school’s special programs and extracurricular activities–whether through a visit to campus or conversations with alumni–will help you craft a response that really stands out.

As you approach the contributions, specifically, think about how you can translate your experience and related lessons into involvement on campus. Creating a link between your past and your potential future at the program will enable you to present a consistent and clear picture of your candidacy, as well as your professional and personal interests. The more information you can provide about how exactly you would contribute (playing a certain role in organizing a particular annual event, for example), the more reason you’ll give the adcom to admit you.

Optional Essay

At the Paul Merage School of Business, we are ambitious. We are intellectually hungry. We have a calling to deliver educational excellence valuing diversity, collaboration, inclusivity and respect. In an effort to better understand the context of your achievements, is there any other information about your background, family or experience that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee? (300 words or less)
This is a chance to tell the adcom who you are, where you come from, and what you care about. It is also a good place to highlight instances of resourcefulness and persistence, especially discussing how far you’ve come, if you were a boostrapper or first generation in your family to attend college. You can provide insight into your personal and professional maturity and collaborative nature over the course of a narrative. An effective approach might be to describe the initial experience and its broad implications in a few sentences, followed by a brief illustrative example before concluding with a reflection on how the experience has shaped who you are today.

It may also be necessary to use this space to address any weaknesses in your candidacy, such as gaps in employment, academic concerns, etc. In which case, the comments in this essay should be straightforward and fact-focused, offering explanation without making excuses and humbly suggesting other areas of your candidacy that might compensate for identified weaknesses.

Clear Admit Resources

Thanks for reading our analysis of this year’s Irvine / Merage essay topics. As you work on your Irvine / Merage MBA essays and application, we encourage you to consider all of Clear Admit’s Irvine / Merage offerings:

• Irvine / Merage Profile on the Clear Admit website: up-to-date advice and admissions information
• Clear Admit LiveWire: admissions updates submitted in real time by applicants to Irvine / Merage
• Clear Admit DecisionWire: school selections in real-time by admits to Irvine / Merage