Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Emory Goizueta MBA Program: Complete Admissions Guide

If you’re looking for a top-ranked MBA program in the south, you’re likely considering the Gouizueta MBA. Named after the former CEO of Coca-Cola (also headquartered in Atlanta), the school has a strong track record of producing impressive executives. So what do you need to know about getting into the Emory MBA program at the Goizueta Business School? Take a look!

Emory Goizueta MBA Class Profile

First, let’s have a look at the basic statistics of the Emory MBA class, from average GPAs and GMAT scores to class size. Here’s a rundown of key numbers you’ll want to know.

Category Admission Statistic
Acceptance Rate 46.1%
Average GMAT Score (10th-80th percentile) 640-740
Average Undergraduate GPA 3.3
Entering Class Size 150-180

(Sources: Emory GouizuetaU.S. News & World Report)

Emory Goizueta business school

How to Get Into Emory’s MBA Program

With those basic stats in mind, what else is Emory looking for in applicants? Libby Livingston, Senior Director of MBA Admissions at Emory, explains the characteristics that make for a successful Gouizueta MBA student:

“Someone who is outgoing, confident and demonstrates a lot of initiative thrives in our environment. We are a small program in a very collaborative environment. We have a strong focus on leadership and encourage all students to be active and engaged and take on a leadership role. Students will grow professionally but also personally – our program will be a transformational experience for them.”

So just where does the ad com look for these characteristics in potential applicants? In numerous parts of the application. Here’s what you need to know about parts of the Emory MBA application!

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Application

The application asks for basic identification information, and also asks for you to upload your resume and scanned copies of your transcripts (official versions are required if you’re admitted). You’ll also need to upload your essays, and you have the opportunity to submit recommendations.

What part of the application do the admissions officers care about most? According to Livingston, it’s all important: “We do not have a weighted application – every component of the application is important. Your academics, test scores, professional work experience, leadership along with your essays, recommendations and interview are all aspects we consider.”

Essays

The Gouizueta MBA application requires several essays, all combined into a single PDF and uploaded with your application. Currently, the essays are based on the following prompts:

  1. Define your short-term post-MBA career goals. How are your professional strengths, past experience, and personal attributes aligned with these goals? (300 words max)
  2. The business school is named for Roberto C. Goizueta, former Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who led the organization for 16 years, extending its global reach, quadrupling consumption, building brand responsibility, creating unprecedented shareholder wealth, and demonstrating a commitment to values and positive impact on society. Roberto Goizueta’s core values guide us in educating principled leaders to have a positive influence on business and society. Provide a specific example of your leadership and explain what you learned about yourself through the experience. (300 words max)
  3. What are you looking to gain from Goizueta’s MBA degree and how do you see yourself contributing to the Goizueta community? (200 words max)

(Source: Emory Goizueta admissions website)

In addition to these written essays, you’ll also be asked to upload a video essay. According to the Gouizueta admissions website, “We enjoy getting to know you through the ‘small talk’ questions.”

Finally, Goizueta provides applicants with the opportunity to include an additional essay explaining anything unusual about their application or that needs more explanation. This essay has a maximum word count of 200 words.

Letter of Recommendation

The Goizueta MBA program requires two letters of recommendation. The online application allows you to invite recommenders to fill out an online survey from the school or to use the GMAC Common Recommendation Form.  In either case, you will need to fill in the contact information for your recommenders and invite them within the application itself

Interviews

Emory Goizueta conducts interviews only by invitation. These interviews may take place in-person on campus or virtually.  In either case, you won’t be eligible to receive an invitation unless you’ve submitted your completed application. You can expect this interview to take around half an hour.

Why choose Goizueta Business School’s MBA program?

If you’re looking for small class sizes and a tight-knit environment, Goizueta might be right for you. In Livingston’s words:

We are the only business school in the nation that combines a world-class business education, with the advantage of a small, intimate learning environment, and the benefits of a global, dynamic city. Our exclusive Management Practice (MP), which is a sequence of core and elective courses, integrates concepts from the classroom to the workplace. We are small by design – Goizueta has the smallest cohorts of any top 25 Full-Time US MBA program. Additionally, Atlanta is the #3 US city for Fortune 500 headquarters, and we take advantage of being located in this thriving global business city.

Beyond these compelling attractions, though, what else does the Goizueta MBA program have going for it? Its curriculum is also a major selling point for potential applicants. Here’s what the school has to offer.

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Emory MBA Curriculum

The Emory two-year MBA focuses on team-based problem solving in which groups of students use cases from the real world as the basis for their business education. The school offers extensive mentoring, from career advice and coaching to leadership skills. Furthermore, students have the opportunity to work with local businesses that the school brings in, building crucial career skills.

While many students are looking for a traditional, two-year MBA program, others may be at different points in their careers and looking for a different style of continuing business education.  These students are likely to find a program that appeals to them at Goizueta! The school offers the following graduate degree programs:

  • Master of Analytical Finance: A 10-month degree with a fintech focus
  • MS in Business Analytics: a 10-month program focused on real-world partnerships
  • One-year MBA: a 12-month program that accelerates the course load of 2-year MBA
  • Evening (part-time) MBA: a flexible program to accommodate students who also work
  • Executive MBA: a program that can be tailored to numerous executive interest areas
  • PhD: a research degree that also includes classroom work

In addition, Goizueta offers non-degree, executive education programs that includes both short programs and tailor-made choices for both individual students and organizations. Organizations can customize programs, while individuals have the option to take single courses or combine them in pursuit of a certificate. Find out more about Goizeuta’s executive education options!

Takeaways: Goizueta MBA Admissions

If an intimate learning environment with top-notch faculty and multiple options appeals to you, then the Goizueta MBA might be the right choice for you. How do you show the ad com that you’re the right choice for them? In Livingston’s words:

“Be authentic – be yourself – do not be someone you think the Admissions Committee wants you to be. Share with us your interests beyond your professional experience – we want to get to know you personally as well. Visit campus – we offer several options – Super Saturday, Insight Days, class visits, and a women’s and diversity weekend”

If you like pecans and peaches, plus being among the elite of the business community of the South’s largest economic center, then Goizueta might be the right program for you!

Authors

  • Rachel Kapelke-Dale

    Rachel is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She writes and updates content on our High School and GRE Blogs to ensure students are equipped with the best information during their test prep journey. As a test-prep instructor for more than five years in there different countries, Rachel has helped students around the world prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, TOEFL, GRE, and GMAT, and she is one of the authors of our Magoosh ACT Prep Book. Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Brown University, an MA in Cinematography from the Université de Paris VII, and a Ph.D. in Film Studies from University College London. For over a decade, Rachel has honed her craft as a fiction and memoir writer and public speaker. Her novel, THE BALLERINAS, is forthcoming in December 2021 from St. Martin’s Press, while her memoir, GRADUATES IN WONDERLAND, co-written with Jessica Pan, was published in 2014 by Penguin Random House. Her work has appeared in over a dozen online and print publications, including Vanity Fair Hollywood. When she isn’t strategically stringing words together at Magoosh, you can find Rachel riding horses or with her nose in a book. Join her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

  • Thomas J. Miller

    Few people are as familiar with the ins and outs of the GMAT’s sections as is Tom Miller. Since 1995, when the exam was pencil and paper only, Tom has designed, taught, and edited programs for several international test prep companies and MBA programs to address each change in the exam’s content and format. His students have gone on to graduate from many of the world’s top MBA programs.   Tom has authored an acclaimed GMAT grammar crash course, “Verbal Boot Camp”, and has a long track record of helping the “math-phobic” successfully get their scores up to the level required to succeed in business school. He has also helped many students get the superior scores required for scholarships and admission to the world’s top MBA programs.   Tom’s business school experience goes beyond the particulars of the GMAT. He has taught Economics and Statistics as an Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor at the Butler University MBA program and taught Business Business Law at Stenden University in Qatar, where he was the faculty Senior Lecturer.   Tom has won numerous awards for his publications on leadership, core values, and peak performance in “Proceedings” of the US Naval Institute and is the first enlisted man to win the Navy League of the United States’ Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.   Tom holds degrees in English, German, and Art History from Indiana University, and a law degree from the Cleveland Marshall College of law. You can connect with him on LinkedIn for further information.

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