Located in one of the most vibrant cities in the world, London Business School (LBS) repeatedly lands at or near the top of global MBA program rankings and offers an exceptional opportunity for candidates to build their global network while preparing for career success. Participating in the program is a notably international experience, given that most incoming classes feature a large proportion (90% in the Class of 2023) of students from outside the United Kingdom.
Many applicants apply to LBS specifically for its global focus and international class, in addition to its strong general management and leadership focus, and the comprehensive MBA education it offers, including more than 70 electives. The curriculum can be structured to be completed in either 15, 18, or 21 months, and second-year courses are flexible and determined by the student. LBS offers Global Business Experience placements for each student in locations such as South Africa, Peru, China, and Myanmar and with such themes as “Entrepreneurship and Economic Growth: The Role of Micro-Businesses,” “The Emerging Giant: Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges Facing Brazil Today,” and “Reinvention in Turbulent Times.” International exchanges are also an option. In addition, LBS recommends that students achieve second-language proficiency by the time they complete the program and offers language coursework throughout.
London Business School students appreciate that the nearly two-year program features a robust summer internship program (or popular alternatives such as Entrepreneurship Summer School for those who choose that route) and rave about the many connections with both large corporations and startups right “in their backyard” in the global business hub that is London. The school’s main campus building sits at the edge of Regent’s Park, allowing students to enjoy a balance of busy city life and tranquil urban green space. London Business School also has two additional campus buildings in the area, as well as a campus in Dubai.
Each class is divided into sections, which are then broken down into study groups of five to six students. “Successful group working is at the heart of the London Business School experience,” asserts the school’s site, and up to 30% of students’ first-year grades depend on their study group performance. LBS MBA students are intentionally assigned to study groups comprising team members of various nationalities and from different sectors, emphasizing the school’s global strength and the importance of developing the ability to work with diverse teams in today’s business world.
LBS grads go on to enter a wide variety of post-MBA careers, from working at Amazon, Google, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs to joining startups and smaller organizations, across countless functions and around the globe. Of the Class of 2020, 40% went into consulting, 21% into finance, 28% into technology, and 11% into diversified areas, including health care, energy, and retail.
Given the fierce competition for acceptance to this popular, internationally focused MBA program (ranked second in the world by the Financial Times in 2021), dedicating sufficient time and energy to your LBS MBA application is crucial to crafting your best possible submission. As LBS Recruitment and Admissions Director David Simpson states in a webinar on the program’s site, this is your “one shot” to make a strong impression on the admissions reader, and applicants should strive to be “interesting and succinct, with realistic yet ambitious goals.” Simpson states that LBS is looking for candidates who are “self-aware, have humility, are hardworking, contributors, team players, and have international exposure.” Fortunately, mbaMission offers a depth of resources and services to help you on your journey as you prepare to apply to London Business School.
London Business School Program Guide
After consulting with London Business School MBA students, admissions committee members, and alumni about their experiences, we prepared our London Business School Program Guide. We take an in-depth look at life as an LBS student, highlighting how the school’s location, class size, curriculum, teaching methods, facilities, and rankings affect its culture and MBA experience. Through our guide, you will learn more about the LBS MBA program’s international focus and cross-cultural offerings for students, from the Global Business Experience to exchanges to language study. Further, you will come to understand why the school’s London location and flexible curriculum, plus its focus on teamwork and leadership, drive interest in LBS from applicants around the globe.
London Business School MBA Interview Guide
London Business School invites select candidates to interview, and the interview is one part of the holistic application process through which LBS aims to gauge a candidate’s fit with the school’s values, approach, and atmosphere and to assess how the individual might perform in a team-based environment. “Interviews are a key component of how we assess candidates for our degree programmes. They provide us a chance to get to know the individual and bring an application to life,” the school states on its website.
Our past clients describe LBS’s interviews most often as “conversational” and “friendly,” and they can be extensive in length, ranging from 45 minutes to over 90 minutes at times. Demonstrating how you are a good fit for the LBS MBA program and how the program is a good fit for you is key in an LBS interview, which is typically conducted by a graduate of the program and covers questions about your past, why you are seeking a London Business School MBA, and your future goals. The LBS interview typically also includes a short case presentation that we cover in our guide. For sample interview sequences and commentary from past students, check out our London Business School MBA Interview Guide
London Business School MBA Application Essay Analysis, 2021–2022
London Business School has been posing the same application essay question since 2015. Clearly, the LBS MBA admissions committee feels the prompt elicits precisely what it needs when evaluating candidates for the school’s next class. Although LBS strictly requires only one essay—one that largely constitutes a traditional personal statement—you might want to seriously consider submitting the optional essay as well if you feel that doing so will facilitate a fairer or more thorough evaluation of your candidacy. In our London Business School Essay Analysis, we offer our tips and advice on crafting your LBS MBA essay approach, whether you ultimately decide to write just one submission for LBS or two.
LBS MBA Application Essay Questions:
- Question 1: What are your post-MBA goals and how will your prior experience and the London Business School programme contribute towards these? (500 words)
- Question 2 (Optional): Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (500 words)
Given the main essay’s significant overlap with a standard personal statement, we encourage you to download your free copy of the mbaMission Personal Statement Guide. In this complimentary guide, we present a much more detailed discussion of how to approach and craft this kind of essay, along with multiple illustrative examples.
Click here to read our complete LBS Essay Analysis & Tips
LBS MBA Application Components
The LBS MBA application includes the following requirements:
- Completed online application form, including multiple short-answer questions ranging from one sentence to several hundred words (covering elements such as your extracurricular activities and interests, details on your work and academics, international experiences, and choices related to applying to LBS)
- Application essays
- One-page CV
- One professional “referee” (recommendation)
- GMAT or GRE score
- Proof of English language ability
- Application fee
- Transcripts
- IF INVITED TO INTERVIEW: Recorded, timed video-based questions
- IF INVITED TO INTERVIEW: One-on-one interview, typically with an LBS alumnus
London Business School Class Profile (Class of 2022)
| Total Applications |
2,879 |
| Class Size |
532 |
| Average GMAT |
708 |
| GMAT Range |
590–790 |
| Average Years of Work Experience |
5.5 years |
| Average Age |
29 years |
| Women |
36% |
| International |
90% |
| Countries Represented |
66 |
| Regional representation |
| North America |
18% |
| Central/South America |
17% |
| United Kingdom |
10% |
| Europe (excluding the United Kingdom) |
17% |
| Africa |
2% |
| Middle East |
4% |
| South Asia |
12% |
| Southeast/ East/Central Asia |
16% |
| Oceania |
3% |
London Business School MBA Application Deadlines (2021-2022)
Round 1
September 10, 2021
Round 1 Decision
December 2, 2021
Round 2
January 6, 2022
Round 2 Decision
April 7, 2022
Round 3
March 25, 2022
Round 3 Decision
June 10, 2022
mbaMission Testimonials from LBS MBA Applicants
The Direction I Needed
When I began my journey of looking for an MBA admissions consultant, I was told multiple times to hold off and wait to apply till I had a better GMAT score. However, when I met Devi Vallabhaneni with mbaMission, my experience with her was different. She looked at my overall profile and told me where I needed to focus on - aka, my GMAT score. She advised me on how to make my application show that I was strong in quant through things such as my work experience and recommendations since my GMAT score was not portraying that.
Additionally, I struggled with the timing of when to submit my application. I was moving from India to the states in the midst of the pandemic and didn't know if I had it in me to go for round 1. Devi helped me pace myself and set achievable goals so that I could meet the round 1 deadline.
Where Devi helped me the most (which, in my opinion, was not her responsibility, but she did from the goodness of her heart) was the in between of submitting my application, going through interviews, and waiting to hear back from the school. I was extremely anxious, like extremely. Devi lifted me up every time we talked. She reminded me of my strengths and encouraged me to stay optimistic.
Sure enough, I got into the only school I applied to, my dream school - London Business School. And when my anxiety set in about thinking that LBS may have given me a handout and that I did not match up to my peers, I got a scholarship for half my tuition, which solidified my candidacy even more.
Devi not only helped me get into my dream school but also helped me map out my future to achieve my full potential.
As you can see, I highly recommend mbaMission and Devi Vallabhaneni.
MBA Interview Preparation
Approximately three weeks out from my London Business School (LBS) MBA interview in February, I was feeling extremely anxious. Although I had prepared responses to typical MBA interview questions, it felt unnatural for me to practice out loud in front of a mirror or webcam. After several conversations with my partner and family, it became apparent to me that getting help from an expert could go a long way towards being accepted at my target business school.
I had already approached Krista prior to Christmas for a free 30-minute consultation. In that time, Krista provided me with invaluable advice on my application materials and it was clear to me that Krista had come to the meeting thoroughly prepared. Although I did not engage her services during the application season, I was convinced that I could not find a better person to help prepare me for the LBS interview.
Prior to our practice interview session, I used the very informative LBS-specific interview guide which Krista provided. Our session was scheduled approximately 2 weeks prior to the actual interview. I was visibly nervous as I answered Krista’s first question which required me to walk her through my resume. Krista was extremely constructive with her feedback but more importantly, she constantly asked me how I could have improved my response to a given question. With every question, I felt that my speaking style and response improved. Since I was concerned about the impromptu case question, Krista devoted extra time to run through two different case questions. I could already see a difference in my approach to the second case question after taking on Krista’s feedback from the first case question. At the end of our session, I felt more relaxed about the whole interview process and Krista was instrumental in helping me realise that I should treat the interview as a conversation with someone who is interested in knowing more about me as a person and professional.
I used the feedback from my session with Krista to prepare for the actual interview. By the day of the interview, I felt relaxed as I walked into my interviewer’s office in London. As Krista predicted, the interview was conversational and I really got the sense that my interviewer genuinely wanted to get to know me. This allowed me to speak in a calm but confident manner as I approached both the interviewer’s questions and the case-study.
Two weeks before the decision date, I received a more than pleasant surprise- an email from the LBS Admissions office saying that I had been accepted to the MBA Class of 2022! I couldn’t believe my eyes and it took a while for the news to sink in! Along with my family and friends, I made sure I informed Krista because she was pivotal in helping me reach this position. I am truly grateful for her constructive feedback and ongoing support with countless questions relating to both the interview process and my decision to take the GRE before the admission decision was made.
To all future MBA applicants thinking of engaging an admissions consultant in their interview preparation, I highly recommend Krista Nannery!
