According to Kaplan Test Prep’s 2012 survey of business school admissions officers, while applicants’ personal essays are not nearly as important a factor as their GMAT scores (or GRE scores, in some situations) or undergraduate GPAs, they should be under no false illusion that they doesn’t matter. Most b-schools require 4-6 essays on leadership, skills, strengths and weaknesses, career goals, and why they want an MBA. As you know, admissions officers are interested in getting to know them as individuals – beyond their GPAs, standardized test scores, etc. While some pre-MBAs are not exactly fans of writing (the classic poets vs. quants sort of thing,) they should look at the personal essays as an opportunity, not an obstacle. What they choose to write sends clear signals about what’s important to them and what their values are. These essays are the best tools those you advise have at their disposal to achieve that.
Below are some key strategies for your students to consider when writing their personal essays.:
1. Avoid the Rehashed Resume: The personal statement is not the time to recount all their activities and honors in list-like fashion. There are more appropriate places to boast that they increased profits by 10% the past year.
2. Make It Personal: This is their opportunity to put a little panache into the application and show the admissions committee why they decided to go into the business world. Was it an experience they had in school? Was there a particular extracurricular activity that changed their way of thinking? Did they find an internship so exhilarating that it created their love for this career path? Use vignettes and anecdotes to weave a story and make the essay a pleasure to read. Be compelling.
3. Avoid Controversial Topics: Definitely avoid being dogmatic or preachy. They don’t want to take the risk of alienating a reader who may not share their politics or view on monetary policy or capitalism. That said, it’s probably a good idea to avoid controversy completely. Brainstorm for a less risky idea..
4. Don’t Get Too Creative: Every school differs in the tone and content that they want to see. However, now is not the time to write a haiku. Keep your creativity focused on how accomplishments and lessons learned impact your larger business goals and vision. Remember, the business world is largely an establishment community (although individual businessmen and women may be passionate artists, poets, writers, musicians, historians, etc.). On the other hand, don’t be trite and don’t be boring – avoid writing the “I want to rock the business world because…” essay.
5. No Apologies: For instance, if one of your students received a C in economics, he or she may feel compelled to justify it somehow. Unless they believe that the circumstances truly do merit some sort of mention, don’t make excuses for relatively minor things – they don’t need to provide admissions officers with a road map to their weaknesses. That being said, some students do mention a weakness in their background in order to explain how they have overcome a setback. And we all know that overcoming setbacks and successfully implementing turnarounds are skills MBAs need.
6. Write Multiple Drafts: Have their pre-MBA advisor (you, hopefully!) and perhaps an English teaching assistant read and edit it. Proofread, proofread, and proofread some more. Also, try reading it out loud – this is always a good test of clarity and flow. Finally, run it by a family member or friend who knows them well to make sure that it captures their personality.
7. Think Ahead to Interviews: Interviewers often use personal essays as fodder for questions. Of course, if they’ve included experiences and ideas that are dear to them, that they feel strongly about, they will have no problem speaking with passion and confidence. Nothing is more appealing to admissions folks than a vibrant, intelligent, and articulate candidate. If they wrote extensively about a project that took place several years ago, they’d better brush up before the interviews. Don’t engage in hyperbole: They risk running up against an interviewer who will see through these exaggerations.
