The
essays that you write as a part of your application build an image
about your personality in the minds of the admission committee
members. The admission committee is not looking for students with
a certain fixed profiles that you need to fit into, but they are
looking for those with different personalities and diverse
backgrounds. You ought to be able to project yourself as a unique
candidate who will bring value to the class. You wouldn't like to
be rejected because they couldn't get to know about you even
though you were the person they were looking for.
So,
before you even look at the topics of your essays, do the
following exercise.
-
Write
down all your past accomplishments - academic, extra
curricular, social contributions, sports - whatever you've
done well in life. Also write down all the things that you
feel or care for strongly.
-
Write
down all your failures - at work, at things you wanted to do
but could not for whatever reasons, at home, with your friends
and family.
-
Write
down what you want to do in the future. The immediate concern
could be to go to the US for an MBA - but go beyond that. What
after the MBA? What type of a job would you like, what would
you want to do in your life. What would you like to be doing 5
years from now, 10 years from now, how would you like to
retire?
-
Now,
write down why should you have the life that you want? Why
should you get all the things you listed in point 3 above?
What qualifies you to have all the success you desire?
After
you've done the above, you have your life in perspective, and are
now ready to write your essays. Your personality would come across
in your essays.
Think
about how your experience can add value to the class.
Remember that you are going to be a part of a very diverse team of
people from all over the world. Highlight what you think
might be a unique and valuable input to your class. And,
your experiences do not have to be work-related. A personal
experience, which may seem insignificant and mundane to you, could
be awe-inspiring to others. So, don�t discount your
experiences and talents. As a way to prove this point, we
are enclosing a sample essay of a student who graduated from the
Harvard Business School.
(Sample
essay on Personal Failure).
See,
what we mean by personal. A failure in a business venture is
the most common answer to this question. We do realize that
these kinds of personal failures are uncommon in Indian context
(Thank God!). The idea is to write your essays such that
they reflect your personality and don�t just answer the
questions in a matter-of-fact fashion. This is particularly
important in case of international students, as the admissions
committee does not always get an opportunity to interview them.
After
you know what and how to write, you have to make sure the essays
are gramatically correct, are written in a good flow and do not
exceed the prescribed word limit. The essays should be
enthusiastic, friendly and confident in tone. If writing is not
your strength, don't hesitate to take the help of a friend or
colleague who can write well.
An
Important Issue
Even
though you might have projected yourself just right, you may be
rejected just because another student with a similar profile has
already been admitted.
How
can you avoid this - Apply Early.
There
are normally three different application deadlines. The admission
office decides certain number of admissions after each deadline.
So, if a person with a similar profile as yours applied for the
first round and was admitted, you would most likely not make it if
you are applying for the second or the third rounds. But of
course, you had a chance if you had applied before the first
deadline.
Last
but not the least; do not underplay your abilities. A lot of
us find it difficult to say, "I am the best" (although
we know it in our hearts, don�t we!). But trust us, you
have to be aggressive in your essays. For your benefit, we
have enclosed some sample essays of students who have been
accepted in the top MBA programs. (Sample
essays)
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