MBA Essay Advice: Part 2
MBA Tips and Sample Excerpts
3. Emphasize your qualities with examples:
The MBA essay will usually ask about your strength and weaknesses. What matters is how you convince the committee that you possess them. For instance, empathy is a great leadership quality, and if you have done some volunteering work you can mention that in this context ,such as organizing a fund raising drive for a shelter that reforms juvenile drug addicts.
Remember that the committee will also ask you to describe yourself in oblique ways, such as by asking you to write about who your role model is and why. While you have to answer the question, keep the focused on you. For instance, here’s an illustrative sample essay excerpt:
“I admire Steve Jobs for his perseverance and keen marketing insight. The story of how he worked his way back into Apple is legendary and was a beacon for me when I faced similar problems of my own. Having founded the “Mentor” project at my undergraduate college, aimed at connecting freshmen with sophomores so that they could trade advice on courses, extra-curricular activities, scholarships etc. I became quite possessive about it. (Readers note: MBA essays with sincerity are appreciated) At one point, I would find it difficult to accept other people’s suggestions and it took a concerned friend’s gentle advice to make me realize the importance of putting aside my ego for the benefit of the team. I learned to let the small issues go, to step back in areas where others were better than me and to put my own suggestions forward in a constructive manner. Moreover, Mr. Jobs marketing philosophy of letting the product speak for itself helped me grow the project to a critical mass through well-placed flyers and then to make our website a platform for useful advertisement (relating to internships, scholarships, vacancies, etc.) that we used to meet administrative expenditures and to expand the project.”
4. Connect the career goals with the college:
Having told the committee why you want to do an MBA and what makes you equipped for it, the MBA essay must mention what makes this college the most appropriate for you. Don’t just quote phrases form the prospectus, do your homework. Mention some of the courses offered that you would like to opt for and how they can help you. Find out the extra-curricular activities on campus and relate them to your previous experience, such as linking past experience with human resources to what you can bring to the the college’s placement committee. Try to visit the campus on an “open day” or to mention an alumnus’ comments about the college referenced from a private conversation or a public interview.
5. Additional tips:
Intersperse the essay with entertaining or pertinent anecdotes. A dash of humor always makes the essay memorable. Always think about what you can mention that will make your essay stand out. Even a run-of-the-mill experience can be narrated interestingly, such as by linking management lessons with one’s teaching experience. Edit throughly, mistakes in the MBA essay will cost you dear.
