Business school adcoms are keen on exploring what the applicant brings to the table. And they have a range of tools to do that – ranging from the college grades to the final interview.
Your MBA essays are the only component within the MBA application that allow the adcoms to gain a more intimate understanding of who you are, before they invite you for a 1-on-1 interview.
They use essays to gain insights into your personality, interests, skill-sets, extracurricular involvement, leadership qualities, career goals, and various achievements both academically and professionally.
The MBA essays form the crux of your application, offering you a canvas to paint your story in vivid colours. A good storyline is the essence of your essays. With the right content and packaging you can use your essays to bring your story to life.
Compare this to a movie. Every high-budget movie does not become a hit even if the cast is top-notch.On the other hand, even a low-budget movie with an interesting story and a good director can appeal to the audience and become a huge success.This art of good story-telling can go a long way in making a connection with the audience/reader.
When you’re competing with the best applicants in the world, you can tilt the scales in your favour, through well-written essays that go beyond the basic facts and figures.
What makes essays more important than other parts of the application?
It wouldn’t be fair to write off any application component, with the sole purpose of making the essays look superior. Each one of them is there for a reason.
Resume
A resume gives a bird’s eye view of your past achievements in academics and career. It’s meant to provide a quick summary of the important milestones in your journey.The issue is – most applicants from the same industry look like clones on the resume. The human element is completely missing.
The other issue is when you’re aiming for a career change. What you’ve done in the past may not help the Adcoms figure out the motivations for the transition, your expectations from the MBA program, and the probability of success after you graduate.
MBA Recommendations
MBA recommendations typically follow a standardized format. And the perspectives come from a third party i.e. you don’t have as much control over them as with the other aspects that you are directly working on.Recommenders with a ton of to-do items on their table, generally don’t have the same enthusiasm as the MBA applicant, to work on creating a masterpiece that fits perfectly with the rest of your application.
We’ve seen cases where there’s been a conflict between what the applicant has claimed in the essays and what the recommenders have said.
MBA interviews
These are important, as they form the final piece of the puzzle you’ve been working on for months. But they come into picture only after the initial filtering process i.e. only if you’ve been shortlisted. If your essays are bad, you will not have a chance to interview. All the work before this is down the drain!Now, coming back to the MBA essays, if you happen to stumble in any of the other areas of your application, you can try to use your essays to regain your balance.
Using the MBA essay to explain a low GPA
You can use your optional essay to explain the reasons for a low GPA, or even a break in your academic/professional life.You may have reasons why you weren’t able to do justice to your academic performance. Was it because you were busy with extracurricular involvements? Or perhaps you had taken up part-time work? Or did you have health issues?
You can explain all this in your essays. Explain how a low GPA has not held you back from doing well in your professional life.
MBA/MS Application Checklist
With application deadlines around the corner It is time to make your list and check it twice. While most checklists will merely cover the basics, Leap Quest challenges you to ask these 9 questions to assess whether your applications are REALLY ready!
1. Is your story clear? Does the reader walk away knowing who you are and what matters to you?
2. Have you thought out and articulated why you want an MBA/MS? To get promoted or to gain “business skills” are NOT good enough reasons.
3. Are you consistent throughout all of the application components? Your resume, essays, short answer questions and letters of recommendation should all include the same general message. Any inconsistencies are an instant red flag.
4. Does your application include specific information about the target school? Admissions committee members read thousands of essays every year and it is very easy for them to determine who is genuinely interested in the school and knows a lot about the program.
5. Are your letters of recommendation strong enough? Did you advise your recommenders to use specific examples and compare you to other candidates?
6. Are your essays easy to read? Or do you find yourself re-reading paragraphs because you do not see how they fit into the essay?
7. Did you have someone else read your essays? This will give you an outsider’s objective opinion of your accomplishments and help to ensure you are talking about your experiences with the right level of detail for someone outside of your industry.
8. Do you have an MBA specific resume? For an MBA resume, you want to show how you have been successful and demonstrated leadership. You are selling your future potential. Make sure not to get too detailed here, though.
9. Have you actually answered every question? It can be tempting to go off-book or include additional information but adcom members ask each question for a specific reason. Ensure you are answering the question asked and not offering what you think they want to hear.
If after answering these questions you have doubts about whether your applications are strong enough, Reach Out Today!
MBA/MS Application Extras:
1. Many schools include optional essays: Do not feel compelled to answer these optional questions. In most instances,only candidates with extenuating circumstances should answer the optional statements. These include low GPAs, gaps in employment and unusual choice of recommenders.
2. Check for additional or alternate reapplication essays: The essay analysis here included essays for first-time candidates only. If you are a reapplicant, some schools will ask you to complete an additional essay while others may have a different essay question altogether.
3. Look out for follow-up videos and pre/post interview essays: It is increasingly common for schools to request video statements or followup pre/post interview essays. Our best advice here is to be yourself! You often have little advance time to prepare for these essays but do not underestimate these important additional requirements.
Remember that the MBA application process is not a storytelling contest and, even if it were, the winners would be chosen based on authenticity, originality, and integrity of the stories they tell.
How Can We Help You ?
Getting started early will greatly reduce anxiety, allowing you to maintain a balanced life while working thoroughly on each part of your MBA application. Your Head Consultant, who will work closely with all aspects of your application and with the experiences of handling many similar clients will be a great sounding board and adviser to weigh the pros and cons on these nerve-wracking Applications
Leap Quest MBA Admission service includes all elements of MBA applications that consist of:
- Shortlisting the list of target B-Schools
- Guidance in building MBA application essay write-ups (how to draft essays for MBA application)
- MBA essay editing and guidance in organizing any other aspect of MBA application.
- Guidance in preparing CV/Resume
- MBA Interview preparation service in the event an MBA applicant gets an interview call from a shortlisted B-School
- Any other related part that is inside the scope of B-School application process
- Social Media Consulting
- LinkedIn Assistance
- Drafting Scholarship letters
- Application Form Guidance
At Leap Quest, we’ve done a lot of research into this topic. Having spent several years in the industry, we’ve gathered loads of information and data.
We’re determined to get you the admit you deserve. Our question is, will it be yours?
