Include Spirituality Not Religion in MBA Application Essays

Admission Committee (AdCom) might squirm if you sound like a religious fundamentalist not because they do not respect your belief in a higher power, but MBA Application Essays are the last place that you expect a serious applicant, promoting his faith. Some applicants have argued that their core values have been influenced by their religion. Fair Enough but with word limit, essays offer little space for explanation. If the AdCom does not follow your religion, it becomes even harder to understand the context. Remember – in MBA Application essays, it is all about context.

A safe bet is to include spirituality in your essay. We are not talking about losing worldly desires to find the truth but an attitude of “honest curiosity”. A case that encourages applicants to adopt this attitude is the guidelines offered by MBA Admissions team in top Business Schools. The common phrase “Be Reflective” is repeated across schools. Exaggeration spells out arrogance, and according to a former HBS Admissions member, it is one quality that will jeopardize admission chances of an applicant no matter how qualified he is.

Here are some questions that will help you write essays with “honest curiosity”.

1) What is non-negotiable for you?

It can be values, habits and preferences that have held you steadfast during crisis and brought your focus back on the job in hand. Early to Rise and starting with Gym are habits that have helped applicants negotiate stressful days. You develop some values while working. Being on Time and non-negotiability on integrity are two qualities that will find appreciation with the admission team.

2) What is your biggest failure?

No matter how much you hide or override the sense of loss with positive feeling, and subsequent successes, previous failures will remind you about the miscalculation, and faulty assumptions. Successful applicants have a way of explaining the failures without sounding defensive or careless. Download our Essay Guide to know how.

3) What was your transformative experience?

We all have one transformative experience. It can be a loss of a dear one, a job from which you were fired,  favoritism that gave unwarranted advantage to your colleague or failures that shook the core of your being, and taught you a valuable life lesson. AdCom is looking for that narrative. They know that the experience has changed and motivated you to pursue an MBA.

4) Show evidence of your charity

Charity begins at home, and AdCom does not evaluate your monetary contribution. That is easy. Show evidence that you were willing to share your time with the less privileged or work for a cause that uplifts the lowest strata of the society. Without empathy and a sense of community, you will be just another number crunching manager. Business Schools are no longer willing to accept exceptional academic applicant. They are looking for balance in personality – competitive and empathic.