Q) Any insider secret that would help me stand out for the LBS MBA Goals essay?
Atul Jose (MBA Admissions Consultant, F1GMAT): Each school has its unique culture defined by the location, the class composition (size, pre-MBA industry and Pre-MBA function), post-MBA opportunities, and the network the career service team has built.
Before Brexit. London Business School was leveraging a narrative similar to schools that take advantage of New York – headquarters, Fortune 500 companies, the whole nine yard. With Brexit and the catastrophizing of the IMPACT by popular media, the school began promoting LondonCAP as a key differentiator. Understandably so.
Finding a post-MBA connection with London or the UK would immediately set you apart from the generic narratives on entering consulting, technology, or Finance. Despite the career service team announcing a dedicated team for placements outside the UK, 46% of the latest class found opportunities in the UK, despite only 8% of the class coming from the region.
The motivation to pursue opportunities should be from a short-term project in the UK or a collaboration with the team in the UK or a unique opportunity that the UK economy offers. FinTech has become the most obvious narrative. It almost always works as long as you have relevant work experience in the industry – directly (Finance) or indirectly (Technology, Non-Profit, Consulting).
Remember that, like in any Post-MBA Goals essay in top schools, too much ambition without the work to show, will always lead to a ding.
That is why when I created the Sample Essays for London Business School MBA Application and Winning MBA Essay Guide for Top 15 Schools, I always found a connection between the applicant’s journey and the opportunities that the school offer.
What if you had a steady career growth in one role?
I discourage applicants from targeting London Business School if they have been in one role under one company for 5-8 years of their career. The school wants evidence of your pivoting and adaptability skills. Almost all the clients that I had helped received admit to LBS pivoted multiple times.
Power of First Job
The first and the most impactful example of the pivot is when the applicant receives an offer that might not be a traditional career route in your industry.
Economics major leading software development
Arts major pursuing an Investment Banking career
Engineering major pivoting to design
Sales & Marketing major managing Operations
Such opportunities are tough to convert to your first job. The school recognizes that. So when you brainstorm your story, find turning points that match with LBS’s ethos.
Self-Awareness
Another clear differentiator is your self-awareness - be it a decline of an industry, the career path available, or even a simple reflection that the job profile you anticipated was not the same when you entered the daily responsibilities. Reflecting and capturing self-awareness is the tricky part. You can easily turn the narrative into a short story.
For LBA MBA Application, keep the narrative short and simple and focus on the why.
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