For students interested in the non-profit sector and who intend to join top MBA programs, the competition is high with the rising number of Social Entrepreneurs opting for an MBA program before expanding their initiative. Having a well-defined post MBA goal is important to demonstrate motivation for top MBA program.
Here are four factors that need to be highlighted in the Why MBA Essay
I began noticing a pattern in our conversation when the topic is outside kids. She goes into explaining the molecular level whenever the subject is about hardcore science or drug discovery. By the time she breaks down a reaction, I am thinking about the topic for my next email newsletter. Whenever I go into the intricacies of storytelling and planning transitions in an essay, I could see her eyes glaze over a pending task she has to do.
" Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose. Please provide an example of a situation in which you have made a meaningful impact. (200 Words)”
The Purpose: “Darden strives to identify and cultivate responsible leaders who follow their purpose”
The term ‘Leadership’ has been bastardized by Instagram, motivational gurus, corporate honchos and spiritual leaders of all reputation. The MBA Admissions team has a realistic expectation of your leadership narrative. Unless you were a Founder of a successful startup (unlikely to apply for an MBA) that exited for millions of dollars, leadership doesn’t require ‘saving the world’ qualities.
The MBA applicant was answering my question on “what is your core story”
1) Belief
What you need now is a personal journey that helped you become who you are. We had clients who didn’t have any particular setbacks on first look, but digging deeper revealed skills that were only acquired because they escaped a personal setback.
You can’t write interesting narratives without reflecting and connecting two events. This essential skill can lead to misguided attribution and flawed causal relationship. The success of a project – timeline, exceeding quality guidelines and helping the company acquire a new asset or improving their stock value or reputation, depends on multiple factors.
In a hurry to quantify IMPACT, MBA applicants either overestimate their contribution or doesn’t cover the direct correlation of their contribution to the company’s quarterly/annual results. Both stem from Attribution Error.
What I learned evaluating hundreds of applicants’ growth is that individual projects tend to have a clear IMPACT over team projects. This seems counter-intuitive as what you do professionally as a team should have defined you as a person.
A safe rule of thumb is 15 minutes.
If you are staring at a screen or a notebook without adding even a single line for over 15 minutes, it is time to frame the next line with questions.
Why 15 minutes?
I have seen MBA applicants, play with the rough draft on sentences that they should not, but the sheer perseverance sparked a free flow of sentences that became the foundation of their story. Don't underestimate the power of starring at a blank screen. But you have to set a deadline for each writing session.
The questions I ask are frustrating. Some might think that I am playing Kubrick, prodding the applicant to quit, but we are so immersed in our world that we forget that there is a general public that doesn't understand a word we say.
The choice of specialization should be based on your demonstrated performance in work, extra-curricular, strengths/weaknesses, depth of the curriculum (experiential learning opportunities and internship) and opportunities in the target industry.
You are multitasking through projects, worrying about choosing the wrong school, keeping a low profile on your MBA plan, managing the politics in your team, coordinating with recommenders, preparing for the GMAT, collecting your transcripts, developing a plan to address your profile weakness, arranging funds and writing and rewriting essays.
Copy Paste IMPACT in essays and recommendation letter is the most common reason for REJECTION. Admission team can see through the veiled attempt at differentiating the tone. Phrases that capture IMPACT is often the same in essays and recommendation letter. We recommend that the same person review the essays and the recommendation letter. This way, the reviewer can suggest edits to differentiate style and tone.