A theme that consistently appears in MBA application essays is using Power for Good. Schools carefully read any accounts of your non-profit engagements, team collaboration in your company, and your post-MBA goals to understand how you will use an MBA Alumni network and your acquired skills for the good of society.
Here are 2 strategies to capture Using Power for Good Narrative in your MBA application essays:
1) Prioritize Society Over Neighborhood Over Team Over Self
Societal IMPACT is a broad and ambiguous goal, but any action or approach that will help future generations can be categorized under Societal IMPACT. Applicants who understand this strategically highlight engagements – consulting, volunteering, and hands-on experience in ESG and DEI. The challenge for many is a lack of balance in offering the problem statement and their role in addressing the problem. Many turn the essay into a technical policy, funding, or governance thesis without simplifying the language for a general reader.
I find essays with specific ideas and unique viewpoints to hold my attention more than these generic challenges about ESG or DEI.
If you are from consulting, you have to offer a specific consultant’s perspective on selling the idea or even implementing it in your projects.
If you are from Finance, you must present an investor’s perspective – the challenges of defining performance metrics or even the pressure of managing stakeholder’s profit expectations while setting goals for ESG.
Past Action is always an indicator of your future potential. Include examples that balance the technical with Feasibility.
2) Mention Student Club Experience
We recommend against going back 3 to 10 years to cite your IMPACT in your college for any essay that requires highlighting your traits outside of your work. Schools prefer your recent volunteering and extra-curricular engagement, but if you were in a leadership role overseeing more than 10 people while working on an interesting ESG OR DEI initiative, include them in your essay.
Any leadership narrative aligning a team to a vision for the betterment of society is evidence that you had this value right from college. Then, it becomes a matter of highlighting specific contributions in your work to validate the claim that your leadership is driven by the power of doing good for society.
