How to include Travel experience in MBA Essays

Booth's mystery trips are particularly interesting. The destination is not revealed beforehand. Students sign up for the trip and join other Boothies (2nd year and 1st year) whom they have never met, at the Chicago O’Hare Airport. One such trip involved traveling to the former Soviet Union, and getting surprised by a mock kidnap, or taking a cruise ship from Baltic to Tallinn. The permutation and combinations of experiences in the Mystery Trips are many.

While evaluating Top MBA programs for my book: How to Choose the Best MBA in US - The Ultimate Guide, I noticed a pattern. Every program had some form of travel and global experiential learning integrated into the curriculum. Despite the importance of travel in MBA, most applicants don't include travel experiences in the Essay. Many don't have such experience as part of work, but almost all the applicants have at least one trip under their credit. Although they don't consider the travel as important, any experience that demonstrates that you are comfortable with traveling and experiencing a new culture is worth considering for your Essay. If you had several work trips, don't hesitate to summarize the experiences in the Essay when the question involves showing your ability to get out of the comfort zone.

While reviewing Essays, I have seen some common mistakes when applicants cite travel experiences:

1) Don't overromanticize

A village woman, in traditional outfit, selling handicrafts might be an experience of intrigue for travel bloggers, but as an MBA, most likely, you will be working with community leaders, Non-profits and local companies to solve the woman's problem. While defining the problem statement, you would have to break down the mystery and go to the core of issues plaguing the women - poverty, social injustice, lack of access (education, water, electricity), and overall apathy from the government. It is not all colors, Sitars and Spicy food. There are deeper issues. Don't write like a travel blogger. Balance your narrative with the reality of the people's lives.

2) Experiencing New Culture # Coming out of Comfort Zone

Applicants assume that just because they traveled and interacted with people who don't speak their language, it equates to coming out of the comfort zone. You might not remember all the background information on the region or the culture. Read up on the history and traditions of the region, before you incorporate one such experience in the essay. Only include experiences where you had to solve a problem in the new environment. As part of the Global Experiential learning component of the MBA program, you will be doing just that. Demonstrate that you won't be lost in a new environment. Adaptability is a 'winning' trait for an MBA Applicant.

3) Don't Generalize

The greatest part of reviewing essays is learning through the eye of the applicants. Some are brilliant at going at the details. Many hesitate from word constraints. When the Maasai tribe's leader touched the applicant's face, I was intrigued and kept reading the essay. The revelation of the tradition hooked me to the narrative. The essay then brilliantly went into the socio-economic issues facing Kenya. Instead of generic statements, the applicant balanced the narrative with the uniqueness of the culture and the social issues. The secret was 'specificity.' Reflect and find that 'unique' experience, and capture it in one or two sentences. That in itself will help you stand out from other applicants.


4) Avoid Mentioning Touristy Spots

The Essay Reviewer might be familiar with the touristy spots. If you mention cliched experiences about New York, Paris, London or Agra, you are missing out on a chance to share a unique 'slice of life' experience in your essay. Any revelation of a quirky custom will elevate the essay, but don't depress the reader with stories of pickpocketing and inflated prices. Give background information on the location, and then include an experience that reveals a common 'trait' that binds all of us together. Recognizing emotion and motivation is an essential quality of a leader.

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