In this MBA Application Essay Tips, I will share three qualities to ensure that your post-MBA goals Essay meet the expectations of the admissions team.
1. The Cliché
There is a reason why you see certain phrases, features from the MBA curriculum, and even the concluding lines getting repeated again and again. They are good cliches because they work. Schools expect you to reiterate motivation for an MBA in some form. So, applicants mention it either at the start or the end, or some even repeat it twice to emphasize the motivation.
But then there are bad cliches like Marathons for American applicants, Cricket for anyone from commonwealth nations or the Indian sub-continent, or Musical Instruments for anyone from Southeast Asia. It is a bad cliché because the opportunities to orient towards the obvious extra-curricular are so tempting that not many applicants think about it from a long-term perspective. But you can’t change the past.
Recently I had a conversation with an applicant from a commonwealth country who mentioned Cricket as an interest, but when he shared his role in managing a cricket club, we had an extra angle to explore. So bad Cliches can also be turned around if you explore all angles and see how your contribution has impacted the stakeholders.
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2. The Specifics
This is where consultants can be of huge help. There is a certain personal branding that is required for you to stand out from hundreds of other applicants with similar backgrounds or interests, or volunteering experience. One-way consultants like me do that is by closely evaluating your journey, your strengths, and your weaknesses and connecting it with experiential learning, one or two student clubs, or with an event type where you had experience either organizing or contributing. I also spend a lot of time evaluating the curriculum and seeing if it is relevant to the client’s experience. Many don’t need beginner-level courses in Finance if they are from the industry. So, mentioning any generic lines about core courses or curriculum is a wasted opportunity. It is always better to focus on the specifics and articulate how that course or experiential learning will offer value.
3. The Motivation
The challenge I have noticed when applicants write about the curriculum or student clubs is that many student clubs are inactive online. There is a standard groups page with just the profile picture of the members and their titles. Many dismiss this page without realizing that the name and title are sufficient to network through LinkedIn and connect. Current students and alumni of M7 and even T10 schools are extremely courteous with replies, and they will respond to your questions. It is always important to capture something unique about the classroom experience or experiential learning from the current student and the brand value from an alumnus.
Even a line or two about a unique aspect of the program will reassure the admissions team that you have the motivation to research further and learn about the program. The tougher the information is to capture, the more you are showing your motivation. No generic lines about motivation will match the real research that you do with networking and visiting the campus, preferably sitting in a classroom for a lecture.
Balance your post-MBA goals Essay with the Cliched lines, the Specifics, and the motivation by mapping your journey, your experience, and your post-MBA goals with what the MBA program can offer.
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