When you are applying to MBA programs, you are switching between two contexts – as a person highlighting professional achievements and as a person managing supervisors through the recommendation letter writing process. On top of it, if you are working in an office with peers from similar backgrounds for 10-14 hours virtually or otherwise, the conversations are about your professional life, your industry, your clients, the project, and the pending recession. You don’t get a chance to cut off from the noise.
If you want to write any open-ended essays to capture your personal self for your MBA Application:
1) Find a Silent Corner
For someone in an environment where you are monitored throughout the working hours, finding a silent corner is not just about logistics. Your mind must be away from the chaos of your professional life. It is unlikely that you will find such a space in an office. If you commute for 30 minutes to 1 hour, it is an excellent opportunity to record yourself if you are in a car or write short notes about yourself if you are on public transport.
2) Find your ideal time
If you are a morning person, do the writing first thing in the morning. If you are a night owl recharged with a coffee after 12, sit at your desk – silence all notifications. Close your door. Don’t allow any distraction to take you out of your sacred space. Write. Keep writing, and you will find a version of an essay as a starting point. Then, it is all about iteratively improving it either yourself or with the help of a consultant. If you need my help, contact me, Atul Jose
3) Memories
All our pivotal personal moments are etched in our memory. We remember something personal from our past that was a disappointment, a failure, a moment when we found our true calling, a moment that gave you a new perspective, and successes that gave you a sense of relief.
In each of these moments, something unusual happened.
A person made a remark that you didn’t like. You had to face a consequence that was painful. Your expectations were shattered. There were moments of true joy when you felt that the journey of ups and downs was worth it.
In Essays, capture such moments as an opener in your draft.
Such openers will force you to write more about these emotionally charged moments.
In the final draft, we might remove these emotionally charged openers, but to write freely, you must start with such moments.
Once you get out of cliched professional examples and into values, personal growth, and life events that demonstrated your resilience or allowed you to express your identity, your essay will stand out.
