Application Essays

Application essays, undoubtedly, form the most important part of your application package. While a strong set of essays can make an average profile look impressive, a weak set can mar the impression of the ‘person’ behind a strong profile and badly affect your chance of converting an application into an interview call or final admit.

I am very often asked that what approach one should have in mind while writing the application essays. If you can do the following, a good essay will automatically come up.

• A clear, honest link among- what all you have done in life, what all you intend to do, and MBA.
  
• Brainstorm every achievement that you have had in your life and put it in your essays where it makes sense.
  

We often limit achievements to merely academics, profession, and sports. Anything interesting that brought a drastic change in your life is an achievement. E.g.- overcoming dyslexia, recovering after a major accident, saving a person’s life- are all great achievements!

• Do not hide any loopholes in your profile but address them judiciously in a relevant part in the essay. Almost all universities have an optional essay as ‘Anything else that you want us to know about you’. People considered my leaving Army as a loophole in my profile and many experts recommended that I should not talk about Army at all. But I wrote about the moral dilemma I underwent and how I chose the correct yet difficult path. Result- no university, to which I wrote about my stint with Army, could reject me.

• Even if you do not have many achievements in past, you can win the adcom’s (admission committee’s) confidence by clarity of thoughts, personal qualities, and an incisive vision.

• Specially focus on, and provide relevant examples for the following qualities (only those which really apply in your case): Leadership, handling a team, training & development, entrepreneurship, social service, philanthropy, multi-tasking, diversity, ability to face adversity, discipline, passion, dedication, time management, fast-learning, adaptability, humility, and team spirit.

• Please make sure to give personal touch to your essays. People often make their essays very formal and hence, are unable to relate with the reader of the essays. Share your aspirations, qualities, passions….this is the right place & time….the more you let the adcom relate with you, better are your chances. My application essays are so personal that only four people till date have read them!
  

• Respect word limit. Shorter is acceptable, longer is NOT.
  

• If you have to submit a word document, keep 1.5-2 line margins and put borders. (Unless a different format is specified in the application.)

• Avoid use of heavy vocabulary if it is not natural to you.

• Try to have smaller paragraphs to convey the message more clearly. Have a new paragraph for every new type of information and to break the monotony.

• Make one or two very sensible people, who know you well, read your essays and give you feedbacks. Incorporate their suggestions and proof-read at least four times to avoid any mistake.

• Application essays provide a lot of opportunity to sham your self and fabricate success stories. I request you to be honest- not only because there is a chance of being caught but mainly because I believe that to succeed in the long run, one needs to be honest. This is my personal opinion and it may be wrong.

Frequently asked application essay questions:

• Why do you wish to pursue an MBA, why from this university, and why at this point in your career?
• What is your career vision and why is it important to you?
• How will you like to be remembered?
• One instance that changed your life.
• What value will you add to the MBA class of our university?
• If you could meet one person from past, who s/he would be and why?
• Which global problem concerns you the most and why?
• One trait that stands apart from others.
• How will your current supervisor introduce you to a new supervisor?
• Describe one moral dilemma that you faced and how you handled it.
• Greatest achievement of your life.
• How do you see your career progressing after this MBA?

How do the enrolled students benefit:

A set of 25 questions is given to the students and ask them to pour their hearts out. Based on their response, we get to know their background, traits, aspirations, achievements and shortcomings in the profile. Based on these answers, we formalize a structure for application essays for each university and the student writes his essays following that structure. He then sends us his essays for review and we edit the essays and give our honest feedback, from the adcom’s point of view. Student incorporates these changes and applies.