A difficult question indeed. While open ended questions offer a good opportunity for applicants to present their case, most applicants find it hard to answer this question.
We would recommend you to de-stress yourself, as the first step. If you indulge too much on the problem at hand, you might miss the big picture. This is a big picture question.
Now, first, go through rest of your application material. Think from a reviewer’s perspective. What are you missing? Do you think some aspects of your personality are not being presented in the application? Identify those aspects; make a list of examples that provide evidence of your strengths in those areas; and then zero down on those examples which have specific focus on “inquiry, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative exchange of ideas”. Try molding your story to fit in those ideas.
A presentation format allows a lot of flexibility in terms of how you convey your message. If you have experience in making Power Point slides (especially if you have been a management consultant), use your talent. Make key ideas come alive. Don’t let the adcom go through a few hundred words. Make it graphic. Follow the rule of an effective presentation: as soon as a slide is displayed, it shouldn’t take a reviewer more than 5 seconds to understand the key ideas.
There is no word limit for the essay. But be concise. Longer doesn’t mean better. Be a story teller and engage the readers. Making it too short might force you to leave some information out of the story. Describing everything in detail would be boring for short attention span of the reviewers. Use your best judgment in deciding the optimal size for the essay.
We love this essay. It is creativity and storytelling. Feel free to reach out to us if you need help.
