Well, there's a 150-word difference between the two essays, so it's hard for me to say if something you choose to write about yourself for the CBS/Cluster question would be meaty enough to expand for Wharton's optional essay. I also always caution people on reusing material to the extent that it's obvious a response was written to answer another specific question -- AdComs see right through that and would have a right to be insulted if they suspected you pulled an ol' cut-and-paste on them without giving each application the effort it deserves.
But in GENERAL I would say that the type of personal quality/experience/skill/story you'd share for that CBS essay might certainly be something you could consider re-positioning for Wharton's optional essay. Just remember that the optional essay DOES have a "question" in a sense... it's something like "What additional information do you think we should know," so just be sure your response reflects that and not, say, "What matters most" or "What someone would be pleasantly surprised to find out about me" or "Introduce yourself" or the like.
Good luck!
Engr2012 wrote:
SBCErikaOlson wrote:
Since the required essay is pretty career-centric, I usually tell people to use the optional one to tell the AdCom something else about their candidacy that's more personal and that probably doesn't have anything to do with your job... but that might still be something your fellow classmates can learn from. Have you traveled somewhere unique? Are you really passionate about, say, foreign films or cooking elaborate meals or some under-the-radar sport? Have you done something with an organization outside of work that is important to you? Remember that the "outside of class" stuff is just as important as your actual coursework when it comes to the value you're going to get out of 2 years on campus. So if you show them what else you can bond with classmates over or perhaps teach them or get them inspired by, it might give you the edge. They're looking for real people who others are going to like to hang out with and the optional essay is a great way to give them that kind of insight into your personality.
Hope that helps!
Engr2012 wrote:
Hi
SBCErikaOlson, thank you for answering the questions from various posters and keeping this thread informative.
I had a quick question for you. I saw that you mentioned in one of the posts above that we should utilize the optional essay of 400 words to mention about something that has not been covered by the other required essay. I was still trying to figure out what types on things would fall under the requirements of essay 2? IMO, the standard fit questions, why MBA, why Wharton, why Now etc are already covered in the required essay. What topic(s) would you advise people touch upon in this essay optional essay of 400 words?
Thanks
SBCErikaOlson,
Thank you for an excellent and detailed reply.
So based on your recommendations, would you agree that this optional of Wharton should be similar to Essay 3 of Columbia " CBS Matters, a key element of the School’s culture, allows the people in your Cluster to learn more about you on a personal level. What will your Clustermates be pleasantly surprised to learn about you? (Maximum 250 words)" ?
Thank you again for your reply.
_________________
I've been an admissions consultant with Stacy Blackman Consulting since 2008. I went to Harvard Business School for my MBA and Michigan Ross for my BBA. I currently host SBC's podcast, "B-Schooled," which can be found on all major podcasting apps. I have helped clients gain acceptance into all of the top programs and am a big believer in letting your voice and your personality shine through in your application materials. Best of luck!
Interested in a free 30-minute consultation with the Stacy Blackman Team? Sign up here: https://stacyblackman.com/contactErika Olson | Stacy Blackman Consulting Inc | https://www.StacyBlackman.com