“Writing a Powerful Leadership/Achievement Essay" is excerpted from MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools, by Linda Abraham and Judy Gruen. Essays that ask you to write about significant achievements fall under the category of what are known as behavioral or...

This is the last post in a 4-part series that examines INSEAD MBA’s admission criteria.  INSEAD is not unique among MBA programs in desiring leadership potential in applicants. All do. It is unique in how it characterizes leadership and leadership potential. The adcom has a two-pronged view of leadership: • factual...

Most admissions committees are looking for applicants who can demonstrate leadership. If you don't have any formal leadership positions to discuss in your application essays, that doesn't mean that all is lost. Watch this short video for Linda Abraham's definition of "informal leadership" and how to...

Thank you, Harvard Business School. IMHO, that’s what applicants should think when they visit the program’s website and find “habit of leadership” on its “Who are we looking for?” admissions page. It’s common knowledge that HBS values leadership, but with this phrase, the adcom succinctly expresses...

Of course you are – but do you know how to present those impressive leadership skills and experiences in your application essay? For many applicants, writing the “leadership essay” is one of the most challenging aspects of the application process, mainly because the concept of leadership...

Schools want to see that the applicants will actively participate in and contribute to their student bodies and alumni communities, not to mention the greater community and society. Yet grandiose, declarative statements and promises to be a superlative do-gooder are unpersuasive. So how is an applicant to show...

Leadership is one of the of the most valued attributes in admissions. In this short video, Linda Abraham discusses two main ways you can show the adcom that you are a leader. For more tips on revealing leadership in your applications, check out: •  Leadership in Admissions,...

Of course Stanford GSB seeks demonstrated leadership potential – don’t all b-schools? And naturally you’ve got leadership, or you wouldn’t be applying to Stanford. Wait. There are some unique nuances to Stanford’s conception of leadership that are essential to understand in order to portray it effectively...

In my non-admissions life, I once went to a lecture given by a biographer whose work I admire. In the course of his talk he mentioned that while writing about genius has merit, writing about typical folks and their extraordinary achievements is more valuable. The...

Thank you, Harvard Business School. IMHO, that’s what applicants should think when they visit the program’s website and find “habit of leadership” on its “Who are we looking for?” admissions page. It’s common knowledge that HBS values leadership, but with this phrase, the adcom succinctly expresses...