{"id":28851,"date":"2015-06-01T14:30:39","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T21:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=28851"},"modified":"2015-06-01T14:30:39","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T21:30:39","slug":"choosing-topics-for-the-b-school-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/choosing-topics-for-the-b-school-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing Topics For The B-School Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_31193\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-31193\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/tag\/navigate-the-mba-maze\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-31193\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/i-know-e1433060178761-279x300.gif\" alt=\"Download your complete copy of Navigate the MBA Maze!\" width=\"250\" height=\"269\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-31193\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">First and foremost, answer the question being asked.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Choosing Topics For The B-School Essay\u201d is the latest post in our series, <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/tag\/navigate-the-mba-maze\/\">Navigate the MBA Maze<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In your applications, the schools are attempting to get to know you through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/applicationessays.aspx\">your essays<\/a>.\u00a0So what should you write about? Write about what is most important to you and distinctive about you. The admissions readers seek to uncover how you will contribute to their class, their program, and the diversity of their schools. By telling <i>your <\/i>story\u00a0- not what you think they want to hear and not what you share with 50% of other applicants\u2014you will reveal how you can uniquely add to their class.<\/p>\n<p>For applications asking you to respond to specific questions and requesting statements of purpose, you have to first and foremost answer the question being asked. Frequently when reviewing application essays and personal statements, I read the essay first and then the question. If I can answer the question based on the essay I just read, it passes the first check. If the question asks you to <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2013\/08\/07\/flaws-make-you-real-2\/\">discuss a failure<\/a>,\u00a0somewhere in that essay you must discuss a time when you really blew it. And then explore what you learned, and if appropriate, a nice dose of how you successfully handled a similar subsequent situation. But the starting point has to be an answer to the question posed.<\/p>\n<p>If the question asks why you want to attend a given program, you need to provide specifics about that program that relate to your interests and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/goalsessay.aspx\">goals<\/a>.\u00a0Don\u2019t respond with an answer that could apply to all programs in your field. That is a non-answer, non-starter, and probable ding. Don\u2019t tell them why you are more qualified than anyone else to attend their program. Just answer the question.<\/p>\n<p>What if it\u2019s an open-ended question with just general instructions? Then follow the general instructions and enjoy the luxury of writing about what interests you and best presents your qualifications.<\/p>\n<p>When <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/default.aspx\">applying to business school<\/a>, perform the following check before you submit your essays to an admissions committee reader:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022 \u00a0Make sure your essay answers the question.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022 \u00a0Make sure it answers the question as well as you can.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022 \u00a0Make sure it is a coherent, articulate demonstration of your writing ability.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/info.accepted.com\/free-mba-admissions-report?utm_campaign=blogcta&amp;utm_medium=NavigateMBAMaze&amp;utm_source=CTA\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-30837 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Navigating-the-MBA-Maze.png\" alt=\"Download your copy of Navigating the MBA Maze\" width=\"600\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-28527 size-full alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Accepted_PremierAdmissionsCosultancy.png\" alt=\"Accepted: The Premier Admissions Cosultancy\" width=\"429\" height=\"69\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/info.accepted.com\/MBA\/Five-Fatal-Flaws\">Avoid These 5 Fatal Flaws in Your Application Essay<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022 <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2015\/05\/28\/rosy-outlook-for-mba-grads\/\">Rosy Outlook For MBA Grads<\/a><br \/>\n\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/mba\/bschool_application_tips\">5 Ways to Make Top B-Schools Love You<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"gmail_default\"><a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Accepted.com<\/a><i>'s <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/aboutus\/AboutUs.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">experienced admissions consultants<\/a><i> can help you create the most impressive application possible with <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/Services\/MBAProgramServices.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">comprehensive packages<\/a><i>,<\/i><b><i> <\/i><\/b><i>or provide targeted assistance from <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/services\/mba\/admissionsconsulting.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">picking perfect programs<\/a><i> to <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/admissionsresume.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">designing a dazzling resume<\/a><i>, <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/essayediting.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">constructing engaging essays<\/a><i>, or <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/interviewservices.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">preparing for intense interview<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/interviewservices.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">s<\/a><i>\u2026and more! <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Accepted.com<\/a><i> has guided thousands of applicants to acceptances at top programs since 1994 \u2013 we know what works and what doesn't, so <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/contactus.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">contact us<\/a><i> to get started now!<\/i><\/div>\n<div class=\"gmail_quote\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\">\n<div class=\"gmail_default\"><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u200b<\/a><i><i><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2015\/05\/29\/recommenders-and-recommendations-3\/\" target=\"_blank\">Accepted.com<\/a><\/i><\/i><\/div>\n<p>\u200b<\/p><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><i><i><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/2015\/06\/01\/choosing-topics-for-the-b-school-essay\/\" target=\"_blank\">This article<\/a>\u00a0originally appeared on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">blog.accepted.com<\/a>, the official blog of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Accepted.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"gmail_default\">\u200b\u200b<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing Topics For The B-School Essay\u201d is the latest post in our series, Navigate the MBA Maze. In your applications, the schools are attempting to get to know you through&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113],"tags":[90,621,1229,1046,811],"class_list":["post-28851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","tag-application-essay","tag-application-essays","tag-business-school-essay-tips","tag-essay-advice","tag-essay-tips","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28851"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28851\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28852,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28851\/revisions\/28852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}