{"id":45443,"date":"2019-05-06T03:28:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T10:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/business-school-application-failure-essays-series-part-i-received-tough-feedback\/"},"modified":"2019-05-06T03:28:47","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T10:28:47","slug":"business-school-application-failure-essays-series-part-i-received-tough-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/business-school-application-failure-essays-series-part-i-received-tough-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"Business School Application Failure Essays Series \u2013 Part I: Received Tough Feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Failure<\/a><\/figure>\n

Dartmouth Tuck<\/a> used to ask applicants to \u201ctell us about a time you: received tough feedback, experienced failure, or disappointed yourself or others. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself as a result?\u201d<\/p>\n

The multi-part question is a lot to bite off, but the idea
\nbehind each of these sub-topics is the same: how do you handle failure? Do you
\ngive up, do you blame others, or do you take responsibility and improve? This
\ntopic is absolutely worth taking the time to think through, because it contains
\nbasically every version of the \u201cfailure story\u201d question all in one prompt. If this
\ntype of question doesn\u2019t come up on any of your application essays, it almost
\ncertainly WILL come up in the interview, and folks, this one is a biggie. <\/p>\n

Think of this as a drill you run in football practice. The exercise may seem like it has nothing to do with the game, but when you\u2019re at the season playoffs and you complete the game-winning pass you\u2019ll realize all that prep you did WAS relevant: you were building muscle memory. In this series, we\u2019ll break down this question and address each piece, building that muscle memory so that when you come across a \u201cfailure\u201d question either in an essay or in an interview, you can make like Tom Brady and bring home the ring. Here, we dig into Part I. <\/p>\n

PART I: Tell us about a time you\u2026received tough feedback<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s dive in with that first question. Hopefully, when you
\nread those words, \u201ctough feedback,\u201d something horrible JUMPED into your mind.
\nAfter all, you\u2019re a high-achieving straight shooter, so the times you\u2019ve
\nreceived some hard-hitting constructive criticism are probably relatively few,
\nand likely to stick out in your memory. Here\u2019s the key: don\u2019t shrink from it. <\/p>\n

There are two types of responses to this question. The first
\nis the applicant who cringes at this memory, and immediately begins to think
\nabout how to JUSTIFY and EXPLAIN the circumstances. This guy is afraid to
\nreveal the weaknesses that led to the feedback, and wants to downplay those
\nweaknesses so the adcom doesn\u2019t think less of him. The idea of actually,
\nwillingly ADMITTING to anything that isn\u2019t a strength on their application
\nterrifies him. <\/p>\n

The second applicant, and the one who will come out on top
\nin this case, can\u2019t WAIT to tell this story. This is an opportunity delivered
\non a silver platter to show GROWTH, and that\u2019s applicant gold. An upward
\ntrajectory is wayyy more impressive than a flat one, and the gal who shows that
\nshe SEEKS self-improvement and embraces opportunities to grow (whether they
\ncome in the success or failure package) will be far more appealing than the
\napplicant who believes she\u2019s already the whole package. If you can use this
\nessay to demonstrate that you are able to own up to a shortcoming, address it,
\nand improve, you are already leagues ahead, my friend.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve wrapped your head around being totally
\nvulnerable in this essay by \u2018fessing up a weakness, there are some tricks to
\nthe approach. Before you even begin writing, you need to get out your time
\nmachine (or hop into the DeLorean) and send yourself back to that episode.
\nThink about what you DIDN\u2019T know before you received the feedback, and exactly
\nhow you IMPROVED as a result. What did you do differently after, and how did
\nthat result in a better outcome? How would today\u2019s version of you be less
\neffective, LESS GOOD, if you hadn\u2019t gotten that feedback? Let that stew for a
\nbit; close your eyes and meditate on it, if you\u2019re in to that sort of thing. <\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve got a clear picture in your head of what difference
\nthat tough criticism made, and mentally (or literally) thanked the person who
\ngave you that feedback, only NOW are you ready to start writing. <\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Reading: <\/strong>Eliminating Cliches in MBA Essays<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

This kind of essay absolutely demands a strong contrast
\nbetween the BEFORE and the AFTER, so take the time to explain what your
\nmindset, process, or knowledge was BEFORE you received feedback. Sell us on it,
\nputting us in your shoes during that time when you had NO doubt that the way
\nyou were operating was optimal, irreproachable. Explain why you felt that way.
\nThen, let the hammer drop with that feedback. Just as it hit you hard, it should
\nhit the reader with equal force. If you\u2019ve chosen a good story, that feedback
\nshould be disorienting and a little painful\u2014it should have shocked you to
\nrealize your assumptions or process were wrong. If you\u2019ve done a good job
\nselling the reader on your process BEFOREHAND, then the feedback will shock
\nthem, too. <\/p>\n

This is the moment to be vulnerable. That first type of
\napplicant we talked about wants to hedge or justify their thinking, and explain
\nwhy they were only kinda, sorta in the wrong before getting feedback, or how
\nthey couldn\u2019t possibly have known there was a problem. But the second type of applicant,
\nthe one we like, the one who gets in, is EXCITED to tell us about just how
\nwrong they were. They reveal their weakness with sincerity, enthusiasm, and
\nconfidence, knowing the more disorienting and hard-hitting this moment is, the
\nmore growth and improvement we\u2019ll see when they turn it all around. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re having a tough time identifying exactly what the
\nIMPACT of that feedback was, play out the hypothetical scenario where you DON\u2019T
\nreceive it. If you had kept operating as you were, how would things have ended
\nup? Maybe it would have been okay, but we\u2019re striving for GREAT, not \u201cokay.\u201d
\nThat delta, between how things would have turned out without the feedback, and
\nhow they DID turn out since you had that rough, hard-to-swallow criticism, is
\nkey. <\/p>\n

\n

Recommended Reading: <\/strong>Discussing Startup Failures in MBA Essays<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Without getting into specifics, this should read roughly as:
\n\u201cwell, without that feedback I would have continued on THIS path with THIS
\nmindset and done ABC, but because that feedback forced me to reconsider my
\nmindset\/process\/skillset, I changed to THAT alternative path that led to
\namazing outcomes XYZ and I learned to be\/do something better. Thanks, tough
\nfeedback!\u201d<\/p>\n

So get out your vulnerable side and your time machine and with that set of tools, get writing!<\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

***NEW Admissionado Products & Services for MBA\/Masters!<\/a>***Now, read up and get smart:<\/p>\n