{"id":47120,"date":"2019-09-29T06:30:35","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T13:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=47120"},"modified":"2019-09-26T01:35:00","modified_gmt":"2019-09-26T08:35:00","slug":"admissions-tip-be-yourself-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/admissions-tip-be-yourself-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Admissions-Tip-Be-Yourself1.jpg\" alt=\"Admissions Tip: BE YOURSELF! \" class=\"wp-image-47121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Admissions-Tip-Be-Yourself1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Admissions-Tip-Be-Yourself1-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things admissions committee members tell us again and again is that they wish \u2013 really, truly wish \u2013 that applicants would not try to write what they imagine the adcom wants to hear, and instead would just be themselves. Admissions committee members time and time again say they wish applicants would answer their questions, if they are asking a specific question, and in all cases reveal what they really want admissions committee readers to know about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be yourself. Be authentic. Stand out. It sounds simple, but when you\u2019re facing a blank screen\u2026well, not so easy, right? Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not you \u2013&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/from-example-to-exemplary-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a personal statement is a challenging essay to write<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3 ways to stand out by being yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How can you be yourself in your admissions essay? How can you let your authentic voice shine through so that the person reading your essay feels they\u2019ve met you \u2013 and wants to get to know you better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Write about the right experiences<\/strong>When writing your admissions essays\/personal statement, choose experiences that mean something to you. Don\u2019t try to be someone you aren\u2019t, just because you think it will impress the adcom. Everyone has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/different-dimensions-diversity-episode-193\/\">a unique set of experiences and perspectives<\/a>&nbsp;\u2013 embrace them, and you\u2019ll stand out.And when you tell your story, also explain why it\u2019s significant. What was the impact on others? The \u201cother\u201d can be an individual, a team, a group, an employer, or your company. And why is it important to you and your development? How will it add to the readers\u2019 understanding of you as an individual, a potential member of their community, and a future professional and alum?<\/li><li><strong>Be truthful<\/strong>Don\u2019t exaggerate or falsify anything in your profile. That\u2019s automatically not being yourself! And it\u2019s a ticket to the \u201crejection\u201d pile.<\/li><li><strong>Find an authentic voice<\/strong>Don\u2019t change your voice for the sake of the essay. Some people worry about their word choice; they want to use sophisticated vocabulary to dazzle the adcom. Here\u2019s the thing: it\u2019s best to write like a human being. If you don\u2019t know those words and wouldn\u2019t normally use them, skip them. Along related lines: if you\u2019re not naturally a funny person,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/two-grad-school-applicants-walk-into-a-bar\/\">it\u2019s probably not the best time to try to crack jokes<\/a>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is your essay effectively introducing YOU?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your unique experiences, perspective, and goals will help you stand out in a crowded field, as long as you convey&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/proving-character-traits-in-your-application-essays\/\">what is special about you<\/a>. And then you will be YOU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One way to get a sense of how effectively your essay is introducing you is to ask someone else to read it. We\u2019ve read thousands of application essays and successfully coached people like you to success. We have the extensive admissions experience to know which parts of your profile make you stand out and how you can present yourself so that you seem like a real person. We can give you a professional evaluation of your essay, and specific advice on how to strengthen it before you apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/grad\/services\/essay-editing\" target=\"_blank\">Explore our consulting services<\/a>&nbsp;for more information on how we can help you find your unique voice and apply successfully to your top choice program.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/from-example-to-exemplary-guide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/hubfs\/Guide_Covers_-_2015\/Ex2Ex-CTA-imagesp.jpg\" alt=\"Get your guide!\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/services?utm_campaign=Blog&amp;utm_medium=blog_bio_gen&amp;utm_source=blog\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/accepted_admissions_consulting.jpg\" alt=\"Accepted\" class=\"wp-image-64552\" width=\"47\" height=\"32\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For 25 years, Accepted has helped applicants gain acceptance to top undergraduate and graduate programs. Our expert team of admissions consultants features former admissions directors, PhDs, and professional writers who have advised clients to acceptance at top programs worldwide including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Columbia, Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD, MIT, Caltech, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern.&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/services\">Want an admissions expert&nbsp;to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/reports.accepted.com\/five-fatal-flaws-grad-school-statement-of-purpose\" target=\"_blank\">Five Fatal Flaws to Avoid in Your Application Essays<\/a>, a free guide<br>\u2022&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/stand-out-a-critical-goal-for-your-application-episode-181\/\">Standing Out in Your Application<\/a>, a podcast episode<br>\u2022&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/writing-the-diversity-essay\/\">Approaching the Diversity Essay Question<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/admissions-tip\/\">This article<\/a>&nbsp;originally appeared on&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.accepted.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">blog.accepted.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accepted.com\/mba\/services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">help you get accepted<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the things admissions committee members tell us again and again is that they wish \u2013 really, truly wish \u2013 that applicants would not try to write what they&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,939,775,113,243],"tags":[1046,811,377,1283],"class_list":["post-47120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-accepted","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","tag-essay-advice","tag-essay-tips","tag-writing-techniques","tag-writing-the-mba-application-essay","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47120","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=47120"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47123,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47120\/revisions\/47123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}