When it comes time to write your MBA application essays, one topic you can count on having to cover for nearly every program to which you are applying is why that particular school is the best fit for you. As an admissions consultant, I\u2019ve helped countless clients craft this argument and I can undoubtedly say that, for almost everyone, it is one of the more difficult things to do WELL.<\/p>\n
Most people\u2019s first inclination \u2013 which I totally get \u2013 is to restate the prominent \u2018branding\u2019 they\u2019ve heard about a particular school. For instance, since Kellogg (of which I am a proud alum) is known as a heavily team-oriented program, they\u2019ll say \u2018I work best in a team setting so Kellogg\u2019s culture is the best fit for me.\u2019 Don\u2019t get me wrong, this argument might be true and it\u2019s fine. But it\u2019s just<\/em> fine<\/em>. You are telling the adcom the same thing they\u2019ll hear from thousands of other applicants. Don\u2019t waste precious word count on fine.<\/p>\n So how can you do better? It\u2019s tough and that\u2019s exactly why it matters. Most people won\u2019t put in the effort to craft a nuanced, authentic argument, so view it as an opportunity to set yourself apart. Here are my three best tips to accomplish this:<\/p>\n 1. Focus Your Networking <\/strong><\/p>\n At this stage in the game (with Round 2 deadlines roughly six weeks away), hopefully you\u2019ve attended info sessions for your target schools and spoken with current students or alumni. While these are valuable steps to have taken and will definitely help you craft a compelling \u2018why X school\u2019 argument, a best practice is to leverage these resources to make connections in your specific MBA \/ post-MBA focus area.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re seeking a career in healthcare consulting, it might be interesting to hear about the experience of your roommate\u2019s sister who took a post-MBA banking job, but she likely won\u2019t be able to tell you about the specific resources that will be most valuable in your job search. I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t speak with her, you absolutely should! But, at the end of the chat (or as follow up), ask her if she has any friends who went into healthcare consulting post-MBA and if she\u2019d be willing to make the connection. \u00a0<\/p>\n Once she does (and you thank her enthusiastically), ask the healthcare consultant alum what courses he still leverages in his work today and what the recruiting process was like. Was the healthcare club helpful in preparing for interviews and how so? What firms came to campus and, if not many did, was the alumni network responsive to outreach? \u00a0<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have these connections in your network, reach out to the leadership team of the relevant campus club and see if they\u2019d be willing to chat for 15 minutes. Or do some LinkedIn sleuthing and see if you can find an alum who is currently working in your field of interest. The worst that can happen is that they ignore you, but many will respond to a targeted, thoughtful message.<\/p>\n 2. Think Inward<\/strong><\/p>\n Peruse any school\u2019s website and you\u2019ll see that they seek to develop leaders and provide coursework in the basic business disciplines \u2013 finance, marketing, strategy, etc. This is all wonderful, but generic. You likely don\u2019t need (and won\u2019t have time for) education in every area during your two short years in the program. Furthermore, if you don\u2019t already have a robust skill set to contribute, they shouldn\u2019t admit you in the first place.<\/p>\n This is where your \u2018personal brand<\/a>\u2019 or \u2018application thesis\u2019 is critical. Think, really think, about the specific skills you will need for success in your post-MBA career, both short-term and long-term. To name a few, these could include: management frameworks for leading a large team, negotiation skills for dealing with external and internal clients, tools to conceptualize and launch a product, or advanced data analytics skills to monitor and grow a product or business.<\/p>\n Hopefully, your future career aspirations build on some of the skills you already have, in which case you don\u2019t need to spend time in business school developing them. Key in on the gaps and focus your research there. Does \u2018school X\u2019 have a robust course offering to develop the skills you need to acquire? Beyond the classroom, are there experiential learning opportunities to apply what you have learned? These are the examples you want to cite in your essays.<\/p>\n 3. Craft a specific, multidimensional argument<\/strong><\/p>\n Building on this point, when it comes time to put your thoughts on paper, focus on building a specific, multidimensional argument. What do I mean by this? Oftentimes, I see clients write a laundry list of courses they\u2019d like to take. \u00a0As noted above, it\u2019s important to find courses the school offers that will help fill in your skill gaps but go further than just naming them. Draw the connection for the adcom as to what this course will teach you and why that matters for your success post-MBA.<\/p>\n Additionally, while classes are important, the MBA experience is much broader than this. What clubs are active on campus that will allow you to network with likeminded peers as well as your target companies? Speak to what you will contribute to these clubs (perhaps you\u2019ll shoot for a leadership role?) and demonstrate knowledge of the types of events they host.<\/p>\n The last \u2018dimension\u2019 you should try to work into your \u2018why school X\u2019 argument is culture. Despite what I said earlier, this may involve mentioning one of the more common things the school is known for (i.e. Booth appeals to quant rock stars); but, the key is to apply this cultural element to your own situation. How does it mirror prior settings in which you\u2019ve excelled? Why will it benefit you in your specific career ambitions? \u00a0This is the logic you want to convey.<\/p>\n To demonstrate these points in practice, here is a recent client\u2019s stand out answer to \u2018Why do you feel Columbia Business School is a good fit for you?\u2019 (250 words):<\/p>\n Competition and collaboration are often seen as opposing forces, but I respectfully disagree. I am personally motivated by both, and I have seen both exemplified at CBS, contributing to a dynamic community in which I have felt like I belonged since my first visit to Columbia\u2019s campus. While all CBS students share my high drive to succeed, they are also active contributors to each other\u2019s success through programs such as the CMC Fellows and Peer Advisors. The monthly Investment Idea Club (IIC) offered by CSIMA, a platform under which students practice stock and credit pitches, is another unique way not found in other MBA programs that I would learn from constructive criticism from my peers and alumni.<\/em><\/p>\n Looking to continue my career in NYC, I will capitalize on CBS\u2019 unmatched geographic advantage, which will enable me to work with adjunct professors, such as Prof. Hendrickson, and network with industry leaders at monthly panels and conferences such as the Annual Columbia Energy Symposium. The convenience of location will also allow me to leverage my network in the energy and finance industries to bring in executives, such as [renewable energy company] CFO [name] or [renewable energy company] CFO [name], for campus events to facilitate discussions on the importance and economic feasibility of achieving net zero carbon footprint.<\/em><\/p>\n Lastly, having a strong understanding of global financial trends is an indispensable ingredient to managing an investment fund. The high composition of international students at CBS will expand my knowledge on ESG issues around the globe and aligns with my own multinational background.<\/em><\/p>\n Struggling with your MBA application essays? We\u2019re here to help. Click here<\/a> to request a free 30-minute consultation.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The post How to Tackle One of the Hardest MBA Essay Questions in Three Steps<\/a> appeared first on Vantage Point MBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When it comes time to write your MBA application essays, one topic you can count on having to cover for nearly every program to which you are applying is why…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":167,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"1","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1955,775,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-vantage-point-mba","category-admission-consultants","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50520","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\/167"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}