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Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
15 Jul 2017, 09:47
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MBAPrepCoach Thank you for your response and insight.
souvik101990
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16 Jul 2017, 13:15
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Well, I have finished early drafts of a few schools, and gearing to start the big S. I guess what I am struggling with is bringing down to what matters to me to a basic primary level. I totally agree with what hlin mentioned that it needs to be deeper than what has mattered to you over the last few years.
How are you guys doing that introspection? Anybody interested in some peer review?
How are you guys doing that introspection? Anybody interested in some peer review?
17 Jul 2017, 12:24
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Interesting -- I have always recommended my clients start with Stanford first, PRECISELY because it forces you to do the kind of deep introspection that is going to be leveragable for all programs afterward. I find that what matters most to someone (and the more important "why") usually in some ways is connected to their career goals or future plans outside of work (like being a board member of a nonprofit whose work is important to the applicant for some personal reason, etc.). And so once the Stanford set of essays is complete (along with the app's mini essay), there is a lot of great content that can often be repurposed for other schools and it's already well thought out with the "why."
For Question 1 I tell clients to think about all of the most memorable moments in their lives -- things that really changed them or that stick in their memory for some reason. I also have them ask family members and lifelong friends for stories from their childhood and younger years that are "Classic Bob" (or whoever) - usually there is a pattern that emerges regarding something that applicant has always been into or cared about, even since their earliest days. To me, those are the strongest essays -- they show commitment to or action taken on something the client cared about for years if not decades.
Not everyone who is accepted into Stanford is going to have some sort of overarching life theme, of course, but I feel like many do and I would encourage applicants to spent A LOT of time thinking about it and asking others for their memories/stories before they get going on their drafts.
Hope this helps!
For Question 1 I tell clients to think about all of the most memorable moments in their lives -- things that really changed them or that stick in their memory for some reason. I also have them ask family members and lifelong friends for stories from their childhood and younger years that are "Classic Bob" (or whoever) - usually there is a pattern that emerges regarding something that applicant has always been into or cared about, even since their earliest days. To me, those are the strongest essays -- they show commitment to or action taken on something the client cared about for years if not decades.
Not everyone who is accepted into Stanford is going to have some sort of overarching life theme, of course, but I feel like many do and I would encourage applicants to spent A LOT of time thinking about it and asking others for their memories/stories before they get going on their drafts.
Hope this helps!
souvik101990
