Showing uncertainty in an essay

Question

When writing my "Why MBA" essay, would it be imprudent to show a certain degree of uncertainty about my future? I'd like to say that I know what field I want to pursue and I have a clear sense of how I want to get there, but I also recognize another path (that still relates to my overarching story) that could be a possibility as well.

sudden · Answer

No, I think you need to choose one. It's okay to be uncertain, but keep it to yourself -- you do not want the adcom readers to think you don't know why you are applying. I think that's especially true when the economy is weak and so many people are trying to escape the general poor job market malaise (man, the finance job market is BRUTAL right now).

Also, IMO, the essays are short enough as it is (too short, really), so you should maximize the space you are given and not muddle things up with extraneous details. If a detail is not vital to the progression of the essay / your story, dump it.

riverripper · Answer

goals MUST be concrete...you dont have to follow through with what you write about but you definite need to seem like you will.

dabots · Answer

i agree. you should write like you have a well thought out plan to reach a goal. allowing yourself fallback options shows you are either non-committal or doubtful of your success.

dharmabum · Answer

Thanks for the insight. Another question regarding the specificity of my goals:

Which of these would be better, and why?

A) A clear goal about an area of focus, say social entrepreneurship that matches your story.

or

B) A very specific goal about the sort of venture that you would like to start. For example, wanting to start a program to teach business skills to people in the third world or something to that effect.

Is there an advantage to going with the second one?

riverripper · Answer

I think saying you just want to be an entr in a socially responsible area isnt going to get you far Its way to generic. You dont need to present a business plan but I think you need to at least say why type of enterprise you want to found.

togafoot · Answer

to put a slight spin on it. In my essays, my long term goal was clear, but i drew several paths to achieve it. All utilising the same starting point (B-school). The reason for drawing several paths is because it a bit like project planning, you need to mitigate your risks and find alternative routes to get to the goal incase one method is blocked.
How adcoms see that is another matter though.

VictoryMBA · Answer

This is something I'm struggling with, and I believe that I asked this question before, and recieved varied responses. How specific/detailed do you have to be about your goals?

Short Term: Post MBA, to move directly into a land acquisition position, then with more experience move into the design and planning phases of development (hopefully with a focus on sustainability) at a large land development firm.

Long Term: Entrepreneurial...to develop small scale sustainable housing (on my own) that would additionally focus on affordability and urban infill, as opposed to urban sprawl.

I could obviously make the prose a little more flowery...but do I need to be more detailed (if so, how much more) than that?

kryzak · Answer

the more specific your goals, the better, but don't kill yourself over it.

My goals:

Short Term: To join a startup company in the wireless industry doing product management, which will help me learn the ins and outs of running a "mini-business". I listed one or two companies that I would be interested in joining.

Long Term: To apply the experience I learned into creating a company of my own focusing on <specific mobile tech>.

Not the most specific, but also not overly vague. There's a wide range of vagueness and specificity that you can do, just make sure your statement doesn't sound TOO generic that 1000 other applicants can have your same story.

dharmabum · Answer

Thanks guys, that clears some things up.

Showing uncertainty in an essay

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