Writing about marriage in mba admissions essays?

Question

My greatest trials and greatest achievements have been in the context of my marriage.

I'm working on the Stanford essay, "What matters most to you and why?" - Is it appropriate to write about my marriage, and if so, what is a good way to do so?

ARLeeConsulting · Answer

Hi JCardinal09,

I would not recommend you to write about marriage.

I would recommend you to write about something you are passionate about and can be linked to business school.

Stanford is looking for candidates with a strong desire to have a positive impact on society. Therefore, try to think about your own values, what drives you in life, any specific event that impacted you... and elaborate from there. Try to link it to your career goals, and explain how the school plays a key role in achieving these goals.

If you need help with this essay (or any other), feel free to PM me or send me an email directly.

Good luck!

JCardinal09 · Answer

Hey  alexruizlee  ,

Can you elaborate on the reasons not to write about marriage? Not because I don't agree, but because I want to understand.

Is it because marriage is difficult to write about, is it cliche, is it because it doesn't directly relate to career goals?

ARLeeConsulting · Answer

Hi JCardinal09,

that's a fair question.

As you said, talking about marriage is cliche. Family, spouse, children, friends... all these are cliche and will not help you much in your admissions campaign. You need to write about something that can help you stand out from the rest of applicants.

Furthermore, it is not tied to your career goals and Stanford's motto: "change lives, change organizations, change the world".

I hope this helps.

Good luck!

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

I would approve this only if 1.) you can narrate a specific example that demonstrates your personal transformation, that 2.) shaped your values (what matters most.) They are asking about your values - and so marriage might be the container for that but it would have to be skillfully done. And this is unlikely to be honest.

Allstar21 · Answer

Sorry if it sounds cold, but you should use your MBA application to present your candidacy in the strongest way possible. Therefore you should probably use the essays to demonstrate your professional strengths. If you can somehow link your marriage and the lessons you learned from it to your professional life, go for it. Otherwise, a business school application is probably not the best place to talk about your marriage.

MBAPrepCoach · Answer

It should be noted that the Stanford main essay absolutely should not be about your professional life. It should be demonstrating another aspect of you that has not been reflected in other aspects of your application. You can however hint at qualities that you've demonstrated professionally as well. But the subject matter should by all means not be about work they expressly state that you should not do that. https://MBAPrepCoach.com

JCardinal09 · Answer

Thank you  alexruizlee  and  MBAPrepCoach  ! Your comments are very helpful!

Writing about marriage in mba admissions essays?

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