The questions seek to uncover what contributed to their accomplishments, along with how they recovered from setbacks, and what candidates learned from them. This last prompt typically asks applicants to discuss any additional topics about which admissions committees need to know before rendering decisions.
Writing expert and admissions consultant Sanford Kreisberg offers a great deal of insight about successful application essays. Frequently, candidates also include how those experiences helped form their values. Another admissions consultant argues that emphasizing values is necessary , irrespective of the structure a candidate selects.
Admissions consultant Stacy Blackman advises clients to select themes that will enable them to display qualities HBS highly values , especially drive, accomplishment, and leadership:. We have found that both personal and career-oriented topics can work, and most candidates tell more than one story in the essay.
In the past, we have observed that successful HBS essays also demonstrate a core driving passion. HBS has always been highly focused on leadership and really loves candidates with a track record of leadership impact and a success trajectory that indicates upper management potential.
Accomplishments have traditionally been a strong focus of HBS essays, and using at least one accomplishment story in this essay may be a good strategy. According to Kreisberg, frequent themes include overcoming adversity, or helping others overcome adversity, and overcoming victimization, or helping others overcome victimization.
In fact, he argues that this theme accounted for as many as 70 percent of recent Stanford GSB essays. Kreisberg also says that absent parents, especially absent fathers, embody themes in many of the successful HBS essays from and The essay must convey that, above all, the candidate seems like a genuinely likable person.
According to Kreisberg, the critical test the HBS admission committee reportedly relies on is this question: Is this someone you would want to sit next to in a case method class? All experts agree that authenticity is a necessary winning essay hallmark. One of the most difficult challenges of application essay writing involves balancing a string of impressive accomplishments with humility. Candidates must present themselves as showing careful attention or consideration, including consideration of the needs of other people.
Ideally, candidates need to sound like previous applicants from the same industry. Applicants with work experience in investment banking need to sound like students the school accepted with investment banking experience; applicants with military experience need to sound like students the school admitted from the armed services, and so on. Many experts suggest that effective application essays do not need to be particularly well-written.
They contend that admissions committees are willing to overlook less-than-perfect writing so long as applicants deliver compelling pitches. After all, business schools are interested in selecting and training future business leaders, not Pulitzer Prize-winning writers. Moreover, the HBS essays we reviewed for this guide do not appear to be particularly well-written. The errors and defects found in the samples suggested that the authors won admission because of other factors, like their work experience, undergraduate grades, or admissions test scores.
Nevertheless, the most successful essays do appear to demonstrate many characteristics of great writing, such as:. Alice van Harten is a founding partner with Menlo Coaching, one of the most favorably-reviewed MBA admissions consulting firms in the world. In this video, van Harten explains Classic Style , a writing style she encourages her clients to use which is based on the writing guide Clear and Simple as the Truth.
She says this approach is effective because it helps differentiate writers from other candidates and exudes confidence. Consider for a moment why a powerful lead can be critical in this kind of essay. A typical admission committee member might review as many of 30 or 40 of these applicant essays on an average day. A compelling lead not only differentiates an essay in the mind of that reviewer, but also grabs their attention. Here is a remarkable example:.
You will never make it in this place! After leaving the comfort of my childhood home, I found myself blindsided by a brutal indoctrination into the male-dominated military. The writer eventually introduces the controversial topic of male domination of organizations, and explains how she adapted to that domination and finally overcame it.
During my first year in college, my parents declared bankruptcy. Since my parents were co-signers on my student loans, our bank refused to renew them after my first year. I did a number of things to get by, including working three jobs simultaneously to make ends meet.
I also tried to support my dad by helping to manage his rehabilitation process as much as a teenager reasonably could. Displaying vulnerability, this example surprises readers who may not expect an HBS student to have faced damaging family issues like bankruptcy and drug addiction. Cover every school and program you will apply for. When you know their goals, you can detail how you can contribute. They want to see how you fit in the picture. Get to know more about the school culture.
It would help in your MBA personal statement. Use that information to show that you belong there. This essay is packed with Harvard-specific information. But how do you approach the research? Listed below are some research suggestions that will help you use the right MBA essay format:.
It can help if you outline specifics for each program. Create bullet points that you find useful. This can be your preparation for writing.
Look at the bigger picture rather than the numbers. This is just for inspiration. The research can help you see yourself as an asset. It can bring you closer to the school you desire. The admission committee needs an answer, not an autobiography. Make sure that you address the question at hand in your MBA application essay.
The need to present yourself in the best light can do damage. It can get you to take the wrong path. The information on in your statement of purpose must focus on the specific question you intend to answer. But even then, your essay must be focused on the theme and question you intend to explore. Resist the urge to ramble. You have a limited word count. Use it wisely. Take a look at another MBA Essay example.
The student jumps straight to the point. Writing an MBA personal statement can seem easy at the start, but the truth is, the introduction is where you hook the readers. The point where students tend to break away is the introduction.
They have the need to set the tone. Begin with specifics right away. Is this sentence relevant? Repeat this question for every sentence you write. If the answer is no, delete it. Pay attention to lengthy sentences. They often consist of excess words or information. You can use a proofreading and editing tool that will point them out.
Show what makes you unique. There will be hundreds of others who will try to fit in. Nothing that will make them stand out. That is a mistake.
Schools want character. They want unique personalities that can add to the diversity. Innovators and entrepreneurs are always considered to be different. People that can be noticed in the crowd are the leaders. Give your MBA personal statement something special by showing who you are. Your experiences and life path can ensure originality. Put the focus on that. No one else has had the same life as you. There lies your advantage. Think about what makes you non-traditional. Do you want an example?
This is an sample MBA personal statement from a student applying to Stanford. The story he shared is memorable and different. You can also show your vulnerabilities or express your humor. Think about how your experience ties to the MBA program. What made you go in this direction? The only thing you need is to be yourself.
Show the business school admissions committee that you can stick it out. Tell them how passionate you are. Passion tends to ignite us. It can light that fire within you and fill you with inspiration.
Use your passion to create a compelling MBA personal statement. People without passions are usually people without enthusiasm. No Business School wants that. I saw my opportunity to make an impact as a combat officer in a highly technological and elite operational unit of the Artillery Corps. From my soldiers I learned that in order to be an effective leader, I need to listen to my subordinates and constantly work to improve them and myself.
Serving as a platoon commander I made it a practice to have weekly personal conversations with each of my subordinate commanders during which each of us would provide candid and constructive feedback to the other.
Thus, I was able to achieve great trust through and use their feedback to improve as a commander. I believe these conversations created a winning team, in which my subordinates flourished. Most of them were promoted to platoon sergeant. As a platoon commander I was concerned that the training we received fell short of meeting operational requirements on the field. Moreover, my experience in music, where independent practice was a key to improvement, inspired me to include more independent practice in the training plan, nearly doubling simulator time without overtaxing the instructors.
Finally, I discovered through my military comrades what I want to do with my life and career. As a commander I had the privilege of working with many amazing people, but I also saw too many cases where people with tremendous talent were blocked from fulfilling their potential due to socio-economic circumstances. This seems to be a particularly serious problem in my country, which was ranked as the fourth most unequal society among OECD countries.
I met one soldier who finished high school without taking his final matriculation exams in math because he had to work to support his family. I helped prepare him for the exams, which he completed with excellent grades, and he helped me to understand the challenges so many people face. Inspired by these soldiers, I began to volunteer for the Movement for the Quality of Governance, an organization boasting 17, members that promotes increased moral standards in the public service and politics in my country.
Researching market aspects that affect equal opportunities has helped me understand that what my country needs most is the creation of opportunities. Local startups have seen many successes during the last decade. However, a very large portion of our society is unable to take part of that phenomenon, as many successful startups are sold without creating sustainable jobs in the country.
Thus, innovation in my country translates into big wealth for the few most talented but has little effect on the lives of the majority of the middle class. In the long run I envision myself starting and managing a sustainable, international business in the field of automated transportation. I am passionate about extending economic opportunities to populations who need it most, and I expect the field of automated transportation to have great impact by spreading affordable transportation and creating new job opportunities for workers around the globe and in my country.
In order to lead in an ever-changing world, my business would have to predict and meet global demands, engage in continuous innovation, and incorporate the finest management practices. As a post-MBA step towards my goal, I intend to lead the efforts towards self-driving vehicles in a global corpora, where I will contribute a multidisciplinary view that merges technological and business knowledge, while I prepare to start my own business in the field. I am especially interested in studying the unique transportation and economic needs of emerging markets such as India or Brazil, which would affect the future demand for automated transportation and where automated transportation can serve as a much-needed engine of progress.
I have the necessary technological and leadership background to be this kind of leader, and an HBS MBA will bring me one giant step closer to achieving it. Let me introduce myself properly. I am a global citizen.
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