Don't Be "Joe MBA"
As you begin to work on your Round 1 MBA materials, we have some advice for you: dont try to be Joe MBA.
One of the biggest mistakes we see applicants make is assuming that the surest route to business school admission is playing it safe and doing what everyone else does. We hear things like, Well my friend went to Stanford and he wrote about how he wanted to launch a start-up, so Im going to say that, too. Or, My co-worker who got into Kellogg last year isnt that different from me, so if she says my materials are fine then I should probably shouldnt change anything.
Remember: no two people are the same, and thats a good thing! The key to a successful MBA application is showing exactly what youand nobody else but youcan bring to the program. So please dont be afraid to let your originality and your true personality come through in your materials.
On that same note, if you honestly spew out multiple three- and four-syllable words in a normal conversation, then its fine to do so in your essays. But if you have a trusted friend review what youve written and they remark that it sounds nothing like you, thats a red flag. Did you include a bunch of big wordsor worse, buzzwords and industry jargonbecause you thought it would make you sound like a dream candidate? Wed suggest making your responses less formal and having your friend review them again to ensure your unique voice is represented.
Heres an easy way to judge whether or not youre on the right track: read over your materials and ask if youd honestly want to be in class with yourself. Are you coming across as someone whos interesting, has a lot to share with others, and would be a great addition to any MBA program? Or do you sound like Joe MBAaccomplished, sure ... but also pretty darn boring.
Think of it this way:
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