Senior Application Consultant at Aringo MBA Admissions Consulting
I have worked as an MBA application consultant for eight years in a market replete with candidates who bear strikingly similar profiles. Our challenge has always been to show how each candidate "fits in and stands out." The "fits in" part is relatively easy, assuming the candidate has the academic, professional and leadership credentials sought by top MBA programs. It is, however, the "stands out" part that has always been the most challenging and the most fun. After working with hundreds of candidates who may resemble one another on paper, I am happy to report that each and every candidate is indeed a unique individual who brings a special value to the MBA applicant table.
The trick, of course, is creating a unique brand that makes you memorable to the AdCom. Instead of branding yourself as yet another engineer, you'll need to find those amazing things that make you, well, you.
Here are some time-tested tips:
1. Be better than the others. Showcase a better GMAT, a better GPA, more accolades and achievements in similar roles. Show the extraordinary things you have done with your opportunities. Write better essays.
2. Be authentic. There is only one you. Let the reader see who you are beyond what you have done. Many applications ask you to tell them how you felt and what you thought, in addition to what you did ... so do that. Give them a peek into what makes you tick. It might be more interesting than you think. If you can be super insightful or empathic or funny or gently self-deprecating, even better.
3. Share your background. Don't worry that you might not look good enough. Schools love a rags-to-riches story. Include stories about your family, wisdom from your immigrant grandfather, how you are the first in your family to go to college. If you are lucky enough to come from an accomplished successful family, show that, too, and how that has influenced you and your choices.
4. Play your strongest hand to create a memorable brand. Whether it's your outstanding community service record, your professional achievements, or your salsa-dancing hobby, play it up. It will get someone's attention. This is even better if you can connect your "special thing" to a role you will fill at school. I loved one candidate's essay that promoted his skit-writing and comedy skills, making him essential for a successful future Follies show. Find 1 or 2 or 3 things that you can contribute but your competitors cannot.
5. Be clever. One smart candidate wrote his INSEAD candid description essay about how you would be able to identify him in a crowded room.
6. Highlight your transferrable skills and knowledge. Show how you've already taken steps towards your short-term goal and thus prove that you are most likely to succeed among all your peers in transitioning to that role.
7. Be creative. Schools like NYU, MIT, and Chicago give you an opportunity to shine. I will never forget one winning PPT presentation. Chicago asked for four slides, and this brilliant candidate presented one NYC-style subway map, highlighting his professional, personal, community service, and academic lines. He was even smart enough to include "tracks under construction" to indicate his future plans and dreams in all areas.
8. Turn weaknesses into strengths that get you noticed. One high-tech candidate for Wharton worked full-time while studying part-time over many years. He started his Optional essay with, "I would like to explain why it took me only 9 years to complete my undergraduate degree." Instead of trying to hide it or make excuses, he confronted the issue head-on with a compelling explanation of his unconventional choices.
9. Tell surprising stories that reveal who you are as a person. We tend to dismiss as irrelevant certain aspects of our lives that top business schools will actually find interesting in their never-ending quest for diversity. There was the young Investment banker who volunteered as a guardian ad litem in the court system, protecting children. There was a soft-spoken software developer who did improv on the weekends. And the management consultant with a passion for cosmetology who volunteered to do make-up for young women before their job interviews.
10. Avoid clichés. Please.
11. Remember this: You can't be everything to everybody. What matters most to you cannot be "to become the kind of leader who inspires others to be their best and work with teams to achieve the kind of synergy that makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts in order to make an innovating and sustainable impact on the global community." Be who you are.
