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Political Bias in Admissions?

Launched April 26, 2006
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by southhobart » Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:25 pm
Can anyone tell me if work experience in politics would be a plus or a negative on a b-school application?

Specifically, my resume consists almost entirely of jobs and internships for politically conservative politicians and think-tanks. Some aspects of this experience (eg: an internship on Capitol Hill) might actually impress an admissions committee. Other aspects (eg: a long paper trail of various articles I have published over the years) might ruffle feathers. Should I:

a) Talk effusively about my experience in politics, using it to give the committee a flavor for “who I really am” and to make a case that I’m a “leader” (whatever those b-school clichés mean!)

or

b) Downplay this experience so as not to offend admissions officers who might disagree with my worldview, and to avoid being perceived as a disagreeable crank who won’t get along with classmates?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!
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Source: — Ask Stacy Blackman |

by Lisa Anderson » Sun Mar 09, 2008 6:42 pm
Dear southhobart:

In general, I think most admissions committees will find your background interesting regardless of which political party your work affiliates with, and thus you should highlight these accomplishments. Of course, there could always be the handful of admissions professionals who can't look at your experience objectively, but the majority of admissions professionals I know would be objective. Besides, most schools want diversity of opinion as well as background in the classroom.

Good luck!
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
Consultant
Stacy Blackman Consulting

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by southhobart » Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:00 pm
Awesome...that was my instinct--it seems like a way to genuinely differentiate myself from the traditional b-school applicant, who's likely to have spent more time on Wall Street than in Washington--but I wanted a second opinion before I tried an approach that might backfire on me. Thanks for your help!
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