How To Write Your Business School Application Essays

by Stacy Blackman Consulting, Oct 12, 2011

A lot of candidates often wonder what they could write about in their business school essays. When you first begin, dont worry about writing entire stories. You can even begin by writing short notes and sentences. As you are writing this, just focus on what you accomplished. This should open your thoughts to some unique attributes and talents that you might have not thought about. In our experience with clients, weve discovered that it's best to start with a diverse set of life experiences and to see what emerges as a core strength rather than to begin with what the candidates believe are their strengths.

Here are some suggestions that should encourage your thinking:

1. Dont forget to consider personal accomplishments. As an example, one of our clients struggled with a speech impediment throughout his life, but worked hard to overcome this. That accomplishment turned into a great story.
2. Dont forget leadership experiences and accomplishments in the communities you are a part of. Business school admissions officers are very interested in what you have been able to do outside your career.
3. Remember your experiences when your involvement made a big impact on an individual or organization. In the end, MBA admissions officers are much more interested in the impact you have made.
4. List as many examples as you can where you achieved something important by motivating and inspiring a team.
5. Think about the experiences when you were innovative and challenged the norm.
6. Remember the times you identified a problem and developed an impactful solution.
7. Focus on past achievements.
8. Dont forget about failures and setbacks in your life. These are often defining moments in your personal life and career. One thing you will find in the experiences of almost every strong leader is that they each faced a series of obstacles in their lives.

For more robust guidance on your MBA application essays, check out the Stacy Blackman Consulting Essay Guide Series school specific guides with essay tips, sample essays, information on what your target schools value and more. Visit http://www.stacyblackman.com/essay-guides/ to learn more.