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Help with essay question

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by tmartin3 » Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:48 am
I have a question on an essay I am writing, which is: "Tell us about a time when you defended your idea." I have a great example of this that turned out to be influential in my understanding of economics but the idea I tried to defend (as a newbie in Econ 101 my freshman year) made little economic sense and I have since come to disagree with it wholeheartedly. Am I an idiot if I try to write about this? Or is there a chance the admissions rep will appreciate a fresh take on the question that differs from what the majority of people are no doubt going to write? The point I would be trying to make is that I did defend my idea but that, even though I don't agree with my position now, I learned more by sticking my neck out there and being "wrong" (although "wrong" in economics is different than say, wrong in math). The teacher initially thought I was another quack but I wound up taking another class with him and then TA-ing for him my senior year. It's a good, genuine story but do you think I will be looked upon negatively for not having a stand out example of when I had to dig deep and stand up to someone ethically or had to convince an entire group that my approach to problem was correct, etc?

Any advice you could give would be great.

Thanks.
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Re: Help with essay question

by Linda Abraham » Fri Dec 05, 2008 1:35 pm
tmartin3 wrote:I have a question on an essay I am writing, which is: "Tell us about a time when you defended your idea." I have a great example of this that turned out to be influential in my understanding of economics but the idea I tried to defend (as a newbie in Econ 101 my freshman year) made little economic sense and I have since come to disagree with it wholeheartedly. Am I an idiot if I try to write about this? Or is there a chance the admissions rep will appreciate a fresh take on the question that differs from what the majority of people are no doubt going to write? The point I would be trying to make is that I did defend my idea but that, even though I don't agree with my position now, I learned more by sticking my neck out there and being "wrong" (although "wrong" in economics is different than say, wrong in math). The teacher initially thought I was another quack but I wound up taking another class with him and then TA-ing for him my senior year. It's a good, genuine story but do you think I will be looked upon negatively for not having a stand out example of when I had to dig deep and stand up to someone ethically or had to convince an entire group that my approach to problem was correct, etc?

Any advice you could give would be great.

Thanks.
I could see it working and working well, particularly if you are an early career applicant. However, if you are in your late twenties, I think using an example from your freshman year of college might make a reader wonder why you haven't used a more recent example.

Best,
Linda
Linda Abraham
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by Jay Allen » Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:43 pm
I agree with Linda's assessment about this answer depending on your age.

I'll also add that you have to think strategically about when you try to be out of the box and when you try to be clear and straight forward. In general, MBA Admissions officers are looking for confidence that you'll be an asset to their MBA program. You'll accomplish a lot more by clearing demonstating your strengths and aggressively attacking your weaknesses than by looking for ways to stand-out. A great application will always stand-out from good applications.

Additionally, if you do want to take a risk in one area of your application in order to stand-out, do so on a topic where it matters. For instance, if could be very powerful if you have a unique career goal that would show an interesting perspective on the world. This question, however, is already pretty interesting by itself and most people will have interesting stories.

Finally, I might be concerned that the nuances of your story might get lost. We here at MBA Helpers offer a one free essay edit and we'd be happy to read a draft.


Best,


Jason
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by tmartin3 » Sat Dec 06, 2008 6:28 am
Thank you for the advice. I am 26 so I guess I would be approaching the point where that example might begin to raise doubts.

Jay - I may send you a draft.
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by Jay Allen » Sat Dec 06, 2008 6:50 am
Please do--I look forward to speaking with you further. Feel free to give me a call directly.

Best,


Jason
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