The Application Process

Essay Question # 3 Describe a time in your career when you were frustrated or disappointed. What did you learn from that experience? (500 word maximum)

Through this essay question the AD Com expects you to share a frustrating or disappointing experience from your professional l life. So you need to look for instances when you were disappointed because things did not work the way they should have or the way you had expected them to be. This may be your inability to handle a project in a desired manner or your inability to keep your team members aligned with each other or to get the expected results from them etc.

Please remember this question is different from a mistake or a setback question. Ross is not expecting you to admit or explain your mistake; instead, they are asking you to explain a situation that frustrated you. So you need to be honest in explaining your part, your team members or your superiors' role in that situation.

In spite of the frustration you experienced, your story can still present you in a positive light, revealing your strengths in the areas of diplomacy, honesty, maturity, ethics, creativity and integrity. Make sure to be honest in narrating your story rather than indulging in blame game.

Your story should have the four components: the challenge, the action, the outcome, and the significance. Since the second part of the question asks you to share the lessons learned from that experience, it is imperative that you explain at length why that experience is meaningful to you, what lessons it taught you and how you are now applying or trying to apply those lessons in similar situations at work. The key here is your essay should eventually demonstrate your growth.

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Thanks for your feedback,Jim. I appreciate it.