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Essay Topic - Information Disclosure (Stacy plse opine)

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Essay Topic - Information Disclosure (Stacy plse opine)

by blondi8021 » Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:49 pm
How much personal information is ok to disclose without risking possible negative impacts on candidacy? For example, if you have had a personal experience that helped shaped you as a personal - something negative you've experienced but you have faced it and it is a personal success, is it safe to discuss and use as an essay topic? The following are examples of what I am referring to (not my particular situation): alcoholism, an eating disorder, clinical depression, a rape, cancer, etc.? Maybe the answer is different for some of the above (mental vs. physical problem). On the one hand, overcoming something of this nature is a great personal success, on the other, it might cause the admissions person to think there is instability and weakness, even if the person has overcome the issue.

Much appreciation.
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by Lisa Anderson » Sat Aug 23, 2008 10:04 am
Dear blondi8021,

You ask a good question as there is a line you do not want to cross on disclosing personal information. I think the key is to give the readers a clear indication of the hardship, but do not give lots of details on the hardship itself. For example, if you are a cancer survivor, you want to state that you were diagnosed with cancer, endured 2 years of treatment and are now in remission. But you don't want to provide details of the treatment, how it made you sick, or how the cancer and treatments affected you physically. You want to spend the bulk of the essay on what the experience taught you and how it made you who you are today.

There are distinctions in the type of hardship to disclose. I think it is best to stay away from things like alcoholism, drug abuse, problems with law enforcement, and any other hardships that could be repeated and cause the committee to question either your character or ability to handle the stress of business school. Hardships like physical illness, loss of a family member, or taking care of a sick family member are a better choice.

I hope that clarifies things for you. Remember, it's about what you learned/how you changed, not the actual hardship.

Good luck,
Lisa
Lisa Anderson
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Stacy Blackman Consulting

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